Quimper

Quimper (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
The city was built on the confluence of the Steir, Odet and Jet rivers. Route National 165, D785, D765 and D783 were constructed to intersect here, northwest of Lorient, west of Rennes, and west-southwest of Paris.
Climate
Quimper has a oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The average annual temperature in Quimper is . The average annual rainfall is with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in February, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Quimper was on 30 June 1976; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 13 January 1987.
Etymology
The name Quimper comes from the Breton kemper, meaning "confluent".
History
Quimper is the ancient capital of Cornouaille, Brittany's most traditional region, and has a distinctive Breton Celtic character. Its name is the Breton word kemper (cognate to Welsh cymer), meaning "confluence". The town developed at the confluence of the rivers Le Steir and L'Odet. Shops and flags celebrate the region's Celtic heritage.
Quimper was originally settled during Roman times. By AD 495, the town had become a Bishopric. It subsequently became the capital of the counts of Cornouailles. In the eleventh century, it was united with the Duchy of Brittany. During the War of the Breton Succession (1341–1364), the town suffered considerable ruin. In 1364, the duchy passed to the House of Montfort.
The town has a rustic atmosphere, with footbridges spanning the rivers that flow through it. The Church of Locmaria, a Romanesque structure, dates from the eleventh century. The Cathedral of Saint-Corentin, with its Gothic-style façade, was constructed between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is the oldest Gothic structure in lower Brittany. Its two towers are ; its spires were added in the nineteenth century. The fifteenth-century stained glass windows are exceptional. The cathedral is dedicated to Quimper's first bishop, Corentin.
To the cathedral's west are the pedestrianised streets of Vieux Quimper (Old Quimper), which have a wide array of crêperies, half-timbered houses, and shops. Near the Episcopal palace, which now holds the Musée départemental Breton (devoted to regional history, archaeology, ethnology and economy) are the ruins of the town's fifteenth-century walls. Nearby is the Musée des beaux-arts de Quimper. The museum has a nineteenth-century façade and an entirely rebuilt interior. It houses a collection of fourteenth to twenty-first century paintings that includes works by François Boucher, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Jean-Baptiste Oudry and Peter Paul Rubens, along with canvases by such Pont-Aven School painters as Émile Bernard, Maurice Denis, Georges Lacombe, Maxime Maufra and Paul Sérusier.
The town's best known product is Quimper faience, tin-glazed pottery. It has been made here since 1690, using bold provincial designs of Jean-Baptiste Bousquet. Quimper has a museum devoted to faience. The town's eating establishments boast some of the best crêpes and cider in Brittany. The town has also been known for copper and bronze work, food items, galvanised ironware, hosiery, leather, paper and woollen goods.
Population
The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Quimper proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of Quimper absorbed the former communes of Ergué-Armel, Kerfunteun and Penhars in 1959. Its inhabitants are called Quimpérois.
Breton language
The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on 6 February 2008, to revive the teaching and use of Breton, the historic Celtic language of the region. In 2008, 4.61% of primary-school children attended bilingual schools.
Education
Quimper has several schools. These include two Diwan pre-schools, two Diwan primary schools and one Diwan collège (all specialise in use of Breton). In total, 287 students here attended a Diwan school in 2003–2004.
Festivals
While many French festivals are held in the summer season, Quimper has a winter festival: Les Hivernautes.
In the summer, concerts are held on street corners, with pipers and accordion players.
The Festival de Cornouaille, a cultural festival, is typically help in the last week of July.
Tourism
Points of interest in Quimper include:
Quimper Cathedral and the nearby statue of Gradlon (looking in the direction of Ys)
Musée des Beaux-Arts (near the cathedral)
Several churches, including Locmaria, Saint-Mathieu, Kerfeunteun and Ergue-Armel.
The old town centre with mediaeval fortifications and houses
Faience museum
Transport
Public transport in Quimper is provided by QUB. The network consists of seven urban bus routes and 16 suburban bus routes. During the summer months of July and August, an additional "beach" bus route is open to service.
The Gare de Quimper is the terminus of a TGV high-speed train line from Paris, which passes through Le Mans, Rennes and Vannes. Journey duration is approximately 3 hours 40 minutes. In addition, the following destinations are served by the TER Bretagne (the regional train network):
Quimper – Brest (1 hour 9 minutes)
Quimper – Rennes (2 hours 15 minutes)
Quimper–Cornouaille Airport has flights to Paris and London City.
Notable people
Quimper is the birthplace of:
Guillaume Hyacinthe Bougeant (1690–1743), Jesuit author
Louis Billouart, Chevalier de Kerlérec (1704–1770), last French governor of Louisiana
René Cardaliaguet (1875-2950), priest and writer
Élie Catherine Fréron (1718–1776), critic and controversialist
Franciscus Lé Livec de Trésurin (1726–1792), French Jesuit
Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec (1734–1797), explorer, admiral, discoverer of the Kerguelen archipelago
Rene-Marie Madec (1736–1784), adventurer, Nawab of India. See also René Madec
Guillaume François Laennec (1748–1822), French physician
René Laennec (1781–1826), physician, inventor of the stethoscope
Max Jacob (1876–1944), poet, painter, writer and critic
Corentin Louis Kervran (1901-1983), scientist
Philippe Poupon (born 1954), sailor
William Stanger (born 1985), footballer
Jacques Villeglé (b. 1926), mixed-media artist
Jean-Claude Andro (1937–2000), novelist
Jessica Cérival (born 1982), athlete
Dan Ar Braz (b. 1949), guitarist
Anne Quemere (b. 1966), sailor and sportswoman
Twin towns – sister cities
Quimper is twinned with:
Limerick, Ireland
Remscheid, Germany
Laurium, Greece
Ourense, Spain
Yantai, China
Foggia, Italy
See also
Communes of the Finistère department
François Bazin (sculptor)
Henri Alphonse Barnoin
Henri Guinier
Lionel Floch
List of the works of Charles Cottet depicting scenes of Brittany
List of works of the two Folgoët ateliers
References
External links
Official city council's website
Communes of Finistère
Prefectures in France