Brest (; ) is a port city in the Finistère department,

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

. Located in a sheltered bay not far from the western tip of a

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second largest French military port after

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

. The city is located on the western edge of continental France. With 139,456 inhabitants (2020), Brest forms Western Brittany's largest

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

(with a population of 370,000 in total), ranking third behind only

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

and

Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...

in the whole of historic Brittany, and the 25th most populous city in France (2019); moreover, Brest provides services to the one million inhabitants of Western Brittany. Although Brest is by far the largest city in Finistère, the '' préfecture'' (administrative seat) of the department is in the much smaller town of Quimper. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, the history of Brest was the history of its

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

. Then Richelieu made it a military harbour in 1631. Brest grew around its arsenal until the second part of the 20th century. Heavily damaged by the Allies' bombing raids during World War II, the city centre was completely rebuilt after the war. At the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, the deindustrialization of the city was followed by the development of the service sector. Nowadays, Brest is an important university town with 23,000 students. Besides a multidisciplinary university, the University of Western Brittany, Brest and its surrounding area possess several prestigious French elite schools such as '' École Navale'' (the French Naval Academy), '' Télécom Bretagne'' and the Superior National School of Advanced Techniques of Brittany (ENSTA Bretagne, formerly ENSIETA). Brest is also an important research centre, mainly focused on the sea, with among others the largest Ifremer (French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea) centre, ''le Cedre'' (Centre of Documentation, Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution) and the French Polar Institute. Brest's history has since the 17th century been linked to the sea: the '' Académie de Marine'' (Naval Academy) was founded in 1752 in this city. The aircraft carrier was built there. Every four years, Brest hosts the international festival of the sea, boats and sailors: it is a meeting of old riggings from around the world ('' Les Tonnerres de Brest'').

History

The name of the town is first recorded as ''Bresta''; it may derive from *''brigs'', a Celtic word for "hill". Nothing definite is known of Brest before about 1240, when Harvey V, Lord of Léon ceded it to John I, Duke of Brittany. In 1342 John IV, Duke of Brittany surrendered Brest to the English, in whose possession it was to remain until 1397. This was strategically important to the English as it helped protect their communication with Gascony. The importance of Brest in

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

times was great enough to give rise to the saying, "He is not the Duke of Brittany who is not the Lord of Brest." With the marriage of Francis I of France to Claude, the daughter of Anne of Brittany, the definitive overlordship of Brest – together with the rest of the duchy – passed to the French crown in 1491. Starting in 1534 Brest and the rest of Brittany become fully part of France as the Province of Brittany. The advantages of Brest's situation as a seaport town were first recognized by Cardinal Richelieu, who in 1631 constructed a harbour with wooden wharves. This soon became a base for the

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

. Jean-Baptiste Colbert, finance minister under Louis XIV, rebuilt the wharves in masonry and otherwise improved the harbour. Fortifications by Vauban (1633–1707) followed in 1680–1688. These fortifications, and with them the naval importance of the town, were to continue to develop throughout the 18th century. In 1694, an Anglo-Dutch squadron under Lord Berkeley was soundly defeated in its attack on Brest. During the repression of January and February 1894, the gendarmes conducted raids targeting the anarchists living there, without much success. They notably surrounded the house of Régis Meunier with their bayonnets fixed. In 1917, during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Brest was used as the disembarking port for many of the troops coming from the United States. Thousands of such men came through the port on their way to the front lines. The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

established a naval air station on 13 February 1918 to operate seaplanes. The base closed shortly after the Armistice of 11 November 1918. In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

maintained a large

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

submarine base at Brest. Despite being within range of RAF bombers, it was also a base for some of the German surface fleet, giving repair facilities and direct access to the Atlantic Ocean. For much of 1941, , and were under repair in the dockyards. The repair yard facilities for both submarines and surface vessels were staffed by both German and French workers, with the latter forming the major part of the workforce; huge reliance was made on this French component. In 1944, after the Allied invasion of Normandy, the city was almost totally destroyed during the Battle for Brest, with only a tiny number of buildings left standing. After the war, the West German government paid several billion Deutschmarks in reparations to the homeless and destitute civilians of Brest in compensation for the destruction of their city. Large parts of today's rebuilt city consist of utilitarian

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

and concrete buildings. The French naval base now houses the Brest Naval Training Centre. During the postwar Nuremberg Trials, a memorandum of German admiral and chief of staff Kurt Fricke from 1940 was given in evidence which suggested that the town should serve as a German enclave after the war. In 1972, the French Navy opened its

nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear exp ...

