Quimper (, ; br, Kemper ; la, Civitas Aquilonia or ) is a
commune and prefecture of 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 ...
in northwestern France.
Administration
Quimper is the
prefecture
A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...
(capital) of 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.
Geography
The city was built on the
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...
of the
Steir,
Odet
The Odet ( br, Oded) is a river in western France (Finistère department), which runs from Saint-Goazec (near Leuhan, in the Montagnes Noires of Brittany) into the Atlantic Ocean at Bénodet. The name of the town of Bénodet comes from the ri ...
and
Jet rivers. Route National 165, D785, D765 and D783 were constructed to intersect here, northwest of
Lorient
Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France.
History
Prehistory and classical antiquity
Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...
, west of
Rennes
Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine departme ...
, and west-southwest of Paris.
Climate
Quimper has a
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
''Cfb''). The average annual temperature in Quimper is . The average annual rainfall is with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in February, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Quimper was on 30 June 1976; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 13 January 1987.
Etymology
The name ''Quimper'' comes from the
Breton ''kemper'', meaning "confluent".
History
Quimper is the ancient capital of
Cornouaille
Cornouaille (; br, Kernev, Kerne) is a historical region on the west coast of Brittany in West France. The name is cognate with Cornwall in neighbouring Great Britain. This can be explained by the settlement of Cornouaille by migrant princ ...
, Brittany's most traditional region, and has a distinctive Breton Celtic character. Its name is the Breton word ''kemper'' (cognate to Welsh ''
cymer''), meaning "confluence". The town developed at the confluence of the rivers Le Steir and L'Odet. Shops and flags celebrate the region's
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
*Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Foo ...
heritage.
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 eleventh century, it was united with the
Duchy of Brittany
The Duchy of Brittany ( br, Dugelezh Breizh, ; french: Duché de Bretagne) was a medieval feudal state that existed between approximately 939 and 1547. Its territory covered the northwestern peninsula of Europe, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean ...
. During the
War of the Breton Succession
The War of the Breton Succession (, ) was a conflict between the Counts of Blois and the Montforts of Brittany for control of the Sovereign Duchy of Brittany, then a fief of the Kingdom of France. It was fought between 1341 and 12 April 1 ...
(1341–1364), 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 thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is the oldest Gothic structure in lower Brittany. Its two towers are ; its spires were added in the nineteenth century. The fifteenth-century stained glass windows are exceptional. The cathedral is dedicated to Quimper's first bishop,
Corentin.
To the cathedral's west are the pedestrianised streets of Vieux Quimper (Old Quimper), which have 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 fifteenth-century walls. Nearby is the
Musée des beaux-arts de Quimper. The museum has a nineteenth-century façade and an entirely rebuilt interior. It houses a collection of fourteenth to twenty-first century paintings that includes works by
François Boucher
François Boucher ( , ; ; 29 September 1703 – 30 May 1770) was a French painter, draughtsman and etcher, who worked in the Rococo style. Boucher is known for his idyllic and voluptuous paintings on classical themes, decorative allegories ...
,
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot ( , , ; July 16, 1796 – February 22, 1875), or simply Camille Corot, is a French landscape and portrait painter as well as a printmaker in etching. He is a pivotal figure in landscape painting and his vast ...
,
Jean-Baptiste Oudry
Jean-Baptiste Oudry (; 17 March 1686 – 30 April 1755) was a French Rococo painter, engraver, and tapestry designer. He is particularly well known for his naturalistic pictures of animals and his hunt pieces depicting game. His son, Jacques- ...
and
Peter Paul Rubens
Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradit ...
, along with canvases by such
Pont-Aven School
Pont-Aven School (french: École de Pont-Aven, br, Skol Pont Aven) encompasses works of art influenced by the Breton town of Pont-Aven and its surroundings. Originally the term applied to works created in the artists' colony at Pont-Aven, which s ...
painters as
Émile Bernard,
Maurice Denis
Maurice Denis (; 25 November 1870 – 13 November 1943) was a French painter, decorative artist, and writer. An important figure in the transitional period between impressionism and modern art, he is associated with ''Les Nabis'', symbolism, a ...
,
Georges Lacombe,
Maxime Maufra
Maxime Maufra (17 May 1861 – 23 May 1918) was a French landscape and marine painter, etcher and lithographer.
Life
Maufra first began painting at 18. He was encouraged to do so by two artists from Nantes such as the brothers Charles Ledu ...
and
Paul Sérusier
Paul Sérusier (9 November 1864 – 7 October 1927) was a French painter who was a pioneer of abstract art and an inspiration for the avant-garde Nabis movement, Synthetism and Cloisonnism.
