Concarneau (Breton: Konk-Kerne, meaning "Bay of Cornouaille") is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in Northwestern France.[3] Concarneau is bordered to the west by the Baie de La Forêt.
Concarneau
Konk-Kerne | |
|---|---|
 Concarneau's harbour and centre | |
 Flag .svg) Coat of arms | |
Location of Concarneau  | |
  Concarneau  Concarneau | |
| Coordinates: 47°52′34″N 3°55′04″W / 47.8761°N 3.9178°W | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Brittany |
| Department | Finistère |
| Arrondissement | Quimper |
| Canton | Concarneau |
| Intercommunality | Concarneau Cornouaille Agglomération |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Marc Bigot[1] |
| Area 1 | 41.08 km2 (15.86 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 20,607 |
| • Density | 500/km2 (1,300/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 29039 /29900 |
| Elevation | 0–36 m (0–118 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
The city has two distinct areas: the modern town on the mainland and the medieval Ville Close, a walled town on a long island in the centre of the harbour. Historically, the old town was a centre of shipbuilding; its ramparts date from the 14th century.[3] The Ville Close is now devoted to tourism with many restaurants and shops aimed at tourists. However restraint has been shown in resisting the excesses of souvenir shops. Also in the Ville Close is the fishing museum. The Ville Close is connected to the town by a bridge and at the other end a ferry to the village of Lanriec on the other side of the harbour.
Events edit
In August the town holds the annual Fête des Filets Bleus (Festival of the blue nets). The festival, named after the traditional blue nets of Concarneau's fishing fleet, is a celebration of Breton and pan-Celtic culture. Such festivals can occur throughout Brittany but the Filets Bleus is one of the oldest and largest, attracting in excess of a thousand participants in traditional dress with many times that number of observers. In 2005, the 100th festival was celebrated.
Literature edit
Concarneau was the setting for Belgian mystery writer Georges Simenon's 1931 novel Le Chien jaune (The Yellow Dog), featuring his celebrated sleuth Maigret.
Economy edit
Fishing, particularly for tuna, has long been the primary economic activity in Concarneau. The Les Mouettes d'Arvor is one of the last traditional canning factories in Concarneau. Concarneau is one of the biggest fishing ports in France. Since the 1980s, other industries have arisen, such as boat construction and summer tourism.
The Ville Close separates the working port from the yacht basin.
Demographics edit
Inhabitants of Concarneau are called in French Concarnois (masculine) and Concarnoises (feminine).
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| Source: EHESS[4] and INSEE (1968–2020)[5] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Breton language edit
In 2008, 2.16% of primary-school children attended bilingual schools, where Breton language is taught alongside French.[6]
Sport edit
The football club US Concarneau is based in the town.
Personalities edit
- Michel Desjoyeaux, navigator
- Samantha (Sam) Davies, sailor
- Guy Cotten, founder of a clothes factory
- Stéphane Guivarc'h, French footballer, won the FIFA World Cup 1998 with the French national side
- Théophile Deyrolle and Alfred Guillou, founders of the Concarneau Art Colony.
- Valérie Hermann President of Ralph Lauren
International relations edit
Twinned towns:
Gallery edit
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The medieval Ville Close -
The medieval Ville Close -
The commercial harbour -
The yachting harbour -
At dusk -
The port -
The yachting harbor -
Château de Kériolet -
Les Sables Blancs -
The Ville Close -
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Concarneau's location in Finistère
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See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 823.
- ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Concarneau, EHESS (in French).
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
- ^ (in French) Ofis ar Brezhoneg: Enseignement bilingue
External links edit
- Official website (in French)
- Base Mérimée: Search for heritage in the commune, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)