Paimpol

Paimpol (French pronunciation: [pɛ̃pɔl] ⓘ; Breton: Pempoull) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwest France.

Paimpol
Pempoull
Commune
The harbor
The harbor
Flag of Paimpol
Flag
Coat of arms of Paimpol
Coat of arms
Location of Paimpol
Paimpol is located in France
Paimpol
Paimpol
Paimpol is located in Brittany
Paimpol
Paimpol
Coordinates: 48°46′43″N 3°02′43″W
CountryFrance
RegionBrittany
DepartmentCôtes-d'Armor
ArrondissementGuingamp
CantonPaimpol
IntercommunalityGuingamp-Paimpol Agglomération
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Fanny Chappé[1]
Area
1
23.61 km2 (9.12 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2020)[2]
7,142
 • Density300/km2 (780/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
22162 /22500
Elevation0–86 m (0–282 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

It is a tourist destination, especially during the summer months when people are attracted by its port and beaches.

Geography

The town is located in the north of Brittany, at the western end of the bay of Saint-Brieuc, at the bottom of the bay of Paimpol.

The town is on the old national road D 786, 72 mi east of Saint-Malo, 23 mi south-east of Saint-Brieuc, 21 mi west of Lannion (sub-prefecture) and 44 mi to the south-west of Morlaix . Guingamp (sub-prefecture) is 18 mi to the south, and Rennes is 88 mi to the south-east.

Population

Inhabitants of Paimpol are called paimpolais in French. In 1960 Paimpol absorbed the former communes Kerity and Plounez.[3] The population data given in the table below for 1954 and earlier refer to Paimpol proper, without Kerity and Plounez.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 1,748—    
1800 1,679−0.57%
1806 1,849+1.62%
1821 1,900+0.18%
1831 2,108+1.04%
1836 2,012−0.93%
1841 2,043+0.31%
1846 2,076+0.32%
1851 2,136+0.57%
1856 2,032−0.99%
1861 2,116+0.81%
1866 2,166+0.47%
1872 2,017−1.18%
1876 2,035+0.22%
1881 2,363+3.03%
1886 2,211−1.32%
1891 2,213+0.02%
1896 2,473+2.25%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 2,737+2.05%
1906 2,805+0.49%
1911 2,873+0.48%
1921 2,802−0.25%
1926 2,690−0.81%
1931 2,671−0.14%
1936 2,528−1.09%
1946 2,781+0.96%
1954 2,795+0.06%
1962 7,713+13.53%
1968 7,723+0.02%
1975 8,176+0.82%
1982 7,994−0.32%
1990 7,856−0.22%
1999 7,932+0.11%
2007 7,756−0.28%
2012 7,293−1.22%
2017 7,172−0.33%
Source: EHESS[3] and INSEE (1968-2017)[4]

Breton language

The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on 29 September 2008.

In 2008, 11.8% of primary school children attended bilingual schools.[5]

Transport

Paimpol station is connected by trains to Guingamp station on the Paris-Montparnasse–Brest line.

Sights
The port

Blue and white striped-jumpers are immediately visible in the streets and are seen to reflect not only their pride in all things to do with the sea, but also in their région, Brittany.

The town centre leads from the port down to the coast, through cobbled streets filled with restaurants, cafés and bars. The town centre includes the Quartier Latin. It was at La place du Martray that Pierre Loti chose to put the house of Gaud, the heroine of his novel Pêcheur d'Islande. The attractions of the town are also a major theme of Guy Ropartz's opera Le Pays and Théodore Botrel's song La Paimpolaise.

Other popular tourist sights include: the Abbaye de Beauport dating back to 1202, and the chapels of Lanvignec, Ste Barbe and Kergrist. L'île de Bréhat is a rocky archipelago 10 minutes by ferry from the coast next to Paimpol. It is made up of two large islands connected by a bridge, and numerous smaller ones.

Other places of interest in the area include the Moulin de Craca and Circuit de falaises in Plouézec, as well as Pors-Even and the Tour de Kerroc'h in Ploubazlanec.

The Monument to Théodore Botrel in Paimpol is by Pierre Charles Lenoir

The monument aux morts has sculpture by André César Vermare

Events

Tourists are well catered for with regular events such as the Tuesday morning street market, night-markets, and "Mardi du port" – where tourists can enjoy diverse world music beside the port.

Paimpol is also home to the bi-annual "Festival du chant de marin" (sea shanty festival) which attracts thousands of visitors over three days in August.[6]

  • A man plays bagpipe in the harbour, during the international Celtic "Festival du chant de marin"
    A man plays bagpipe in the harbour, during the international Celtic "Festival du chant de marin"
  • Beauport Abbey
    Beauport Abbey
  • Beauport bay at low tide
    Beauport bay at low tide
  • Town hall
    Town hall
  • Pleudaniel church
    Pleudaniel church

International relations

The following towns are twinned with Paimpol:

See also

References
  1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. "Populations légales 2020". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.
  3. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Paimpol, EHESS (in French).
  4. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  5. (in French) Ofis ar Brezhoneg: Enseignement bilingue
  6. (in French) Retrieved 27 January 2021: A Paimpol, on se projette avec bonne humeur sur 2021
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