Education
Sérusier was born in Paris. He studied ...
.
The town's best known product is
Quimper faience, tin-glazed pottery. It has been made here since 1690, using bold provincial designs of
Jean-Baptiste Bousquet. Quimper has a museum devoted to faience. 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, galvanised ironware, hosiery, leather, paper and woollen goods.
Population
The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Quimper proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of Quimper absorbed the former communes of Ergué-Armel, Kerfunteun and Penhars in 1959.
[ Its inhabitants are called ''Quimpérois''.
]
Breton language
The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on 6 February 2008, to revive the teaching and use of Breton, the historic Celtic language of the region. In 2008, 4.61% of primary-school children attended bilingual schools.
Education
Quimper has several schools. These include two Diwan pre-schools, two Diwan primary schools and one Diwan collège
In France, secondary education is in two stages:
* ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15.
* ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between ...
(all specialise in use of Breton). In total, 287 students here attended a Diwan school in 2003–2004.
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.
Local points of interest
* Quimper Cathedral
Quimper Cathedral, or at greater length the Cathedral of Saint Corentin, Quimper (french: Cathédrale Saint-Corentin de Quimper, br, Iliz-veur Sant-Kaourintin), is a Roman Catholic cathedral and national monument of Brittany in France. It is ...
. 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
Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major ...
museum
* Statue of Gradlon
Gradlon the Great (''Gradlon Meur'') was a semi-legendary 5th century "king" of Cornouaille who became the hero of many Breton folk stories. The most famous of these legends is the story of the sunken city of Ys. He is supposed to have been the s ...
looking in the direction of Ys at Quimper Cathedral
Transport
Public transport in Quimper is provided by QUB. The network consists of seven 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
Quimper is a railway station in Quimper, Brittany, France. The station was opened on 8 September 1863 is located on the Savenay–Landerneau railway. Today, the station is served by TGV (high speed), Intercités (long distance) and TER (local) ...
is the terminus of a TGV
The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...
high-speed train line from Paris, which passes through Le Mans
Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le ...
, Rennes
Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine departme ...
and Vannes
Vannes (; br, Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago.
History Celtic Era
The name ''Vannes'' comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who live ...
. Journey duration is approximately 3 hours 40 minutes. In addition, the following destinations are served by the TER Bretagne
TER Bretagne (stylized as ''TER BreizhGo'' since 2018) is the TER regional rail network serving the administrative region of Brittany, in north-west France.
Network
The rail and bus network as of April 2022:[Quimper–Cornouaille Airport
Quimper–Bretagne Airport (french: Aéroport de Quimper-Bretagne) , formerly known as Quimper–Cornouaille Airport (french: Aérodrome de Quimper Cornouaille) and Quimper–Pluguffan Airport (french: Aérodrome de Quimper Pluguffan), is an airp ...]
has flights to Paris and London City.
Personalities
Quimper was the birthplace of:
* Guillaume Hyacinthe Bougeant
Guillaume-Hyacinthe Bougeant, known as le Père Bougeant (4 November 1690, Quimper, Brittany – 17 January 1743, Paris) was a French Jesuit and historian.
Bougeant entered the Society of Jesus in 1706, taught classics in the College of Caen an ...
(1690–1743), Jesuit author
* Louis Billouart de Kervaségan, chevalier de Kerlérec (1704–1770), last French governor of Louisiana
* René Cardaliaguet (1875-2950), priest and writer
* Élie Catherine Fréron (1718–1776), critic and controversialist
* Franciscus Lé Livec de Trésurin (1726–1792), French Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
* Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec (1734–1797), explorer, admiral, discoverer of the Kerguelen archipelago
* Rene-Marie Madec (1736–1784), adventurer, Nawab
Nawab ( Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب;
bn, নবাব/নওয়াব;
hi, नवाब;
Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ;
Persian,
Punjabi ,
Sindhi,
Urdu: ), also spelled Nawaab, Navaab, Navab, Nowab, Nabob, Nawaabshah, Nawabshah or Nobab, ...
of India. See also René Madec
* Guillaume François Laennec (1748–1822), French physician
* René Laennec (1781–1826), physician, inventor of the stethoscope
The stethoscope is a medical device for auscultation, or listening to internal sounds of an animal or human body. It typically has a small disc-shaped resonator that is placed against the skin, and one or two tubes connected to two earpieces. ...
