Paimpol (; ) 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

Côtes-d'Armor The Côtes-d'Armor (, ; ; br, Aodoù-an-Arvor, ), formerly known as Côtes-du-Nord ( br, Aodoù-an-Hanternoz, link=no, ), are a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France. In 2019, it had a population of 600,582.

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

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 o ...

in northwest France. It is a tourist destination, especially during the summer months when people are attracted by its port and beaches.

Geography

The town is located in the north of Brittany, at the western end of the bay of

Saint-Brieuc Saint-Brieuc (, Breton: ''Sant-Brieg'' , Gallo: ''Saent-Berioec'') is a city in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. History Saint-Brieuc is named after a Welsh monk Brioc, who Christianised the region in the 6t ...

, at the bottom of the bay of Paimpol. The town is on the old national road D 786, 72 mi east of

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Al ...

, 23 mi south-east of Saint-Brieuc, 21 mi west of Lannion (sub-prefecture) and 44 mi to the south-west of

Morlaix Morlaix (; br, Montroulez) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Leisure and tourism The old quarter of the town has winding streets of cobbled stones and overhan ...

. Guingamp (sub-prefecture) is 18 mi to the south, and

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 departmen ...

is 88 mi to the south-east.

Population

Inhabitants of Paimpol are called ''paimpolais'' in French. In 1960 Paimpol absorbed the former communes Kerity and Plounez. The population data given in the table below for 1954 and earlier refer to Paimpol proper, without Kerity and Plounez.

Breton language

The municipality launched a linguistic plan through

Ya d'ar brezhoneg (french: Oui au breton, en, Yes to Breton) is a campaign started in the 21st century by the ( en, Office of the Breton language) to promote and stimulate the use of the Breton language in daily life in Brittany, northwestern France. Breton is a ...

on 29 September 2008. In 2008, 11.8% of primary school children attended bilingual schools.

Transport

Paimpol station Gare de Paimpol is a railway station serving the town Paimpol, Côtes-d'Armor department, western France. It's the terminus of the line from Guingamp. The station is served by regional trains to Guingamp.Guingamp station Guingamp station ( French: ''Gare de Guingamp'') is a railway station serving the town of Guingamp, Côtes-d'Armor department, western France. It is on the Paris–Brest railway, and is also an important station for the local railway network TER ...

on the Paris-Montparnasse–Brest line.

Sights

Blue and white striped-jumpers are immediately visible in the streets and are seen to reflect not only their pride in all things to do with the sea, but also in their ''région'',

. The town centre leads from the port down to the coast, through cobbled streets filled with restaurants, cafés and bars. The town centre includes the ''Quartier Latin''. It was at La place du Martray that

Pierre Loti Pierre Loti (; pseudonym of Louis Marie-Julien Viaud ; 14 January 1850 – 10 June 1923) was a French naval officer and novelist, known for his exotic novels and short stories.This article is derived largely from the ''Encyclopædia Britannica El ...

chose to put the house of Gaud, the heroine of his novel '' Pêcheur d'Islande''. The attractions of the town are also a major theme of

Guy Ropartz Joseph Guy Marie Ropartz (; 15 June 1864 – 22 November 1955) was a French composer and conductor. His compositions included five symphonies, three violin sonatas, cello sonatas, six string quartets, a piano trio and string trio (both in A mino ...

's opera ''

Le Pays ''Le Pays'' (''The Land'') is a three-act opera by Guy Ropartz with a libretto by Charles Le Goffic. It was composed between 1908 and 1910 and was premiered in 1912 at Nancy. It is an important example of the Breton cultural renaissance of th ...

'' and

Théodore Botrel Jean-Baptiste-Théodore-Marie Botrel (14 September 1868 – 28 July 1925) was a French singer-songwriter, poet and playwright. He is best known for his popular songs about his native Brittany, of which the most famous is ''La Paimpolaise''. Durin ...

's song ''La Paimpolaise''. Other popular tourist sights include: the Abbaye de Beauport dating back to 1202, and the chapels of Lanvignec, Ste Barbe and Kergrist. L'île de Bréhat is a rocky archipelago 10 minutes by ferry from the coast next to Paimpol. It is made up of two large islands connected by a bridge, and numerous smaller ones. Other places of interest in the area include the Moulin de Craca and Circuit de falaises in

Plouézec Plouézec (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. It has 17 km of rugged coastline that makes it a tourist destination all year round, with beaches such as Bréhec and Pors Pin. Plouézec ...

, as well as Pors-Even and the Tour de Kerroc'h in

Ploubazlanec Ploubazlanec (; br, Plaeraneg) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. Historically its economy relied on fishing. Fishermen in the 19th century and early 20th century went to Iceland aboard sailing s ...

. The Monument to Théodore Botrel in Paimpol is by

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 monument aux morts has sculpture by

André César Vermare André-César Vermare (27 November 1869 – 7 August 1949) was a French sculptor, known for his war memorials and monuments. Biography Vermare was the son of the sculptor Pierre Vermare. He entered the École nationale des beaux-arts in Lyon i ...

Events

Tourists are well catered for with regular events such as the Tuesday morning street market, night-markets, and ''"Mardi du port"'' – where tourists can enjoy diverse world music beside the port. Paimpol is also home to the bi-annual ''"Festival du chant de marin"'' (sea shanty festival) which attracts thousands of visitors over three days in August. ''Retrieved 27 January 2021''
Paimpol, on se projette avec bonne humeur sur 2021''

Gallery

Image: Celtic Bagpiper.jpg, A man plays bagpipe in the harbour, during the international Celtic "Festival du chant de marin" Image: FR-22162 abbayebeauport01.jpg, Beauport Abbey Image: Anse de Beauport.jpg, Beauport bay at low tide Image: Paimpol (France) Town Hall.jpg, Town hall Image: Pleudaniel - Monument aux morts 01.jpg, Pleudaniel church

International relations

The following towns are twinned with Paimpol: *

Grundarfjörður Grundarfjörður () is a town in the north of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in the west of Iceland. It is situated between a mountain range and the sea. The nearby mountain Kirkjufell forms a small peninsula. Overview The town received the right ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

Romsey Romsey ( ) is a historic market town in the county of Hampshire, England. Romsey was home to the 17th-century philosopher and economist William Petty and the 19th-century British prime minister, Lord Palmerston, whose statue has stood in the t ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Nor ...

Vermilion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its corresponding color. It is ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...