Ok continue with my ride in wonderful Finistére dept 29 of my lovely Bretagne region of my belle France. It never cease to amaze me the beautiful architecture and history found all over even from the tiniest villages to the big cities. I have been several times here and have posts on it but have not told you about the tourist office of Morlaix!
Oh yes it is a beautiful house call the Maison Pénanault! Let me tell you a bit more on it. As it is not often we can talk to visit a tourist office for its architecture and history!
The Maison Pénanault of Morlaix is today the tourist office at 10 place Charles de Gaulle. The house is located on the edge of the old port of Morlaix, now covered, the Maison Pénanault is distinguished by a majestic facade of schist and granite. Its Renaissance decor, very sober, testifies to the wealth of its owners. Built at the end of the 16C, the Maison Penanault has a courtyard, carved into the rock, housing a gallery adorned with three beautiful granite columns. The house also includes 4400 m² of terraced gardens, also called Morlaisian “combots”.
It is today the home of the Tourist Office and the Center for Interpretation of Architecture and Heritage (CIAP), the house welcomes visitors in its four exhibition rooms, permanent and temporary, dedicated to exploring the territory of the Pays de Morlaix . Two temporary exhibitions per year confirm the desire to offer a varied cultural and artistic program, which allows to capture the key moments in the history of the territory. The role of the different heritage players, between heritage and contemporary creation, is introduced with simplicity and conviviality. The Maison Pénanault and its exhibitions are freely accessible to the public. However, guided tours of Maison Pénanault are available all year round by reservation at the Tourist Office.
The Maison Penanault is located exactly where the port of Morlaix was, the third largest port in Brittany after Nantes and Saint-Malo, used to accommodate the docks which housed the goods to be loaded or disembarked. The house takes its name from the Breton penn an aod which means “the end of the quay”. Established on a strategic commercial location, the house testifies to the wealth and nobility of its owners. The owner, a noble merchant from Morlaix, probably began the construction of the house after the wars of the 16C, around an old watchtower away from the walled city. An architectural performance of 700 m² made exclusively in stone, when the Morlaisian houses were still all half-timbered. Its monumental staircase, its large reception hall, its U-shaped construction and its immense gardens bear witness to its grandeur and prestige.
Over the next 400 years, around ten successive owners occupied the premises.The courtyard of Maison Pénanault also reveals its wonders to visitors, including the Morlaix zebra schist which is found on the front of the house, associated with the granite of the l’île Grande and of the l’île Callot islands in Renaissance settings. The open gallery, located under the half-timbered wing covered with slate, revealed its secret during the construction: Three imposing granite columns have resurfaced. The half-timbered wing supported by these columns, a rare architectural element, has been the subject of the greatest care. Deposit and transported to a workshop where it has been completely restored, the half-timbered wing was then rebuilt identically in the courtyard. The hanging gardens, these famous Morlaisian “combots”, develop on 5 terraces and 4,400m². These gardens, which offer superb panoramas over the city of Morlaix, are home to a wide variety of plants.
Most of the text above was taken translated from the city of Morlaix on the Maison Pénanault as they best describe it. More info on it in French: City of Morlaix community on the Maison Pénanault
The tourist office of the Bay of Morlaix on the town heritage in French: Tourist office Bay of Morlaix on heritage
The tourist office of Brittany on the Maison Pénanault of Morlaix in English; Tourist office of Brittany on the Maison Pénanault of Morlaix
And there you go folks another beauty in my neck of the woods, well will see when I get out Paris is becoming too small lol! Bretagne rocks!!! Glad to be here and me think until the end. Hope you enjoy the tour of Morlaix and its tourist office!
And remember, happy travels, good health , and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
Leave a Reply