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 ...
Quimperlé is in the southeast of Finistère, 20 km to the west 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 ...
and 44 km to the east 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
The ...
. Historically, it belongs to
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 prin ...
. The town is situated at the confluence of the Isole and Ellé rivers that combine to form the Laïta river, hence its name: confluent (kemper-) of the Ellé (-le). A fourth smaller river, the Dourdu (black water in Breton), joins the Laïta downstream. Quimperlé station has rail connections to Quimper, Lorient, Vannes and Rennes.
The city is traditionally divided in two parts, the High Town and the Lower Town. The Lower Town, in the valley, is the historical centre, and developed around the Saint-Colomban church (of which only the front wall remains) and the abbey of Sainte Croix (Holy Cross). It covers the land between the Ellé and Isole rivers as well as the banks of the Laïta, an area that is sometimes flooded.
The more modern High Town, in the plain above the valley, centres around the Saint-Michel church and its market square. Seen from the Lower Town, its "mountain" topped with the Saint-Michel church has earned Quimperlé the nickname of " Mount Saint Michel on land"
The town also developed, less importantly, on the East side of the valley, facing the Saint Michel mountain. This area is called Bourgneuf, a common name for recent neighbourhoods.
095 Quimperlé.jpg, Confluence of the Isole and Ellé rivers in Quimperlé.
Map
Population
Inhabitants of Quimperlé are called in French ''Quimperlois''.
History
It seems that the area was first inhabited by
Neanderthal
Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ago. While the ...
s, since remains of
Mousterian
The Mousterian (or Mode III) is an archaeological industry of stone tools, associated primarily with the Neanderthals in Europe, and to the earliest anatomically modern humans in North Africa and West Asia. The Mousterian largely defines the l ...
-style stone tools have been found in the forest between Quimperlé and
Clohars-Carnoët
Clohars-Carnoët (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. The beach resort of Le Pouldu, with the beaches of Bellangenet and Kerrou, is located in the town.
Geography
The commune has two small harbou ...
. A few
dolmen
A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were some ...
s were erected in Quimperlé itself, although there is no trace of an actual settlement in the prehistoric times.
A first settlement was built in the Middle Ages, called Villa Anaurot, after a 5th-century British prince, but it is thought to have been destroyed by the Normans in 868.
A new town called Quimperlé grew around the abbey of Sainte Croix, which was founded in the 12th century. The Romanesque basilica from the abbey can still be seen. The church of St Michel was built in the 14th and 15th centuries and its impressive tower dominates the town from its hilltop position.
Breton language
*The municipality launched a linguistic plan concerning the
Breton language
Breton (, ; or in Morbihan) is a Southwestern Brittonic language, Southwestern Brittonic languages, Brittonic language of the Celtic languages, Celtic language family spoken in Brittany, part of modern-day France. It is the only Celtic languag ...
through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on December 18, 2008.
*In 2008, 3.17% of primary-school children attended bilingual schools. ''Ofis ar Brezhoneg'' ''Enseignement bilingue'' /ref>
Gallery
Old houses
File:Maison du 16ème siècle.jpg, Old house called Ty Coz in place Saint Michel
File:Quimperlé maison archers.JPG, Timbered house called Maison des archers
File:568 Quimperlé.jpg, Timbered house in Street Dom Maurice