-submarine (deterrence) base at Île Longue in the ''Rade de Brest'' (Brest roadstead). This continues to be an important base for the French nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines.

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

of Brest is divided in two: to the left, there's the three fleurs-de-lis of the former kingdom of France, and to the right it has the ermines of the Duchy of Brittany. These arms were used for the first time in a register of deliberations of the city council dated the 15 July 1683. Additionally, it looks visually identical to the coat of arms of Bourg-la-Reine.

Sights

'' Pont de Recouvrance'' (Recouvrance Bridge, is a massive drawbridge 64 m/210 ft high), the military arsenal and the ''rue de Siam'' (Siam Street) are other sights. The

and the Tanguy tower are the oldest monuments of Brest. The ''Musée de la Tour Tanguy'', in the Tanguy tower, houses a collection of dioramas that depict the city of Brest on the eve of World War II. The '' Musée national de la Marine de Brest'', housed in the ancient castle, contains exhibits which outline Brest's maritime tradition, as well as an aquarium, the Océanopolis marine centre. The city also has a notable botanical garden specializing in

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

, the '' Conservatoire botanique national de Brest'', as well as the '' Jardin botanique de l'Hôpital d'Instruction des Armées Clermont-Tonnerre''. The city of Brest does not have much remaining historical architecture, apart from a few select monuments such as the castle and the Tanguy tower. This is due to heavy bombing by the Allies during World War II, in an attempt to destroy the submarine base the Germans had built in the harbour. In the 1950s, the town was hastily rebuilt using a large amount of concrete. In Recouvrance, the west bank of the town, there remains an authentic street of the 17th century, Saint-Malo Street. A few kilometres out of town, there are landscapes, from sandy beaches to grottos to tall

cliffs. Sunbathing, windsurfing, yachting and fishing are enjoyed in the area. Brest was an important warship-producing port during the

Napoleonic wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

. The naval port, which is in great part excavated in the rock, extends along both banks of the Penfeld river. File:Brest.jpg, The Tanguy tower hosts a museum of the history of Brest; in the background, the '' Pont de Recouvrance'' (Recouvrance Bridge). File:Brest chateau.jpg, The castle hosts the '' Musée national de la Marine'' (National Navy Museum). File:Stangalar2.JPG, The '' conservatoire botanique national'' in autumn File:Saint-Sauveur-clocher.jpg, Saint-Sauveur church in Recouvrance, designed by Amédée-François Frézier, the oldest church of Brest, built in 1750 File:Place liberté2 800x600.JPG, Monumental perspective from the ''Place de la Liberté'' opening to the '' rue de Siam'' (Siam Street), with the '' rade de Brest'' (Brest roadstead) in the background, and on the right, the steeple of Saint-Louis church dominating the rebuilt centre of Brest

Geography

Brest is located amidst a dramatic landscape near the entrance of the natural '' rade de Brest'' (Brest roadstead), at the west end of Brittany. It is situated to the north of a magnificent landlocked bay, and occupies the slopes of two hills divided by the river Penfeld. The part of the town on the left bank is regarded as Brest proper, while the part on the right is known as Recouvrance. There are also extensive suburbs to the east of the town. The hillsides are in some places so steep that the ascent from the lower to the upper town has to be effected by flights of steps and the second or third storey of one house is often on a level with the ground storey of the next.

Climate

Brest experiences an oceanic climate ( Köppen: ''Cfb''). As a result of maritime moderation, Brest has cool summers by French standards, July afternoons are cooler than the norm in Western Europe. Rainfall is common year-round, but snowfall is a rarer occurrence since temperatures usually remain several degrees above freezing during winter nights. An extreme temperature of was recorded on 18 July 2022.

Population

In 1945 Brest absorbed three neighbouring communes. The population data for 1936 and earlier in the table and graph below refer to the pre-1945 borders.

Transport

The railway station of Brest, Gare de Brest, is linked to

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and provides services to other stations in Brittany as well. TGV trains to Paris take approximately three hours and forty minutes to reach the capital. A new 28-stop, tram line connecting Porte de Plouzané in the west with Porte de Gouesnou and Porte de Guipavas northeast of the city centre opened in June 2012. Brest international airport, Brest Bretagne Airport, is mainly linked to Paris, London, Nice,

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, Dublin. The primary operator is Air France (via its subsidiary HOP!). Brest international airport is the main airport of the region of Brittany in terms of passenger traffic with 45% of this traffic of the region, representing 919,404 passengers in 2010. A new terminal has been in service since 12 December 2007 and can accommodate up to 1.8 million passengers annually. The harbour of Brest is mainly dedicated to bulk, hydrocarbon and freight containers. The harbour's facilities can accommodate the largest modern ships. A cruise ship port is also located in Brest, near the city centre.

