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: ''For other uses, see Brest.''
'Brest' is a city in Brittany, or the Bretagne ''région'', north-west France, ''sous-préfecture'' of the Finistère ''département''. Located on the western tip of Brittany, the city is an important port and naval base. The population of the city was estimated at 146,000 as of 2004 ; the population of the metropolitan area was recorded as 303,484 inhabitants in the 1999 census. Although the city is by far the largest in Finistère, its ''préfecture'' (capital) resides in the much smaller commune of Quimper.
Nothing definite is known of Brest until about 1240, when it was ceded by a count of Léon to John I., duke of Brittany. In 1342 John of Montfort gave it up to the English, and it did not finally leave their hands till 1397. Its medieval importance was great enough to give rise to the saying, "He is not duke of Brittany who is not lord of Brest." By the marriage of Francis I. with Claude, daughter of Anne of Brittany, Brest with the rest of the duchy definitely passed to the French crown. The advantages of the situation for a seaport town were first recognized by Richelieu, who in 1631 constructed a harbour with wooden wharves, which soon became a station of the French navy. Colbert changed the wooden wharves for masonry and otherwise improved the post, and fortifications by Vauban (1633–1707) followed in 1680-1688. During the 18th century the fortifications and the naval importance of the town continued to develop.
In 1694 an English squadron under John Berkeley, 3rd Baron Berkeley of Stratton, was miserably defeated in the Attack on Brest; but in 1794, during the revolutionary war, the French fleet, under Villaret de Joyeuse, was as thoroughly beaten in the same place by the English admiral Howe.
During World War II, the Germans held a large submarine base in Brest. Destroyed at the Battle for Brest, the city has since been rebuilt. (There were about three buildings left standing.) After the end of the war, the West German government had to pay several billion dollars of reparations as compensation to the homeless and destitute civilians in the city for any of their homes or property which were damaged or destroyed in the war. The rebuilt city consists primarily of utilitarian gray granite and concrete buildings.
In 1972, the base of the French submarine nuclear deterrence was opened at Île Longue, in the roadstead of Brest.
Brest is located amidst dramatic landscape near the entrance of the natural Rade de Brest, at the west end of Brittany.
It is situated to the north of a magnificent landlocked bay, and occupies the slopes of two hills divided by the river Penfeld,—the part of the town on the left bank being regarded as Brest proper, while the part on the right is known as Recouvrance. There are also extensive suburbs to the east of the town. The hill-sides are in some places so steep that the ascent from the lower to the upper town has to be effected by flights of steps and the second or third storey of one house is often on a level with the ground storey of the next.
Due to its location, Brest is regarded as the first French port that can be accessed from the Americas, and hence shipping is big business, although Nantes and Saint-Nazaire offer much larger docks and attract more of the larger vessels. Its protected location means that it is ideal to receive any type of ship, from the smallest dinghy to the biggest airplane carrier (the USS ''Nimitz'' has visited a few times).
The ''Charles De Gaulle'' aircraft carrier was built by DCN in Brest.
The Musée de la Tour Tanguy houses a collection of dioramas that depict the city of Brest on the eve of World War II. The Musée de la Marine de Brest contains exhibits which outline Brest's maritime tradition. There is also an aquarium, the Océanopolis marine centre.
The city of Brest hasn't much historical architecture, apart from a few select monuments such as the Castle and the Tour Tanguy. This is due to heavy allied bombing during World War II, in an attempt to destroy the submarine base the Germans had built in the harbour. The town was hastily rebuilt in the 1950s using a large amount of concrete.
A few kilometres out of town, there are more impressive landscapes, from sandy beaches to grottos to tall granite cliffs. Sunbathing, windsurfing, yachting and fishing are practiced in the area. Brest was an important warship producing port in the Napoleonic wars. The naval port, which is in great part excavated in the rock, extends along both banks of the Penfeld;
★ : château
★ : Tour Tanguy
★ : Océanopolis
★ 1959-1973: Georges Lombard
★ 1973-1977: Eugène Berest
★ 1977-1982: Francis Le Blé
★ 1982-1983: Pierre Maille
★ 1983-1985: Jacques Berthelot
★ 1985-1989: Georges Kerbrat
★ 1989-2001: Pierre Maille (2nd term)
★ since 2001: François Cuillandre
Breton is not commonly spoken in the city of Brest and is not an official language (in the same vein as other French minority languages). It is being taught in some schools and universities. The association Sked[1] federates all Breton cultural activities.
Brest was the only "French-speaking" city in western Brittany before the 1789 revolution.
The city is host to several events to celebrate its long maritime history, the largest of which happens every four years, when the town organises a tall ship meeting. The last occurrence of that event was "Brest 2004".
Brest also hosts a yearly Short Film Festival called "Festival Européen du Film Court de Brest"
The city was also the setting for the 1982 art film ''Querelle''.
Restaurants in Brest have a wide variety of seafood. Fresh fish is featured on practically every menu and you can even find a few fish-only restaurants. Local markets and supermarkets also offer lots of seafood.
