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Penmarch (, ) is a
commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...
in the
Finistère Finistère (, ; br, Penn-ar-Bed ) is a department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.
department of
Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
, northwestern
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
.Commune de Penmarch (29158)
INSEE
It lies 18 km south-west of
Quimper Quimper (, ; br, Kemper ; la, Civitas Aquilonia or ) is a commune and prefecture of the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. Administration Quimper is the prefecture (capital) of the Finistère department. Geography Th ...
by road.


Geography

Penmarch is the southwest-most township of
Pays Bigouden Bigouden ( Breton: ''Bro-Vigoudenn''; French: ''Pays Bigouden''), historically known as Cap Caval, is, along the Bay of Audierne, the most south-western area of ''Bro Kernev'' in Brittany, south-west of Quimper, defined since 1790 in the French dep ...
, at the southern end of the Bay of Audierne. It is part of the canton of Pont-l'Abbé, and of the arrondissement of Quimper. The territory of the town (16.39 km2) is particularly flat; its altitude ranges from -1 to 23 m amsl. There are many marshy lagoons, some of which have been drained and filled, especially in St. Guénolé to save space or habitat for the installation of local handicrafts. The municipality consists of four villages: * Penmarch-Bourg, formerly known as the Tréoultré; * Saint-Guénolé (main fishing port); * Kerity (fishing port side moving towards the hosting of the craft); * Saint-Pierre (port for very small craft). Many islands or reefs of very variable dimensions punctuate the coast of Penmarch; the most important are the Étocs islets south of Kerity, and the island of Saint-Nonna west of Saint-Pierre. The port of Saint-Guénolé has a pass opening due west, thought to be dangerous in rough weather. It is protected by two granite peninsulas: Krugen in the South, and Conq in the northwest. Krugen is connected to the mainland by a sandy isthmus. Conq is connected to the shore by an artificial embankment itself protected by concrete blocks to better break the flood wave. The rocky granite coast (called "savage coast" in Saint-Guénolé) is interspersed with several beaches: * North, the beach of Pors Carn-which extends to the tip of the torch (joint Plomeur); * West, the beach of Joy; * South, the beach Steir Kerity which begins at and continues through Guilvinec.


Climate

Penmarch has a climate bordering between
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''Csb'') and
oceanic Oceanic may refer to: *Of or relating to the ocean *Of or relating to Oceania **Oceanic climate **Oceanic languages **Oceanic person or people, also called "Pacific Islander(s)" Places * Oceanic, British Columbia, a settlement on Smith Island, ...
(''Cfb''). It is heavily moderated by the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
and the Gulf Stream influence, resulting in cool summers and very mild winters for the latitude as seasonal differences are low.


History

On the extremity of the peninsula on which Penmarc'h is situated are the fortified remains of a town which was of considerable importance from the 14th to the 16th centuries and included, besides Penmarc'h, Saint-Guénolé and Kerity. It owed its prosperity to its
cod Cod is the common name for the demersal fish genus '' Gadus'', belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gadus'' is commonly not call ...
banks, the disappearance of which together with the discovery of the Newfoundland cod banks and the pillage of the place by the
bandit Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an ...
La Fontenelle in 1595, contributed to its decline. The church of Saint Nouna, a Gothic building of the early 16th century at Penmarc'h, and the church of St. Guénolé, an unfinished tower, and the church of Kerity are of interest. The coast is known to be very dangerous for sailors. On the Pointe de Penmarc'h stands the
Phare d'Eckmühl The Phare d'Eckmühl, also known as Point Penmarc'h Light or Saint-Pierre Light, is an active lighthouse in Penmarc'h, Finistère department, Brittany, France. At a height of it is one of the tallest lighthouses in the world. It is located a ...
, with a light visible for . There are numerous megalithic monuments in the vicinity.


Population

Inhabitants of Penmarch are called in French ''Penmarchais''.


Sights

Penmarch is home to the ' Droguen' rock.


Literary references

Dorigen, the female protagonist in Geoffrey Chaucer's ''
The Franklin's Tale "The Franklin's Tale" ( enm, The Frankeleyns Tale) is one of '' The Canterbury Tales'' by Geoffrey Chaucer. It focuses on issues of providence, truth, generosity and ''gentillesse'' in human relationships. Synopsis A medieval franklin was fr ...
'', has a name similar to the local rock, which may symbolise her obduracy..


See also

*
Communes of the Finistère department The following is a list of the 277 communes of the Finistère department of France. The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2022):Pierre Charles Lenoir Pierre Lenoir (23 May 1879, in Paris – 9 September 1953, in Paris) was a French sculptor. Biography Pierre Lenoir was a French sculptor and medallist and was one of the Breton sculptors born in the 1880s who studied together at the École r ...
*The Penmarch serves as a landing point for SEA-ME-WE 3, the longest submarine cable on Earth


References

*


Further reading

* Couliou, Jean-René (1997) ''La Pêche bretonne''. 446 p. Rennes: Presses Universitaires de Rennes * Foyer de l'enseignement (1950) ''Grandeurs ... au pays de Penmarc'h: terre et mer''. 58 p. Les Amitiés de Lorraine et d'Alsace * Le Gallo, Yves (ed.) (1991) ''Le Finistère de la Préhistoire à nos jours''. Ed. Bordessoules * Quaghebeur, Joëlle (2001) ''La Cornouaille du e au e siècle''. Société archéologique du Finistère * Dubois, Xavier (2002) « La Crise sardinière et les Mutations de la conserverie », in: Humbert, M., ed. ''La Bretagne à l'heure de la mondialisation''. Rennes: Presses Universitaire de Rennes; pp. 27–33 * Duigou, Serge, et al. (2003) ''Histoire du Pays bigouden''. Ed. Palantines * Dreyer, Francis & Fichou, Jean-Christophe (2005) ''L'histoire de tous les phares de France''. 316 p. Ouest-France ; pp. 179–182


External links


Official website
* {{authority control Communes of Finistère Finistère communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia Populated coastal places in France