Economy

Due to its location, Brest is regarded as the first French port that can be accessed from the Americas. Shipping is big business, although

and Saint-Nazaire offer much larger docks and attract more of the larger vessels. Brest has the ninth French commercial harbour including ship repairs and maintenance. The protected location of Brest means that its harbour is ideal to receive any type of ship, from the smallest dinghy to the biggest

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

( has visited a few times). Naval construction is also an important activity: for example, the was built by Direction des Constructions Navales (DCN) in Brest. Despite its image of an industrialised city whose activity depends mainly on military order, the service sector represents 75% of the economic activity. The importance of the service sector is still increasing while industrialised activity is decaying, explaining the unchanged rate of working-class in Brest. Brest also hosts headquarters for many subsidiaries like the banking group Arkéa. Research and conception is taking an increasing importance. Brest claims to be the largest European centre for sciences and techniques linked to the sea: 60% of the French research in the maritime field is based in Brest. Brest has a vast program, combining a restructuring of the city, up to 2025.

Administration

The Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) was officially opened in 1961.

Mayors

*since 2001: François Cuillandre *1989–2001: Pierre Maille (2nd and 3rd terms) *1985–1989: Georges Kerbrat *1983–1985: Jacques Berthelot *1982–1983: Pierre Maille *1977–1982: Francis Le Blé *1973–1977: Eugène Berest *1959–1973: Georges Lombard *1958–1959: Auguste Kervern *1954–1958: Yves Jaouen *1954–1954: Lucien Chaix *1953–1954: Yves Jaouen *1947–1953: Alfred Pierre Marie Chupin *1945–1947: Jules Lullien *1944–1945: Jules Lullien *1942–1944: Victor Eusen *1929–1941: Victor Le Gorgeu *1921–1929: Léon Nardon *1920–1921: Hippolyte Masson *1919–1920: Louis Léon Nardon *1912–1919: Hippolyte Masson *1908–1912: Louis Arthur Delobeau *1904–1908: Victor Marie Aubert *1900–1904: Charles Berger

Breton language

Breton is not commonly spoken in the city of Brest, which was the only French-speaking city in western Brittany before the 1789 French Revolution, despite the surrounding countryside being fully Breton-speaking at that time. Like other French minority languages, Breton does not have any official language status in France. The municipality launched a linguistic plan to revive Breton as a language through '' Ya d'ar brezhoneg'' on 16 June 2006. In 2008, 1.94% of primary-school children attended French-Breton bilingual Diwan schools. Besides bilingual schools, the Breton language is also taught in some schools and universities. The association ''Sked'' federates all Breton cultural activities.

Culture

The city is host to several events to celebrate its long maritime history. The largest of these is held every four years, when the town organises a tall ship meeting. The last such tall ship event was "Les Tonnerres de Brest 2016". Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

the next event is planned for 2022. Brest also hosts an annual short film festival called " Brest European Short Film Festival". The city was the setting for the 1982 art film '' Querelle'', directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, itself based on the 1947 novel '' Querelle de Brest'' by Jean Genet.

Cuisine

Brittany's most famous local delicacy, the Breton crêpe, is the main culinary feature apart from seafood. There are many crêpe restaurants (called ''crêperies''). Breton apple

cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the Fermented drink, fermented Apple juice, juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and Ireland. The United Kingdom has the world's highest ...

is often featured. Traditional biscuits include '' Traou Mad'', which is a full-fat butter biscuit similar to Scottish

shortbread Shortbread or shortie is a traditional Scottish biscuit usually made from one part sugar, white sugar, two parts butter and three to four parts plain flour, plain wheat flour. Shortbread does not contain leavening, such as baking powder or bakin ...

