Online Encyclopedia
Quimper
Quimper (Kemper in Breton) is a commune of northwestern France. Population (1999): 67,127. Its inhabitants are called quimpérois.
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Administration
Quimper is the préfecture (capital) of the Finistère département.
History
The name Quimper comes from the Breton kemper, which means confluent, because the city has been built on the confluence of the Steir , the Odet and the Jet rivers. The city was first named Quimper-Corentin (Saint Corentin was its first bishop), then has been renamed Montagne sur Odet during the French Revolution and is now just Quimper. It is also known as the capital of the Cornouaille.
Main Monuments
Here are some points of interest:
- Saint-Corentin cathedral
- some churches (Locmaria, Saint-Mathieu, Kerfeunteun, Ergue-Armel...)
- an old downtown with fortifications and houses from middle-age
- Musée des Beaux-Arts (near the cathédrale)
- Cornouaille Festival: traditional danse (last week of July)
- Faience museum
Famous citizens
Quimper was the birthplace of:
- Élie Catherine Fréron (1719-1776), critic and controversialist
- René Laënnec (1781-1826), physician, inventor of the stethoscope
- Max Jacob (1876-1944), poet, painter, writer and critic
- Philippe Poupon , sailor
See also
External Link
- Municipal website http://www.mairie-quimper.fr
Last updated: 02-08-2005 06:33:02
Last updated: 02-20-2005 19:47:52