Brittany's most famous local delicacy, the Breton crêpe, is another culinary feature. There are many crêpe restaurants (called ''crêperies'') and Breton cider may also be drunk.
Traditional biscuits include Traou Mad which is a full fat butter biscuit, somewhat similar to Scottish shortbreads.
Since 1901 Brest has served as the midpoint for the epic 1200 km bicycle endurance event, Paris-Brest-Paris. Brest is home to Stade Brestois 29, a football team in Ligue 2, the second-highest league in French football.
★ Brest has a university: Université de Bretagne Occidentale (UBO) [2]
★ Brest has several ''grandes écoles'':
★
★ École nationale d'ingénieurs de Brest (ENIB) [3]
★
★ École nationale supérieure des télécommunications de Bretagne (ENST Bretagne) [4]
★
★ École nationale supérieure des ingénieurs des études et techniques d'armement (ENSIETA) [5]
★
★ Institut supérieur de l'électronique et du numérique de Brest (ISEN Brest) [6]
★
★ École supérieure de commerce de Bretagne [7]
★
★ École Navale [8]
Brest was the birthplace of:
★ Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois (1761–1848), admiral during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte
★ Prosper Garnot (1794–1838), surgeon and naturalist
★ Victor Segalen (1878–1919), naval doctor, ethnographer, archeologist, writer and poet
★ Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu (1889–1964), priest, diplomat and French Navy officer and admiral
★ Alain Robbe-Grillet (born 1922), writer and filmmaker
★ Pierre Brice (born 1929), actor
★ Béatrice Dalle (born 1964), actress
★ Yann Tiersen (born 1970), minimalist multi instrumentalist
★ Gonzalo Higuaín (born 1987), Real Madrid and Argentina footballer
★ Christophe Miossec (born 1964), singer
Brest is twinned with:[1]
★
Cádiz, Spain (1986)
★
Constanţa, Romania (1993)
★
Denver, Colorado, United States (1956)
★
Dún Laoghaire, Ireland (1984)
★
Kiel, Germany (1964)
★
Plymouth, United Kingdom (1963)
★
Saponé, Burkina Faso (1989)
★
Taranto, Italy (1964)
★
Yokosuka, Japan (1970)
Brest has an official friendly relationship (''protocole d'amitié'') with:[1]
★
Bejaïa, Algeria (1995)
Battle for Brest
1. http://www.mairie-brest.fr/brest/jumelages.htm
2. http://www.mairie-brest.fr/brest/jumelages.htm
★ Aerial photos of the whole city and urban community
★ Interactive City Map of Brest
★ Official web site of Brest town hall (with webcam)
★ Satellite picture by Google Maps
★ Cultural Heritage
★ Brest improvisation theatre
★ Brest Weather Forecast
'Brest' is a city in Brittany, or the Bretagne ''région'', north-west France, ''sous-préfecture'' of the Finistère ''département''. Located on the western tip of Brittany, the city is an important port and naval base. The population of the city was estimated at 146,000 as of 2004 ; the population of the metropolitan area was recorded as 303,484 inhabitants in the 1999 census. Although the city is by far the largest in Finistère, its ''préfecture'' (capital) resides in the much smaller commune of Quimper.
History
Nothing definite is known of Brest until about 1240, when it was ceded by a count of Léon to John I., duke of Brittany. In 1342 John of Montfort gave it up to the English, and it did not finally leave their hands till 1397. Its medieval importance was great enough to give rise to the saying, "He is not duke of Brittany who is not lord of Brest." By the marriage of Francis I. with Claude, daughter of Anne of Brittany, Brest with the rest of the duchy definitely passed to the French crown. The advantages of the situation for a seaport town were first recognized by Richelieu, who in 1631 constructed a harbour with wooden wharves, which soon became a station of the French navy. Colbert changed the wooden wharves for masonry and otherwise improved the post, and fortifications by Vauban (1633–1707) followed in 1680-1688. During the 18th century the fortifications and the naval importance of the town continued to develop.
In 1694 an English squadron under John Berkeley, 3rd Baron Berkeley of Stratton, was miserably defeated in the Attack on Brest; but in 1794, during the revolutionary war, the French fleet, under Villaret de Joyeuse, was as thoroughly beaten in the same place by the English admiral Howe.
During World War II, the Germans held a large submarine base in Brest. Destroyed at the Battle for Brest, the city has since been rebuilt. (There were about three buildings left standing.) After the end of the war, the West German government had to pay several billion dollars of reparations as compensation to the homeless and destitute civilians in the city for any of their homes or property which were damaged or destroyed in the war. The rebuilt city consists primarily of utilitarian gray granite and concrete buildings.
In 1972, the base of the French submarine nuclear deterrence was opened at Île Longue, in the roadstead of Brest.
Geography
Brest is located amidst dramatic landscape near the entrance of the natural Rade de Brest, at the west end of Brittany.
It is situated to the north of a magnificent landlocked bay, and occupies the slopes of two hills divided by the river Penfeld,—the part of the town on the left bank being regarded as Brest proper, while the part on the right is known as Recouvrance. There are also extensive suburbs to the east of the town. The hill-sides are in some places so steep that the ascent from the lower to the upper town has to be effected by flights of steps and the second or third storey of one house is often on a level with the ground storey of the next.
