# Penmarch

Penmarch (French pronunciation:, Breton: Penmarc'h) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany, northwestern France. It lies 18 km south-west of Quimper by road.

## Geography

Penmarch is the southwest-most township of Pays Bigouden, at the southern end of the Bay of Audierne. It is part of the canton of Pont-l'Abbé, and of the arrondissement of Quimper.
The territory of the town (16.39 km$^2$) is particularly flat; its altitude ranges from -1 to 23 m amsl. There are many marshy lagoons, some of which have been drained and filled, especially in St. Guénolé to save space or habitat for the installation of local handicrafts.
The municipality consists of four villages:
* Penmarch-Bourg, formerly known as the Tréoultré;
* Saint-Guénolé (main fishing port);
* Kerity (fishing port side moving towards the hosting of the craft);
* Saint-Pierre (port for very small craft).
Many islands or reefs of very variable dimensions punctuate the coast of Penmarch; the most important are the Étocs islets south of Kerity, and the island of Saint-Nonna west of Saint-Pierre.
The port of Saint-Guénolé has a pass opening due west, thought to be dangerous in rough weather. It is protected by two granite peninsulas: Krugen in the South, and Conq in the northwest. Krugen is connected to the mainland by a sandy isthmus. Conq is connected to the shore by an artificial embankment itself protected by concrete blocks to better break the flood wave.
The rocky granite coast (called "savage coast" in Saint-Guénolé) is interspersed with several beaches:
* North, the beach of Pors Carn-which extends to the tip of the torch (joint Plomeur);
* West, the beach of Joy;
* South, the beach Steir Kerity which begins at and continues through Guilvinec.

### Climate

Penmarch has a climate bordering between Mediterranean (Köppen Csb) and oceanic (Cfb). It is heavily moderated by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream influence, resulting in cool summers and very mild winters for the latitude as seasonal differences are low.
Climate data for Penmarch (1981–2010 normals; extremes 1973–2017) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 14.4 (57.9) | 14.6 (58.3) | 23.7 (74.7) | 25.8 (78.4) | 28.3 (82.9) | 33.0 (91.4) | 31.1 (88.0) | 32.7 (90.9) | 30.5 (86.9) | 22.6 (72.7) | 20.0 (68.0) | 16.0 (60.8) | 33.0 (91.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 10.1 (50.2) | 9.9 (49.8) | 11.4 (52.5) | 13.3 (55.9) | 16.6 (61.9) | 18.4 (65.1) | 19.7 (67.5) | 20.1 (68.2) | 18.8 (65.8) | 16.0 (60.8) | 13.1 (55.6) | 10.9 (51.6) | 14.8 (58.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 8.2 (46.8) | 7.8 (46.0) | 9.3 (48.7) | 10.8 (51.4) | 13.5 (56.3) | 15.8 (60.4) | 17.4 (63.3) | 17.7 (63.9) | 16.3 (61.3) | 14.0 (57.2) | 11.1 (52.0) | 8.9 (48.0) | 12.6 (54.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 6.4 (43.5) | 5.6 (42.1) | 7.1 (44.8) | 8.2 (46.8) | 11.0 (51.8) | 13.3 (55.9) | 15.1 (59.2) | 15.2 (59.4) | 13.8 (56.8) | 11.9 (53.4) | 9.1 (48.4) | 6.9 (44.4) | 10.3 (50.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −9.3 (15.3) | −6.8 (19.8) | −2.0 (28.4) | 0.4 (32.7) | 2.0 (35.6) | 6.0 (42.8) | 8.8 (47.8) | 8.3 (46.9) | 6.7 (44.1) | −0.2 (31.6) | −3.0 (26.6) | −6.3 (20.7) | −9.3 (15.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 74.9 (2.95) | 59.6 (2.35) | 53.9 (2.12) | 47.8 (1.88) | 46.8 (1.84) | 29.0 (1.14) | 31.2 (1.23) | 29.6 (1.17) | 43.5 (1.71) | 72.3 (2.85) | 67.0 (2.64) | 77.5 (3.05) | 633.1 (24.93) |
| Average precipitation days | 13.7 | 10.3 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.2 | 5.7 | 5.8 | 6.1 | 7.4 | 11.8 | 12.4 | 12.7 | 116.1 |
| Source 1: Météo Climat ||||||||||||||
| Source 2: Météo Climat ||||||||||||||

## History

On the extremity of the peninsula on which Penmarc'h is situated are the fortified remains of a town which was of considerable importance from the 14th to the 16th centuries and included, besides Penmarc'h, Saint-Guénolé and Kerity. It owed its prosperity to its cod banks, the disappearance of which together with the discovery of the Newfoundland cod banks and the pillage of the place by the bandit La Fontenelle in 1595, contributed to its decline.
The church of Saint Nouna, a Gothic building of the early 16th century at Penmarc'h, and the church of St. Guénolé, an unfinished tower, and the church of Kerity are of interest. The coast is known to be very dangerous for sailors. On the Pointe de Penmarc'h stands the Phare d'Eckmühl, with a light visible for 100 km (60 mi). There are numerous megalithic monuments in the vicinity.

## Population

Inhabitants of Penmarch are called in French Penmarchais.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1793 | 1,134 | — |
| 1800 | 1,166 | +0.40% |
| 1806 | 885 | −4.49% |
| 1821 | 1,462 | +3.40% |
| 1831 | 1,727 | +1.68% |
| 1836 | 1,781 | +0.62% |
| 1841 | 1,783 | +0.02% |
| 1846 | 1,867 | +0.92% |
| 1851 | 1,964 | +1.02% |
| 1856 | 1,987 | +0.23% |
| 1861 | 2,029 | +0.42% |
| 1866 | 2,227 | +1.88% |
| 1872 | 2,431 | +1.47% |
| 1876 | 2,641 | +2.09% |
| 1881 | 2,871 | +1.68% |
| 1886 | 3,238 | +2.44% |
| 1891 | 3,600 | +2.14% |
| 1896 | 4,298 | +3.61% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1901 | 5,068 | +3.35% |
| 1906 | 5,702 | +2.39% |
| 1911 | 6,051 | +1.20% |
| 1921 | 6,735 | +1.08% |
| 1926 | 6,877 | +0.42% |
| 1931 | 7,037 | +0.46% |
| 1936 | 6,956 | −0.23% |
| 1946 | 7,077 | +0.17% |
| 1954 | 7,204 | +0.22% |
| 1962 | 7,652 | +0.76% |
| 1968 | 7,320 | −0.74% |
| 1975 | 6,921 | −0.80% |
| 1982 | 6,463 | −0.97% |
| 1990 | 6,272 | −0.37% |
| 1999 | 5,889 | −0.70% |
| 2007 | 5,662 | −0.49% |
| 2012 | 5,532 | −0.46% |
| 2017 | 5,247 | −1.05% |
Source: EHESS and INSEE (1968-2017) :

## Sights

Penmarch is home to the 'Droguen' rock.

## Literary references

Dorigen, the female protagonist in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Franklin's Tale, has a name similar to the local rock, which may symbolise her obduracy..