| Brest, France |
Article Index for Brest |
Website Links For Brest |
Information AboutBrest, France |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT BREST, FRANCE | |
| brest | |
| cities in france | |
| coastal cities in france | |
| communes of finistère | |
| subprefectures in france | |
| lists of mayors | |
]] Brest is a city in the Bretagne '' Région '', north-west France , '' Sous-préfecture '' of the Finistère '' Département ''. Located on the western tip of the Brittany Peninsula , the city is an important Port and naval base. Population of the city: 146,000 inhabitants as of 2004 estimates; population of the metropolitan area: 303,484 inhabitants as of 1999 census. HISTORY The military harbor was fortified by Vauban ( 1633 - 1707 ). During World War II , the Germans held a large Submarine base in Brest. Destroyed at the end of the war, the city has since been rebuilt. The rebuilt city consists primarily of utilitarian gray granite and concrete buildings. GEOGRAPHY Brest is located amidst dramatic landscape near the entrance of the natural Rade De Brest , at the west end of the Brittany peninsula. ECONOMY Due to its location, Brest is regarded as the first French port that can be accessed from the Americas, and hence Shipping is big business, although Nantes and Saint-Nazaire offer much larger docks and attract more of the larger vessels. Its protected location means that it is ideal to receive any type of ship, from the smallest dinghy to the biggest airplane carrier (the USS ''Nimitz'' has visited a few times). The ''Charles De Gaulle'' Aircraft Carrier was built by DCN in Brest. TOURIST ATTRACTIONS The Musée de la Tour Tanguy houses a collection of Diorama s that depict the city of Brest on the eve of World War II. The Musée de la Marine de Brest contains exhibits which outline Brest's maritime tradition. There is also an aquarium, the Océanopolis marine centre. The town of Brest itself is not very attractive, apart from a few select monuments such as the Castle and the Tour Tanguy. This is due to the British and American pilots who bombed the town during World War II, in an attempt to destroy the submarine base the Germans had built in the harbour. The town was hastily rebuilt in the 1950s using a large amount of concrete. A few kilometres out of town, there are more impressive landscapes, from sandy Beach es to Grotto s to tall Granite cliffs. Sunbathing , Windsurfing , Yachting and Fishing are practiced in the area. However, even in the middle of summer, Brittany can be stormy, due to its location in the far northwest of France. ADMINISTRATION Mayors of Brest
MISCELLANEOUS Culture Brest is located at the heart of Brittany, and the local people are extremely proud of this. Breton is spoken here, albeit not as an official language (in the same vein as other French Minority Languages ). The city is host to several events to celebrate its long maritime history, the largest of which happens every four years, when the town organises a tall ship meeting. The last occurrence of that event was "Brest 2004". Brest also hosts a yearly Short Film Festival called "Festival Européen du Film Court de Brest" The city was also the setting for the 1982 art film '' Querelle ''. Food in Brest Restaurants in Brest have a wide variety of seafood. Fresh fish is featured on practically every menu and you can even find a few fish only restaurants. Local markets and supermarkets also offer lots of seafood. Brittany's most famous local delicacy, the Breton Crêpe , is another culinary feature. There are many crêpe restaurants (called ''crêperies'') and Breton Cider may also be drunk. Traditional biscuits include Traou Mad which is a full fat butter biscuit, somewhat similar to Scottish Shortbread s. Sports Since 1901 Brest has served as the midpoint for the epic 1200 km bicycle endurance event, Paris-Brest-Paris . Education
Births Brest was the birthplace of:
Twin towns Brest is twinned with:
EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|