Quimperlé (; ) is a commune 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 ...

in northwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Geography

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 Th ...

. 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 princ ...

. The town is situated at the confluence of the

Isole Isole ( br, Izol) is a river which flows through the department of Finistère in the region of Brittany in France. It is long and its basin area is . Its source is near Roudouallec. Another town on the Isole is Scaër. At the town of Quimperl ...

and Ellé rivers that combine to form the

Laïta The Laïta ( br, Laeta) is a river in Brittany in northwestern France. It was the traditional border between the medieval realms or counties of Cornouaille and Gwened and now forms part of the border between the departments of Finistère and Mo ...

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 Mont-Saint-Michel (; Norman language, Norman: ''Mont Saint Miché''; ) is a tidal island and mainland Communes of France, commune in Normandy, France. The island lies approximately off the country's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Co ...

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

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 Extinction, extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ag ...

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. 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 of the Celtic language family spoken in Brittany, part of modern-day France. It is the only Celtic language still widely in use on the European mainland, albeit as a member of ...

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 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

References

External links

Town council website

Tourist office website

Cultural Heritage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quimperle Communes of Finistère