And why not tell you more of my lovely Morbihan dept 56 of the region of Bretagne! Well I have many posts on the region and always amaze of the amount of beautiful spots we have ,always room for more. This is the case on the next posts, passed by it but never been until now. The choices are endless.
Let me tell you more about Pénestin, coastal Morbihan less than an hour from me. The town of Pénestin is 25 km of coastline,and is the southernmost town of the Morbihan dept. 56.
A bit of history I like
Pénestin was the former parish of Assérac, the new parish of Pénestin was created in 1767, and was until the French revolution, the town than was created as a city in 1790. In 1806,a study commissioned by Napoleon Ier to define the linguistic border between French and Breton , the town of Pénestin was Breton and faced Herbignac, French-speaking town. In 1843, according to the dictionary of Ogée, the town became French-speaking. Generally as Breton is still spoken.
Pénestin was occupied by the Nazis in 1940, the town became part of the Atlantic Wall which formed an impressive line of fortified works to prevent any landing of the Allies. The strategic position par excellence of the town, located at the northern end of the Pocket of Saint-Nazaire, therefore justified the construction of a multitude of blockhouses. The Pointe de Halguen tip is located northwest of the town, where the fresh waters of the Vilaine river and the salt waters of the Atlantic meet. The Lomer, again, the occupation troops had bunkers built by the local workforce, employed and directed by the Todt organization. The two main works are less substantial than those of Halguen but benefit from a wide opening on the ocean.
Some of the things to see here that I like are
One of the sights to see here are the wonderful beach and cliff of the gold mine or Mine d’Or which overlooks the beach of choice of holiday makers and which gave it its name. The cliff was exploited as a gold mine in the 19C, hence its name! At the time, it aroused the wildest hopes but was closed during WWI for lack of sufficient return.No gold!
For this and the beaches see the tourist office of the area here: The tourist office of La Baule Guerande on the beaches of Penestin
On our way here we passed by the picturesque town of Assérac and saw some wonderful sea salt ponds at the Beauregard saline .From the ocean to the salt harvest, discover how a salt works and the profession of salt. Passing by the Marais Salant de Port d’Arme . We will need more time to see this lol!
At one time there were 7 windmills but today only 2 remains. The lighthouse or phare de Tréhiguer built in 1881 and since 1995 is the home of mussel culture or Maison de la Mytiliculture. The House of Mussel culture is a museum structure dedicated to the discovery, enhancement and promotion of mussel farming, ie the breeding of mussels, one of the most important economic niches of the town and very famous as one of the best in the world!. Famous for its production qualities and its appeal of the palate, the bouchot mussel of Pénestin delivers all its secrets here. From the entrance of the lighthouse-exhibition, you are projected in the world of the mussel farmer by a forest of piles, life-size reconstruction of a small mussel park. This one presents you the technical evolutions of the stakes, denominated bouchots, which serve as support to the growth of the molds. On the ground floor, the first room reveals the life of the mussel, from birth to harvest through nutrition and predation, in an underwater atmosphere. Upstairs, two rooms illustrate the profession of the mussel farmer and its evolutions through photographs, models and old tools. At the top, at the end of the spiral staircase, you will be rewarded for your climb by accessing the balcony, window open on one of the most beautiful panoramas of the estuary of the Vilaine river basin. Do not forget to visit the last room of the museum: the documentation room near the exit. General or specialized books and press clippings await you, especially to introduce you to the best mussel recipes … of course!
More on the house of mussels culture here: Tourist office of Penestin on the Maison de la Mytiliculture in English
Another nice building is the Saint-Gildas Church built and consecrated in 1880, this neo-Gothic church replaces an older church in the current cemetery. Inaugurated in a meadow, the church has some statues, one of which is Saint Gildas, the patron saint of the town. The capitals on the pillars of the nave represent flower motifs and the stained glass windows represent the life of Christ or that of Saint Gildas. Each arm of the transept contains a wooden altar of the 19C. The bottom of the choir wall is paneled.
Some webpages to help you plan your trip here and worth a detour are
City of Penestin on heritage and culture
Tourist office of Penestin on heritage and history in English
Toursit office of Brittany on Penestin in English
And there you go my brief tour of another wonderful magical spot in my lovely Morbihan and by the sea is always better me think. Enjoy the tip of Penestin in beautiful Bretagne or Brittany or local Breizh!
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 