Economy
Due to its location, Brest is regarded as the first French port that can be accessed from the Americas, and hence shipping is big business, although Nantes and Saint-Nazaire offer much larger docks and attract more of the larger vessels. Its protected location means that it is ideal to receive any type of ship, from the smallest dinghy to the biggest airplane carrier (the USS ''Nimitz'' has visited a few times).
The ''Charles De Gaulle'' aircraft carrier was built by DCN in Brest.
Tourist attractions
The Musée de la Tour Tanguy houses a collection of dioramas that depict the city of Brest on the eve of World War II. The Musée de la Marine de Brest contains exhibits which outline Brest's maritime tradition. There is also an aquarium, the Océanopolis marine centre.
The city of Brest hasn't much historical architecture, apart from a few select monuments such as the Castle and the Tour Tanguy. This is due to heavy allied bombing during World War II, in an attempt to destroy the submarine base the Germans had built in the harbour. The town was hastily rebuilt in the 1950s using a large amount of concrete.
A few kilometres out of town, there are more impressive landscapes, from sandy beaches to grottos to tall granite cliffs. Sunbathing, windsurfing, yachting and fishing are practiced in the area. Brest was an important warship producing port in the Napoleonic wars. The naval port, which is in great part excavated in the rock, extends along both banks of the Penfeld;
★ : château
★ : Tour Tanguy
★ : Océanopolis
Administration
Mayors of Brest
★ 1959-1973: Georges Lombard
★ 1973-1977: Eugène Berest
★ 1977-1982: Francis Le Blé
★ 1982-1983: Pierre Maille
★ 1983-1985: Jacques Berthelot
★ 1985-1989: Georges Kerbrat
★ 1989-2001: Pierre Maille (2nd term)
★ since 2001: François Cuillandre
Culture-Regional language
Breton is not commonly spoken in the city of Brest and is not an official language (in the same vein as other French minority languages). It is being taught in some schools and universities. The association Sked[1] federates all Breton cultural activities.
Brest was the only "French-speaking" city in western Brittany before the 1789 revolution.
The city is host to several events to celebrate its long maritime history, the largest of which happens every four years, when the town organises a tall ship meeting. The last occurrence of that event was "Brest 2004".
Brest also hosts a yearly Short Film Festival called "Festival Européen du Film Court de Brest"
The city was also the setting for the 1982 art film ''Querelle''.
Food in Brest
Restaurants in Brest have a wide variety of seafood. Fresh fish is featured on practically every menu and you can even find a few fish-only restaurants. Local markets and supermarkets also offer lots of seafood.
Brittany's most famous local delicacy, the Breton crêpe, is another culinary feature. There are many crêpe restaurants (called ''crêperies'') and Breton cider may also be drunk.
Traditional biscuits include Traou Mad which is a full fat butter biscuit, somewhat similar to Scottish shortbreads.
Sport
Since 1901 Brest has served as the midpoint for the epic 1200 km bicycle endurance event, Paris-Brest-Paris. Brest is home to Stade Brestois 29, a football team in Ligue 2, the second-highest league in French football.
Education
★ Brest has a university: Université de Bretagne Occidentale (UBO) [2]
★ Brest has several ''grandes écoles'':
★
★ École nationale d'ingénieurs de Brest (ENIB) [3]
★
★ École nationale supérieure des télécommunications de Bretagne (ENST Bretagne) [4]
★
★ École nationale supérieure des ingénieurs des études et techniques d'armement (ENSIETA) [5]
★
★ Institut supérieur de l'électronique et du numérique de Brest (ISEN Brest) [6]
★
★ École supérieure de commerce de Bretagne [7]
★
★ École Navale [8]
Births
Brest was the birthplace of:
★ Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois (1761–1848), admiral during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte
★ Prosper Garnot (1794–1838), surgeon and naturalist
★ Victor Segalen (1878–1919), naval doctor, ethnographer, archeologist, writer and poet
★ Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu (1889–1964), priest, diplomat and French Navy officer and admiral
★ Alain Robbe-Grillet (born 1922), writer and filmmaker
★ Pierre Brice (born 1929), actor
★ Béatrice Dalle (born 1964), actress
★ Yann Tiersen (born 1970), minimalist multi instrumentalist
★ Gonzalo Higuaín (born 1987), Real Madrid and Argentina footballer
★ Christophe Miossec (born 1964), singer
Twin towns
Brest is twinned with:[1]
★
★
★
★
★
★
★
★
★
Friendly relationship
Brest has an official friendly relationship (''protocole d'amitié'') with:[1]
★
See also
Battle for Brest
References
1. http://www.mairie-brest.fr/brest/jumelages.htm
2. http://www.mairie-brest.fr/brest/jumelages.htm
External links
★ Aerial photos of the whole city and urban community
★ Interactive City Map of Brest
★ Official web site of Brest town hall (with webcam)
★ Satellite picture by Google Maps
★ Cultural Heritage
★ Brest improvisation theatre
★ Brest Weather Forecast
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