This is one of my favorites cities of my lovely Bretagne! We have been here often and plenty of post in my blog. However, there is always nice to tell you more of beautiful Quimper! Let me update this older post on this nice city by the Odet river. Hope you enjoy it as I.
Another dandy from my area this one on neighboring department 29 of Finistére and ,also, some posts already done about it in my blog. I like to give you a bit more on history on gorgeous traditional Quimper! This post is sort of an introduction to this nice city!
This one is about 96 km or 59 mi from my house! Lovely ride along the N165 expressway direction Brest. Full of traditional Breton history and customs , enjoy the ride once again! Also, direct TGV trains from Paris Montparnasse here, my route! Quimper and its region, the Glazik country possessed a traditional costume worn from the French Revolution until the 1950’s. For men, the top of the suit was usually blue or black. Glazig means little blue in the Breton language. The origin of the use of this blue sheet seems to be the availability on the markets of Quimper of sheets stocks used hitherto for the manufacture of the uniforms of the imperial troops. The color rained and the stocks were massively used, until the hue gave its name to the country. The top consisted of a white or clear shirt with long sleeves which was formerly of flax, hemp or more recently cotton. The shirt was coated with a jacket (Jiletenn in Breton language) of long-sleeved wool sheet Also, covered with the most recent velvet fashions, and embroidered with vivid colors at certain times and for families of a certain financial ease. It was closed on the front by two rows of buttons. The long-sleeved jacket was then covered with a short-sleeved jacket (Chupenn in Breton language) that was not buttoned but also covered with velvet and embroidered.
For the bottom of the men’s suit, it is black or dark striped trousers or bragou (puffy pant in Breton language) that were worn according to the times. The feet were shod with wooden hooves (botoù-koad in the Breton language) or black leather shoes (botoù-lêr). When the bragoù were worn, they were in combination with Gaiters (botreoù) of wool or leather on the calves. Flannel or leather Belts (Gouriz) were also worn at certain times or by some affluent populations. In addition, the men wore a black felt hat covered with black velvet ribbons (Tog Voulouz) that extended to the back in guides, embroidered or beaded for the most affluent. The various costumes in the fashion Glazik are currently worn and presented occasionally by various groups of Breton dances (Celtic circles) of Quimper as Eostiged ar Stangala de Kerfeunteun, Danserien Kemper of Ergué-Armel, Mederien Penhars of Penhars, Keltiad and of the country Glazig (Celtic circle Gwen-ha-du de Landrévarzec) especially on the occasion of the Breton Festivals of Quimper (Cornouaille) or the surrounding area. The Cornouaille Festival is usually on the third week of July. Quimper has 9 chapels, and 8 churches.. In Breton, the city is called Kemper.
Some of my favorite things to see which always do in Quimper are:
Saint-Corentin Cathedral (see posts) is located in the city center.. It is Gothic in style (13C-19C). Burned in 1720, the two neo-Gothic arrows were rebuilt in 1854 and rise to 77 meters altitude. The Priory Church of Locmaria is Romanesque in style and dates from the 11C-12C. The Romanesque building was remodeled in the 15C and restored. Inside, very sober, one can see, in the left aisle, three tombstones of the 14C, 15C and 17C and, on the beam of glory, a Christ in robe. In the right-hand side, a door gives in the garden of the ancient Benedictine Priory (16-17C) which maintains a gallery of the cloister of 1669 and two arcs of the 12C.
The old Quimper (ramparts, old houses, whose house of the Caryatids, Rue du Guéodet extends in front of the Cathedral, between the Odet and the Steir river canals. The rue du Parc along the Odet leads to the quay of Steir. This small tributary, now ducted and covered before its confluence, offers a vast pedestrian area. The city center is visited by the small train.
The Quimper Museum of Fine Arts is located near the Cathedral. The Breton Departmental Museum (archaeology, ethnology, antique furniture and costumes, prints, earthenware) in the former Episcopal palace. The Museum of Earthenware. Located on the edge of the Odet, the museum is set in the former Porquier house built in 1797. Rich of a fund of nearly two thousand five hundred pieces exhibited by rolling, it traces, on two floors, several centuries of the history of Quimper and its earthenware. The Théâtre de Cornouaille, for the national scene, and the Max-Jacob Theatre, 6 Boulevard Dupleix,are nice venues.
Place de la tour d’ Auvergne, stood before the WWII the monument erected in 1908, in memory of the Carhaisien the Tower of Auvergne, “first Grenadier of the Republic”, born in 1743, killed in Battle of Oberhausen in Germany on June 27, 1800 and author of various Works on the Breton language. This bronze statue of the sculptor Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire representing on the masonry pedestal the exhaling hero supported by a winged victory, occupied the center of the square, which now serves as a paid parking lot (Which is my favorite parking area now!). A granite replacement statue, the same character at the guard, by the sculptor Robert Michel, was erected after the war.
In the small space on the edge of the rue René-Madec, along the Stéir river was inaugurated in 2003 a stele surmounted by a bronze bust of the resistant Jean Moulin to mark the 60th anniversary of his death. In the 1930’s he had occupied the duties of Deputy prefect of Châteaulin. It is the same for the stele to General de Gaulle, who uttered his last great public speech during his trip to Quimper in 1969
The jardin de la Retraite (Retreat) is located in the city center inside the ramparts of the ancient fortified city. At that time it was the garden of a monastery. Species come from all over the world as some trees come from China, South Africa or New Zealand. Its total area is 5 800 m2. Overlooking this garden is the Jardin de la Paix ( peace). It was inaugurated in April 2013 and includes a set of Mediterranean plants on 900 m2. Also in the city center, near Mount Frugy, the Jardin du Théatre Max Jacobs (theater) has been gathering plants from China and the United States since the 19C. It extends over 6 400 m2. Finally, the Jardin de Locmaria (Priory Garden), located along the Odet river , near the historic district of Locmaria, includes 150 medieval plants in order to reproduce the garden at the time of Anne of Brittany. Its surface is 1 700 m2. Further downstream from the Odet, the Château de Lanniron has been home to French gardens since the 17C on 27 hectares.
Hope you enjoy the reading of a special traditional city of Brittany that is a must to visit. As have some posts on it already but never mind will give some webpages to help you further plan your visit here, and is a must
The city of Quimper on its heritage thing to see: https://en.quimper.bzh/653-discover-quimper-tourism.htm
The Quimper tourist office: https://www.quimper-tourisme.bzh/
The Finistére dept 29 tourist office on Quimper: http://www.finisterebrittany.com/node/62
The Bretagne region tourist board on Quimper: https://www.tourismebretagne.com/destinations/les-10-destinations/quimper-cornouaille/quimper/
There you go folks, do enjoy Brittany, 3rd most visited region of France but mostly locals and the British lol! Hope it helps you come to this wonderful city of Quimper.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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