Hennebont
Hennebont (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department in the region of Brittany in north-western France. Geography. Hennebont is situated about ten miles from the mouth of the River Blavet, which divides it into two parts: the "Ville Close", the medieval walled town, and the 17th century "Ville Neuve" on the left bank and the oldest site: the "Vieille Ville" on the right. The old walled town (Ville Close) still has traces of its medieval ramparts dating from the 13th to 15th centuries as well as a large fortified 15th century gatehouse complete with double-doors with drawbridge  slots, known as the "Porte du Broërec". History. Breton War of Succession. Hennebont is famed for its resistance, under Joanna of Flanders, the widow of Jean de Montfort, to the armies of Philip of Valois and Charles of Blois when besieged in 1342 during the War of the Breton Succession. A century before Joan of Arc, Jeanne dressed herself in armor and led the resistance to the besiegers. She personally led an attack on the enemy camp, setting fire to it and earned the nickname "Jeanne la Flamme" ("Joan the Fiery"). World War 2. In August 1944, during the Allied  invasion of Brittany, a large section of the old walled town, especially the ramparts, towers and medieval buildings, sustained major damage during the bombing of German positions entrenched in the downtown area. Demographics. Inhabitants of Hennebont are called "Hennebontais". Breton language. In 2008, 5.45% of the children of Hennebont attended bilingual primary schools. Twin towns. Hennebont is twinned with: