Paimpol (; ) is a commune in the

Côtes-d'Armor The Côtes-d'Armor ( , ; ; , ), formerly known as Côtes-du-Nord until 1990 (, ), is a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France. In 2019, it had a population of 600,582.department in

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 ...

in northwest

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. 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 language, Breton: ''Sant-Brieg'' , Gallo language, Gallo: ''Saent-Berioec'') is a city in the Côtes-d'Armor Departments of France, department in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in northwestern France. History ...

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

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 ...

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

Morlaix Morlaix (; , ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. History The Battle of Morlaix, part of the Hundred Years' War, was fought near the town on 30 Septembe ...

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

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

Transport

Paimpol station is connected by trains to Guingamp station 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 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's opera '' Le Pays'' and Théodore Botrel's song ''La Paimpolaise''. Other popular tourist sights include Beauport Abbey 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, as well as Pors-Even and the Tour de Kerroc'h in Ploubazlanec. The Monument to Théodore Botrel in Paimpol is by Pierre Charles Lenoir The has sculpture by André César Vermare

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,

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

* Romsey,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

* Vermilion,

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

References

External links

Official website

Sea shanty festival 2011

Paimpol.net
* {{authority control Populated coastal places in Brittany Communes of Côtes-d'Armor