Quimper

Quimper Kemper
The Odet River in the centre of Quimper
Quimper
Location within Brittany region  Quimper
Administration
Country	France
Region	Brittany
Department	Finistère
Arrondissement	Quimper
Intercommunality	Quimper
Mayor	Bernard Poignant (PS) (2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation	-5–151 m (−16.4–495 ft) (avg. 6 m/20 ft)
Land area1	84.45 km2 (32.61 sq mi)
Population2	63,929  (2008)
- Density	757 /km2 (1,960 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	29232/ 29000
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Coordinates: 47°59′48″N 4°05′47″W / 47.996667°N 4.096389°W / 47.996667; -4.096389

Quimper (French pronunciation: [kɛ̃.pɛʁ]; Breton: Kemper, Latin: Civitas Aquilonia or Corisopitum) is a commune and capital of the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France.

Administration

Quimper is the prefecture (capital) of the Finistère department.

Geography

The name Quimper comes from the Breton kemper "confluent" because the city was built on the confluence of the Steir, Odet and Jet rivers. It is at the intersection of Route National 165, D785, D765 and D783, 62 km (39 miles) northwest of Lorient, 181 km (112 mi) west of Rennes and 486 km (302 mi) west-southwest of Paris.

History

Quimper, with its vernacular architecture, is a popular tourist destination

Quimper is the ancient capital of La Cornouaille, Brittany’s most traditional region, and has a distinctive Breton character. Shops and flags celebrating the region's Celtic heritage can be found throughout the city. Quimper was originally settled during Roman times. By AD 495, the town had become a Bishopric. It subsequently became the capital of the counts of Cornouailles. In the 11th century, it was united with the Duchy of Brittany. During the civil wars of the 14th century, the town suffered considerable ruin. In 1364, the duchy passed to the House of Montfort.

The town has a rustic atmosphere with footbridges spanning the rivers that flow through it. The Church of Locmaria, a Romanesque structure, dates from the eleventh century. The Cathedral of Saint-Corentin, with its Gothic-style façade, was constructed between the 13th and 16th centuries. It is the oldest Gothic structure in lower Brittany. Its two towers are 76 m (250 feet); its spires were added in the 19th century. The 15th century stained glass windows are exceptional. The cathedral is dedicated to Quimper's first bishop, Corentin.

To the cathedral's west are the pedestrianized streets of Vieux Quimper with a wide array of crêperies, half-timbered houses and shops. Near the Episcopal palace, which now holds the Musée départemental Breton (devoted to regional history, archaeology, ethnology and economy) are the ruins of the town's 15th century walls. Nearby is the Musée des Beaux-Arts. The museum has a nineteenth century façade and an entirely rebuilt interior. It houses a collection of 14th to 21st century paintings that includes works by Boucher, Corot, Oudry and Rubens along with canvases by such Pont-Aven School painters as Bernard, Denis, Lacombe, Maufra and Paul Sérusier.

The town's best known product is Quimper faïence pottery. It has been made here since 1690, using bold provincial designs of Jean-Baptiste Bousquet. The town’s eating establishments boast some of the best crêpes and cider in Brittany. The town has also been known for copper and bronze work, food items, galvanized ironware, hosiery, leather, paper and woollen goods.

Population

Its inhabitants are called Quimpérois.

Historical populations
Year	Pop.	±%
1793	8,400	—
1800	6,651	−20.8%
1806	6,905	+3.8%
1821	9,400	+36.1%
1831	9,860	+4.9%
1836	9,715	−1.5%
1841	10,154	+4.5%
1846	10,943	+7.8%
1851	10,904	−0.4%
1856	11,450	+5.0%
1861	11,438	−0.1%
1866	12,532	+9.6%
1872	13,159	+5.0%
1876	13,879	+5.5%
1881	15,228	+9.7%
1886	17,171	+12.8%
1891	17,406	+1.4%
1896	18,557	+6.6%
1901	19,441	+4.8%
1906	19,516	+0.4%
1911	19,367	−0.8%
1921	18,444	−4.8%
1926	18,686	+1.3%
1931	18,297	−2.1%
1936	18,814	+2.8%
1946	20,149	+7.1%
1954	19,352	−4.0%
1962	45,989	+137.6%
1968	52,496	+14.1%
1975	55,977	+6.6%
1982	56,907	+1.7%
1990	59,437	+4.4%
1999	63,274	+6.5%
2008	63,929	+1.0%

Breton language

The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on 6 February 2008.

In 2008, 4.61% of primary-school children attended bilingual schools.^[1]

Education

Quimper has several schools, under which two Diwan preschools, two Diwan primary schools and one Diwan collège. In total, 287 students attended here a Diwan school in 2003–2004.^[2]

Winter Festival

Most French festivals are held in the summer season, but Quimper has a Winter Festival: Les Hivernautes. In the summer, you can also find concerts on street corners, with pipers and accordion players.^[3]

Sights

Quimper Cathedral

• the Roman Catholic cathedral of Saint-Corentin. This cathedral has a remarkable bend in its middle.
• churches (Locmaria, Saint-Mathieu, Kerfeunteun, Ergue-Armel...)
• an old town centre with mediaeval fortifications and houses
• Musée des Beaux-Arts (near the cathedral)
• Cornouaille Festival: traditional dance (last week of July)
• Faience museum
• Statue of Gradlon looking in the direction of Ys, in the Saint Corentin Cathedral

Transport

Public transport in Quimper is provided by QUB. The network consists of 7 urban bus routes, and 16 suburban bus routes. During the summer months of July and August, an additional "beach" bus route is open to service.

The Gare de Quimper is the terminus of a TGV high-speed train line from Paris, which passes through Le Mans, Rennes and Vannes. Journey duration is approximately 04h25. In addition, the following destinations are served by the TER Bretagne (the regional train network) :

• Quimper – Brest (01h09)
• Quimper – Rennes (02h15)

Quimper – Cornouaille Airport has flights to Paris.

Personalities

Quimper was the birthplace of:

• Élie Catherine Fréron (1719–1776), critic and controversialist
• Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec (1734–1797), explorer, admiral, discoverer of the Kerguelen archipelago
• Rene-Marie Madec (1736–1784), adventurer, Nawab of India. See also René Madec
• René Laënnec (1781–1826), physician, inventor of the stethoscope
• Max Jacob (1876–1944), poet, painter, writer and critic
• Philippe Poupon, sailor
• OBE Hélène Mansfeild, Croesyceiliog Head Teacher
• Hélène Albert, Nobel Prize winner of Medicine
• William Stanger, footballer
• Jean Failler, writer (The Adventures of Mary Lester)
• Louis Billouart de Kervaségan, chevalier de Kerlérec (1704–1770), last French governor of Louisiana^[4]
• Jacques Villeglé (b.1926), mixed-media artist
• Jessica Cerival athlete
• Dan Ar Braz (b. 1949), guitarist
• Guillaume Hyacinthe Bougeant (1690–1743), Jesuit author

International relations

Quimper is twinned with:

• Limerick, Ireland
• Remscheid, Germany
• Falkirk, United Kingdom
• Ourense, Spain
• Yantai, China
• Foggia, Italy

See also

• Ys
• Quimper faience
• Communes of the Finistère department

References

• INSEE

1. ^ (French) Ofis ar Brezhoneg: Enseignement bilingue
2. ^ (French) Diwan en chiffres
3. ^ Quimper Property Guide
4. ^ Hervé Gourmelon, Le chevalier de Kerlérec, 1704–1770: L'affaire de la louisiane, second edition, Paris: Les Portes du large, 2004.), 14.

External links

• Municipal website
• PlaceOpedia

Brittany portal