France Commune of Quimper The Odet River in the center of Quimper
Région	Bretagne
Département	Finistère (préfecture)
Arrondissement	Quimper
Canton	Chief town of 3 cantons
Intercommunality	Quimper Communauté
Mayor	Alain Gérard (2001-2008)
Land area¹	84.45 km²
Population² (1999)	63,238
Population density (1999)	749 pers./km²
Altitude	- 5 m - 151 m (avg. 6 m)
INSEE/Postal code	29232 / 29000
1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km². 2 Not counting those already counted in another commune (such as students and military personnel).

Image File history File links Flag_of_France. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2304x1728, 963 KB) Description: Quimper - Brücke übder den Odet Source: Selbst fotografiertes Bild Date: 24. ... France is divided into 26 régions: 21 of these are in the continental part of metropolitan France, one is Corse on the island of Corsica (although strictly speaking Corse is in fact a territorial collectivity, not a région, but is referred to as a région in common... Capital Rennes Area 27,209 km² Regional President Jean-Yves Le Drian (PS) (since 2004) Population   - 2004 estimate   - 1999 census   - Density (Ranked 7th) 3,011,000 2,906,197 111/km² (2004) Arrondissements 15 Cantons 201 Communes 1,268 Départements Côtes-dArmor Ille-et-Vilaine Morbihan Finist... The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France and many former French colonies, roughly analogous to British counties. ... Finistère (Penn-ar-Bed in Breton) is a département of France, located in Brittany (Bretagne in French). ... In France, a préfecture is the capital city of a département. ... The 100 French départements are divided into 342 arrondissements. ... The arrondissement of Quimper is an arrondissement of France, located in the Finistère département, in the Bretagne région. ... The canton is an administrative division of France. ... The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger,greater) is in modern times the title of the highest ranking municipal officer, who discharges certain judicial and administrative functions, in many systems an elected politician, who serves as chief executive and/or ceremonial official of many types of municipalities. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... INSEE is the French abbreviation for the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (French: Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques). ... Estuaries and coastal waters are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth, providing numerous ecological, economic, cultural, and aesthetic benefits and services. ...

Coordinates: 04° 05' 47" W, 47° 59' 48" N

Quimper (Kemper in Breton, Corspotium in Latin) is a commune of Brittany in northwestern France. Population (1999): 67,127. Its inhabitants are called Quimpérois. Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Breton (Breton: Brezhoneg) is a Celtic language spoken by some of the inhabitants of Brittany (Breizh) and Loire-Atlantique (historically part of Brittany) in France. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. ... Traditional coat of arms This article is about the historical kingdom, duchy and French province, as well as one of the Celtic Nations . ...

Administration

Quimper is the préfecture (capital) of the Finistère département. In France, a préfecture is the capital city of a département. ... Finistère (Penn-ar-Bed in Breton) is a département of France, located in Brittany (Bretagne in French). ... The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France and many former French colonies, roughly analogous to English counties. ...

Geography

The name Quimper comes from the Breton kemper "confluent" because the city was built on the confluence of the Steir, the Odet and the Jet rivers. Breton (Breton: Brezhoneg) is a Celtic language spoken by some of the inhabitants of Brittany (Breizh) and Loire-Atlantique (historically part of Brittany) in France. ... Confluence of Rhine and Mosel at Koblenz In geography, a confluence describes the point where two rivers meet and become one, usually when a tributary joins a more major river. ... The Odet is a river in France, which runs from Saint-Goazec (near Leuhan, in the Montagnes Noires of Brittany) into the Atlantic Ocean at Bénodet. ...

History

Quimper, with its vernacular architecture, is a popular tourist destination

Quimper, the capital of the Département of Finistere, is situated in a pretty valley at the confluence of the Odet and Steir river estuaries, in the southwestern corner of Brittany. It is the ancient capital of La Cornouaille, Brittany’s most traditional region, and has a distinctive Breton character. It is at the intersection of Route National 165, D785, D765 and D783, 34 miles northwest of Lorient, 111 miles west of Rennes and 303 miles west-southwest of Paris. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1728x2304, 915 KB) Description: Quimper - Altstadt Source: Selbst fotografiertes Bild [S.moeller](Juli 2005) Date: 23. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1728x2304, 915 KB) Description: Quimper - Altstadt Source: Selbst fotografiertes Bild [S.moeller](Juli 2005) Date: 23. ... This article is about The place Lorient in France. ... Location within France Some medieval houses, such as these, can still be found in the center of Rennes. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur Tossed by the waves, she does not founder Coordinates : , Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) Administration Subdivisions 20 arrondissements Département Paris (75) Région ÃŽle-de-France Mayor Bertrand Delanoë (PS) City (commune) Characteristics Land Area 86. ...