Sport

Brest has held the Grands Départs of the Tour de France on three occasions, in 1952, 1974 and 2008. The

2021 Tour de France The 2021 Tour de France was the 108th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's three Grand Tour (cycling), grand tours. Originally planned for the Denmark, Danish capital of Copenhagen, the start of the 2021 Tour (known as the ) was trans ...

started from Brest on 26 June 2021. Stage 6 of the 2018 Tour de France departed from Brest. Since 1901 Brest has served as the midpoint for the bicycle endurance event, Paris–Brest–Paris. Brest is home to Stade Brestois 29, a football team in Ligue 1. the top tier of the French football league system. Brest is also home to Brest Albatros Hockey, an ice hockey team in Ligue Magnus, and won the league title in the 1996 and 1997. In 2002 the Brest throwball team Brest LC reached the 1st division of French throwball but were subsequently relegated due to financial difficulty. The club has recently adopted an Irish influenced infrastructure.

Research and education

Primarily the research centre of western Brittany, Brest and its surrounding area is the home of several research and elite educational establishments: * a multidisciplinary university, '' Université de Bretagne Occidentale'' (UBO

* Brest has also several '' grandes écoles'' and other undergraduate or graduate schools: ** '' École nationale d'ingénieurs de Brest'' (ENIB) (in Plouzané next to Brest

** '' Télécom Bretagne'' (ENST Bretagne) (in Plouzané next to Brest

** '' École nationale supérieure de techniques avancées de Bretagne'' (ENSTA Bretagne, formerly ENSIETA

** '' ISEN, Institut supérieur de l'électronique et du numérique de Brest'' (ISEN Brest

** ESC Bretagne Brest, Brest Business School (ESC Bretagne Brest

** '' École Navale'' (French Naval Academy) (in Lanvéoc next to Brest

** To be noted that Brest is one of the hosts for the Indiana University Honors Foreign Language Program * Brest has several research organisations: ** the largest Ifremer (French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea) centre (in Plouzané next to Brest); about 1000 people work there. ** ''Le Cedre'' (Centre of Documentation, Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution) ** the French Polar Institute (in Plouzané next to Brest) ** The Naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOM)

Notable people

Brest was the birthplace of: * Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec (1748–1792), navigator * Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois (1761–1848),

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte * Antoinette Lemonnier (1787–1866), operatic soprano * Prosper Garnot (1794–1838), surgeon and naturalist * Léon Moreau (1870–1946), composer * Victor Segalen (1878–1919), naval doctor, ethnographer, archeologist, writer and poet * Jean Cras (1879–1932), French composer and career naval officer * Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu (1889–1964), priest, diplomat and

officer and admiral * Jean Loysel (1889–1962), composer and lyricist * Alain Robbe-Grillet (1922–2008), writer and filmmaker *

Pierre Brice Pierre-Louis Le Bris (6 February 1929 – 6 June 2015), known as Pierre Brice, was a French actor, best known as portraying fictional Apache chief Winnetou in German films based on Karl May novels. Life and films Brice was born in Brest, ...

(1929–2015), actor * Béatrice Dalle (born 1964), actress * Christophe Miossec (born 1964), singer * Benoît Hamon (born 1967), MEP and French presidential candidate, Parti Socialiste, 2017 * Yann Tiersen (born 1970), minimalist multi instrumentalist/musician * Sébastien Flute (born 1972), Olympic gold medalist * Benoît Menut (born 1977), composer * Yohann Boulic (born 1978), footballer * Larsen Touré (born 1984), footballer (naturalized Guinean) * Gonzalo Higuaín (born 1987), footballer (naturalized Argentine) * Laury Thilleman (born 1991), Miss France 2011

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Brest is twinned with:Les jumelages de Brest
*

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, Colorado, United States (1948) *

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

, Devon, England (1963) *

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

, Germany (1964) * Taranto, Italy (1964) * Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Kantō, Japan (1970) * Dún Laoghaire, Republic of Ireland (1984) * Cádiz, Spain (1986) * Saponé, Burkina Faso (1989) *

Constanța Constanța (, , ) is a city in the Dobruja Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Romania. A port city, it is the capital of Constanța County and the country's Cities in Romania, fourth largest city and principal port on the Black ...

, Romania (1993) * Qingdao, China (2006) * Brest, Belarus (2012)

Friendly relationship

Brest has an official friendly relationship (''protocole d'amitié'') with: * Bejaïa, Algeria (1995) 26-04-2005-015

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

Aerial photos of the whole city and urban community

Brest Airport Travel Guide

Interactive City Map of Brest

Official website of Brest town hall (with webcam)

Satellite picture by Google Maps

Brest Cultural Heritage

Brest improvisation theatre

Wiki-Brest
a community wiki containing articles about the city (in French).

{{Authority control Cities in France Communes of Finistère Populated coastal places in France Port cities and towns on the French Atlantic coast Subprefectures in France Osismii Brest