Lamballe

French commune
nomcommune=Lamballe
native_name=Lambal


caption=


x=49
y=80
lat_long=coord|48|28|10|N|2|31|00|W|region:FR_type:city
insee=22093
cp=22400
région=Bretagne
département=Côtes-d'Armor
arrondissement=Saint-Brieuc
canton=Lamballe
maire=Loïc Cauret
mandat=2001-2008
intercomm=Lamballe Communauté
alt mini=37
alt maxi=131 m
km²=76.29
sans=10,563
date-sans=1999
dens=138
date-dens=1999|

Lamballe ( _br. Lambal, Gallo: "Lanball") is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Bretagne in northwestern France. It lies on the Gouessant 13 miles east-southeast of Saint-Brieuc by rail.

History

Lamballe was the capital of the territory of the counts of Penthièvre, who in 1569 were made dukes.

La Noue, the famous Huguenot leader, was mortally wounded in 1591 in the siege of the castle, which was dismantled in 1626 by Richelieu. The last Duke of Penthievre granted his son Louis the title Prince of Lamballe. The Prince de Lamballe married Marie Therese de Savoie-Carignan and she took the title Princesse de Lamballe. The Princesse lived with her father-in-law after the early death of her husband. She was a close friend of Queen Marie Antoinette and one of the most famous victims of the French Revolution. The title died with her in 1792.

Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouerie, hero of the American war of independence and one of the first leaders of the Breton conjuration, died near Lamballe in 1793.

Demographics

Inhabitants of Lamballe are called "Lamballais".

As of the census of 1999, the town has a population of formatnum:10,563. The population in 1906 was formatnum:4347.

ights

Crowning the eminence on which the town is built is a beautiful Gothic church (13th and 14th centuries), once the chapel of the castle of the counts of Penthièvre.

Of the other buildings, the church of St Martin (11th, 16th and 16th centuries) is the chief.

Economy

Lamballe has an important haras (depôt for stallions) and carries on trade in grain, tanning and leather-dressing; earthenware is manufactured in the environs.

The town of Lamballe is noted for its exceptional weekly market. Although held on Thursday mornings only, this market is known as one of France’s finest, with people travelling from far and wide to visit it and to enjoy its gastronomic delights. According to locals, something that must be tried here is a local speciality of gallettes with sausages, apparently irresistibly delicious, and also the Breton buckwheat pancakes (crêpes), cider and seafood for which the area is famed.

References

*

ee also

*Communes of the Côtes-d'Armor department

External links

* [http://www.mairie-lamballe.fr Official website] fr icon
* [http://www.culture.gouv.fr/public/mistral/merimee_fr?ACTION=CHERCHER&FIELD_98=INSEE&VALUE_98=22093 French Ministry of Culture list for Lamballe] fr icon