Dinard (; , ; Gallo: ''Dinard'') is a commune in the

Ille-et-Vilaine Ille-et-Vilaine (; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Ill-e-Vilaenn'', ) is a departments of France, department of France, located in the regions of France, region of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in the northwest of the country. It is named a ...

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 ...

, northwestern France. Dinard is on the Côte d'Émeraude of Brittany. Its beaches and mild climate make it a holiday destination, and this has resulted in the town having a variety of famous visitors and residents. The towns of Pleurtuit and

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo language, Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. The Fortification, walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth ...

are nearby and the

Dinard–Pleurtuit–Saint-Malo Airport Dinard–Pleurtuit–Saint-Malo Airport or ''Aéroport de Dinard – Pleurtuit – Saint-Malo'' is an airport serving the city of Saint-Malo, France. It is located south-southwest of Dinard in Pleurtuit, a '' commune'' of the ''département' ...

is about 4 km south of Dinard. With its international film festival, villas, sumptuous hotels and casino, Dinard is regarded as one of the most prestigious seaside resorts in all of France. The official name of the town was successively Saint-Énogat (until 1879), Dinard-Saint-Énogat (from 1879 to 1921) and Dinard (since 1921). Today, moreover, Saint-Énogat is still a district belonging to the city, it is close to the sea and is home to many small shops. The city also has a football club called FCD (Football Club Dinardais), which includes categories from U6 to Senior, the club is well helped by the town hall and the city of Dinard which helps with equipment, transport, grounds, and also the organization of the club. The city also hosts the Jumping Internationnale in show jumping every year.

History

In modern history Dinard was first settled by Saint-Malo's shipping merchants, who built some of the town's larger houses, very few of which survive. In the late 19th century, American and British aristocrats made Dinard a fashionable summer resort, and they built stunning villas on the cliff tops and exclusive hotels such as the 'Le Grand Hotel' on the seafront during the French "Belle Époque". The name Dinard comes from the words "Din" ("hill"/"fort") and ''Ard/Art'' ("fortified"). It has been claimed, probably erroneously, that the second element means "bear"/"

Arthur Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...

"); the bear in Celtic mythology is a symbol of sovereignship. The town council is in the process of removing the bear from the municipal flag, a decision disputed by the former mayor. Originally, Dinard was part of the parish of Saint-Énogat. In the late 19th century, the resort became popular with wealthy British nationals who built villas on the coast. Dinard rapidly expanded. It started declining in the 1930s when the fashionable social set started preferring the Côte d'Azur. Today, Dinard is considered one of the most "British" of coastal resorts in France. It has, however, retained its French charm. There are 407 listed villas. The official name of the town was Saint-Énogat until 1879 when the name was changed to Dinard-Saint-Énogat. The name was changed once more in 1921 to become simply Dinard. Saint-Énogat is now just the name for the western area of the town. The town was liberated by American forces in August 1944 during the

Battle of Saint-Malo The Battle of Saint-Malo was fought between Allies of World War II, Allied and German forces for control of the French coastal town of Saint-Malo in Brittany during World War II. The battle was part of the Allied breakout across France and took ...

Population

Inhabitants of Dinard are called ''Dinardais'' in French.

Climate

Dinard lies on the

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the United States, then veers east near 36°N latitude (North Carolin ...

which means it enjoys a warm climate, several degrees warmer than the surrounding areas. The Yacht club has fine examples of tropical palms and plants, which stretch round the coast on the Promenade du Clair de Lune.

Hotels

The most exclusive hotels are the Grand Hôtel Barrière (5-star) which overlooks the

Rance Rance may refer to: Places * Rance (river), northwestern France * Rancé, a commune in eastern France, near Lyon * Ranče, a small settlement in Slovenia * Rance, Wallonia, part of the municipality of Sivry-Rance ** Rouge de Rance, a Devonian ...

Estuary, and Castelbrac (5-star), the former Villa "Bric à Brac". Other notable hotels are the Royal, which sits next to the Casino above the main Esplanade, and the Hotel de la Reine Hortense, with a direct view on the Ecluse beach and Saint Malo. Further round the coast in the Saint-Énogat area of Dinard is the Thalassa Dinard and Villas de La Falaise. This exclusive seawater therapy centre is one of only a few throughout Europe. The architecture of this building is sympathetic with the coastline, and from some angles becomes at one with the cliffside. In the summer, the population swells to over 40,000 with the influx of holiday makers.

Visitors

Dinard's reputation as the "

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

of the North" has attracted a wide variety of stars.

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Awards, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime Emm ...

is a frequent visitor, and

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

enjoyed holidaying on the River Rance. T. E. Lawrence (

Lawrence of Arabia Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British Army officer, archaeologist, diplomat and writer known for his role during the Arab Revolt and Sinai and Palestine campaign against the Ottoman Empire in the First W ...

) lived in Dinard as a small child, long before his Arabian exploits, and

Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

painted here in the 1920s.

Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

is supposed to have had the idea for "La Mer" during a visit to Saint-Énogat in 1902. In 1996

Éric Rohmer Jean Marie Maurice Schérer or Maurice Henri Joseph Schérer, known as Éric Rohmer (; 21 March 192011 January 2010), was a French film director, film critic, journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and teacher. Rohmer was the last of the Post-war, p ...

filmed parts of

Conte d'été ''A Summer's Tale'' () is a 1996 French romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Éric Rohmer. It is the third film in his ''Contes des quatre saisons'' (''Tales of the Four Seasons'') series, which also includes '' A Tale of Springtim ...

in Dinard. Oscar Wilde also visited the place and mentions it in his De Profundis. Welsh singer-songwriter Iwan Rheon's first studio album is named Dinard after the commune. The

Wales national football team The Wales national football team () represents Wales in international Association football, football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales (FAW), the governing body for football in Wales. They have been a member of FIFA since ...

used Dinard as its base during

UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's association football, football ch ...

Attractions

Dinard cannot boast much nightlife, but many bars and fine restaurants fill the town's streets. The abundance of beaches coupled with a consistently sunny weather, however, attracts many visitors during the summer holidays. The attractions include a casino with a restaurant facing the sea and a hall which hosts many expositions. The nearby towns of

Saint-Briac-sur-Mer Saint-Briac-sur-Mer (, literally ''Saint-Briac on Sea''; ; Gallo: ''Saent-Beriac''), is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine Department in Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Saint-Briac-sur-Mer are called ''briacins'' in ...

and

Saint-Lunaire Saint-Lunaire (; ) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. Fantastic viewpoints on the Pointe du Décollé, hill of La Garde Guérin and the Pointe du Nick. History Evidence of Neolithic settleme ...

also feature respectively a fairly large golf course and the beach of Longchamp, renowned as a "surfers' spot".

Dinard British Film Festival

Every year Dinard hosts a festival of

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and Irish cinema in the first days of October, the Dinard British Film Festival. Founded in 1989 by Thierry de la Fournière, the Dinard Festival has become an important vector for all films wishing to conquer the European market.

Educational facilities

Many educational facilities may be found in Dinard, most of them elementary and primary schools, though there are two secondary schools. The most popular, the ''Collège Le Bocage'', is a state school (the other being private) and has an estimated 700 pupils from Dinard and its vicinity. From there onward, children go to ''lycée'', the closest being the ''Lycée Jacques Cartier'' in

Beaches

The town has several beaches, all of which are sandy, clean and large. The main beach is Plage de l'Écluse and the second largest are Saint-Énogat and Prieuré beaches. Dinard also has other little beaches near the city center, which offer another view of Dinard. They are all reachable by a path along the sea, called « le chemin de ronde»

International relations

Dinard is twinned with: *

Newquay Newquay ( ; ) is a town on the north coast in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is a civil parishes in England, civil parish, seaside resort, regional centre for aerospace industries with an airport and a spaceport, and a fishing port on t ...

, United Kingdom (since 1986) *

Starnberg Starnberg is a Town#Germany, town in Bavaria, Germany, some southwest of Munich. It is at the north end of Lake Starnberg, in the heart of the "Five Lakes Country", and serves as capital of the Starnberg (district), district of Starnberg. Recor ...

, Germany (since 1977)

Notable residents

* Captain Philippe Koenigswerther, French Resistance fighter, , executed by the Nazis, born in Dinard in 1918, *

Virginia d'Albert-Lake Virginia d'Albert-Lake ( Roush; June 4, 1910 September 20, 1997) was an American member of the French Resistance during World War II. She worked with the Comet Line, Comet Escape Line. She and her husband Philippe helped 67 British and American a ...

, French Resistance fighter *

Robert W. Service Robert William Service (16 January 1874 – 11 September 1958) was an English-born Canadian poet and writer, often called “The Poet of the Yukon" and "The Canadian Kipling". Born in Lancashire of Scottish descent, he was a bank clerk by trade ...

– Scottish poet and writer of the Klondike Gold Rush spent winter seasons in Dinard from 1913 until 1929. *

Florence Delaage Florence Delaage is a French contemporary classical pianist. Biography Born in Dinard of an architect father and a musician mother, Delaage played at a very young age in front of Alfred Cortot who offered to become her private teacher. Resigning ...

, classical pianist, was born in Dinard.

Gallery

File:Dinard plage Saint-Énogat.jpg, Saint-Énogat's beach, one of Dinard's four main beaches File:PlageEcluse.jpg, Plage de L'Écluse File:Dinard - Église Saint-Énogat 01.JPG, Saint Énogat church

References

External links

Official website

Dinard's homepage

Amis de Dinard Saint-Enogat, association for the protection of the site and of the environment of Dinard

Unofficial Guide to the Dinard Airport
* {{Authority control Communes of Ille-et-Vilaine Port cities and towns on the French Atlantic coast Seaside resorts in France