* Max Jacob (1876–1944), poet, painter, writer and critic
* Corentin Louis Kervran
Corentin Louis Kervran (3 March 1901 – 2 February 1983) was a French scientist. Kervran was born in Quimper, Finistère (Brittany), and received a degree as an engineer in 1925. In World War II he was part of the French Resistance.
Kervran prop ...
(1901-1983), scientist
* Philippe Poupon
Philippe Poupon, is a French professional offshore yachtsman, born on 23 October 1954 in Quimper, France. He competed 1989–1990 Vendée Globe where he was rescued by Loick Peyron he then went on to finish 3rd in the 1992–1993 Vendée Glob ...
(born 1954), sailor
* OBE Hélène Mansfield, Croesyceiliog Head Teacher
* William Stanger (born 1985), footballer
* Jean Failler, writer (The Adventures of Mary Lester)
* Jacques Villeglé
Jacques Villeglé, born Jacques Mahé de la Villeglé (27 March 1926 – 6 June 2022) was a French mixed-media artist and affichiste famous for his alphabet with symbolic letters and decollage with ripped or lacerated posters. He was a member ...
(b. 1926), mixed-media
In visual art, mixed media describes artwork in which more than one medium or material has been employed.
Assemblages, collages, and sculpture are three common examples of art using different media. Materials used to create mixed media art incl ...
artist
* Jean-Claude Andro (1937–2000), novelist
* Jessica Cérival (born 1982), athlete
* Jean-Michel Moal
Jean-Michel is a French masculine given name. It may refer to :
* Jean-Michel Arnold, General Secretary of the Cinémathèque Française
* Jean-Michel Atlan (1913–1960), French artist
* Jean-Michel Aulas (born 1949), French businessman
* Jean-M ...
, accordionist of Red Cardell
* Dan Ar Braz
Dan Ar Braz (; born Daniel Le Bras on 15 January 1949 in Quimper) is a Breton guitarist-singer-composer and the founder of L'Héritage des Celtes, a 50-piece Pan-Celt band. Leading guitarist in Celtic music, Dan Ar Braz has recorded as a solo ...
(b. 1949), guitarist
* Charlie Le Gars
Charlie may refer to:
Characters
* "Charlie," the head of the Townsend Agency', from the ''Charlie's Angels'' franchise
* Charlie, a character on signs for the CharlieCard, a smart card issued by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
* ...
(1989-), champion de bras de fer 2012, CBFRT Championnat de Bras de Fer des routiers tatoués médaille d'or 2012
Twin towns – sister cities
Quimper is twinned with:
* Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2 ...
, Ireland
* Remscheid
Remscheid () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is, after Wuppertal and Solingen, the third-largest municipality in Bergisches Land, being located on the northern edge of the region, on the south side of the Ruhr area.
Remscheid h ...
, Germany
* Laurium
Laurium or Lavrio ( ell, Λαύριο; grc, Λαύρειον (later ); before early 11th century BC: Θορικός '' Thorikos''; from Middle Ages until 1908: Εργαστήρια ''Ergastiria'') is a town in southeastern part of Attica, Gree ...
, Greece
* Ourense
Ourense (; es, Orense ) is a city and capital of the province of Ourense, located in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, northwestern Spain. It is on the Camino Sanabrés path of the Way of St ...
, Spain
* Yantai
Yantai, formerly known as Chefoo, is a coastal prefecture-level city on the Shandong Peninsula in northeastern Shandong province of People's Republic of China. Lying on the southern coast of the Bohai Strait, Yantai borders Qingdao on the ...
, China
* Foggia
Foggia (, , ; nap, label= Foggiano, Fògge ) is a city and former ''comune'' of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere, also known ...
, Italy
See also
* Ys
* Quimper faience
* Communes of the Finistère department
*François Bazin (sculptor)
François Bazin was born in Paris on 31 October 1897 and died in Paris in 1956. His parents were engravers and medalists. Early years were spent in Chile where his parents taught at the Santiago art college. The family returned to Paris in 1913 ...
*List of works of the two Folgoët ateliers
After little activity in the 13th and 14th centuries, 15th century Brittany was to see a marked renaissance of carving in stone; it was to be a veritable "golden age" and two main workshops emerged, the "grand atelier ducal du Folgoët", called "du ...
*""
* Lionel Floch
* Henri Alphonse Barnoin
* Henri Guinier
Henri Guinier (20 November 1867, Paris - 10 October 1927, Neuilly-sur-Seine) was a French portrait and landscape painter.
Biography
Due to his father's pressure, he joined the "École des Arts et Métiers" (Arts and Sciences) of Châlons-sur- ...
References
External links
Official city council's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quimper
Communes of Finistère
Prefectures in France