Quimper was originally settled during Roman times. Its name was derived from the Breton word ‘Kemper’, meaning the confluence (of two rivers). By AD 495, the town had become a Bishopric. It subsequently became the capital of the counts of Cornouailles. In the 11th century, it was united with the Duchy of Brittany. During the civil wars of the 14th century, the town suffered considerable ruin. In 1364, the duchy passed to the House of Montfort. The Duchy of Brittany was an independent state from 841 to 1532. ... The Breton War of Succession was a conflict between the Houses of Blois and Montfort for control of the Duchy of Brittany. ... Montfort can refer to: // Feudal fiefs and families Montfort of Brittany, reigning ducal house of the duchy of Brittany in 14th and 15th century; and their predecessors: French counts of Montfort-lAmaury counts of Montfort, a feudal county in Alpine Swabia, southern Germany, and its ruling house, originally county...

The town has a rustic atmosphere with charming footbridges spanning the rivers that flow through it. The Church of Locmaria, a Romanesque structure, dates from the 11th century. The Cathedral of Saint-Corentin, with its magnificent Gothic-style façade, was constructed between the 13th and 16th centuries. It is the oldest Gothic structure in Lower Brittany. Its two towers are 250 feet tall; its spires were added in the 19th century. The 15th century stained glass windows are exceptional. The cathedral was named after Quimper’s first bishop.

Location within France

To the cathedral’s west are the pedestrianized streets of Vieux Quimper with 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 15th century walls. Nearby is the Musée des Beaux-Arts. The museum has a 19th century façade and an entirely rebuilt interior. It houses a collection of 14th to 21st century paintings that includes works by Boucher, Corot, Oudry and Rubens along with canvases by such Pont-Aven school painters as Bernard, Denis, Lacombe, Maufra and Sérusier. Download high resolution version (1804x1689, 163 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Quimper Categories: GFDL images ... Download high resolution version (1804x1689, 163 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Quimper Categories: GFDL images ...

The town's best known product is Quimper faïence pottery. It has been made here since 1690, using bold provincial designs of Jean-Baptiste Bousquet. The town’s eating establishments boast of some of the best crêpes and cider in Brittany. The town has also been known for copper and bronze work, food items, galvanized ironware, hosiery, leather, paper and woolen goods. Crêperie sign in Quimper Quimper faience is a style of faience produced in a factory near Quimper, in France. ...

Main Monuments

• the Roman Catholic cathedral of Saint-Corentin [Quimper Cathedral:[1],[2],[3]]
• some lovely churches (Locmaria, Saint-Mathieu, Kerfeunteun, Ergue-Armel...)
• an old downtown with mediaeval fortifications and houses
• Musée des Beaux-Arts (near the cathedral)
• Cornouaille Festival: traditional dance (last week of July)
• Faience museum

A cathedral is a Christian church building, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Anglican, Catholic and some Lutheran churches, which serves as the central church of a diocese, and thus as a bishops seat. ... Faience or faïence is the conventional name in English for fine tin-glazed earthenware on a delicate pale buff body. ...

Miscellaneous

Births

Quimper was the birthplace of:

• Élie Catherine Fréron (1719-1776), critic and controversialist
• 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
• René Laënnec (1781-1826), physician, inventor of the stethoscope
• Max Jacob (1876-1944), poet, painter, writer and critic
• Philippe Poupon, sailor

Élie Catherine Fréron (1719 - March 10, 1776), was a French critic and controversialist. ... Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec (February 13, 1734 - March 3, 1797) was a French explorer. ... Rene-Marie Madec (1736-1784), called Medoc in Anglo-Indian writings, was a French adventurer in India born at Quimper in Brittany on the 7th of February 1736 of poor parents. ... Nawab (Urdu: نواب ) was originally the subadar (provincial governor) or viceroy of a subah (province) or region of the Mughal empire. ... René Madec was born in Quimper, Brittany, France, in 1736. ... René-Théophile-Hyacinthe Laënnec (February 17, 1781- August 13, 1826), French physician; inventor of the stethoscope. ... Stethoscope The stethoscope (Greek στηθοσκόπιο, of στήθος, stéthos - chest and σκοπή, skopé - examination) is an acoustic medical device for auscultation, i. ... In 1915, Max Jacob and Pablo Picasso Max Jacob (July 12, 1876 – March 5, 1944) was a French poet, painter, writer, and critic. ...

Twin towns

Quimper is twinned with:

• Limerick, Ireland
• Remscheid, Germany

WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 52. ... Remscheid is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ...

See also

• Ys
• Quimper faience

Flight of King Gradlon, by E. V. Luminais, 1884 (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Quimper) Ys (also spelled Is or Ker-Ys in Breton) is a mythical city built in the Douarnenez bay in Brittany by Gradlon, King of Cornouaille, for his daughter Dahut. ... Quimper faience is a style of faience produced in a factory near Quimper, in France. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Quimper

• Weather station and webcam from Quimper
• Municipal website
• Visiting Quimper - In English
• PlaceOpedia