On a rare Tuesday afternoon, at home, we decided to visit Port Louis again. In my beautiful Morbihan of my lovely Bretagne and belle France. This is just 35 minutes from my house and we have been here several times, well maybe three times. Let me tell you a bit more on the citadel of Port Louis, part I !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
I start my having my bad luck each time either skip it for some reason or the museums citadelle were close as was the case today. Anyway, some new picture I like to keep in my blog, and we ,of course, will be back. I have new information so hopefully once in will be able to detail the visit. Hope you enjoy as I.
The Port Louis is easily reach from my house on road D781 coming from the Hennebont exit on the N165. Parking was done by the Grande rue or as today we parked next to it at Avenue du Fort de l’Aigle. It is an impressive fortress and must visit if in the area with better luck…going renovations but still open…
A bit more on Port Louis tell us that on the old Blavet was born in the Gallo-Roman era and has quietly developed over the centuries. Occupied by the Spaniards from the end of the 16C, the Breton city saw its invaders leave a century later. At the beginning of the 16C, it took its current name in honor of Louis XIII who made it a fortified city and a key element in the defense of the harbor. It experienced significant growth in the 19C thanks to its important sardine fishing activity. Today, the Breton city is mainly known for its charm and its tourist appeal.
The citadel of Port-Louis is an impressive building, marked by the Breton history of the 16-17C. It was built by the Spanish and modified in the 17C by the French. Inside, part of the collection is devoted to rescue at sea. From the first sailing boats and oars to ocean-going tugs and helicopter transport, it tells about maritime fraternity, the courage of men and the evolution of rescue techniques. The ocean treasures space invites you on a journey into the depths of the seas, into the abyssal universe … The visit takes you through the exhibitions or permanent collections, or in the recesses of the citadel.
This is still a military compound, but you can enter the two wonderful museums in waiting… These are the National Maritime Museum or musée de la Marine and the other the East Indies Company museum or the Musée de la Compagnie des Indies.
Briefly this time; the National Maritime Museum traces several centuries of naval history. The collections of the Naval Museum extend in part of the rooms bordering the Place d’Armes. The first part is devoted to the epic of rescue at sea. It tells the daily life of seafarers who risk their lives to save the lives of others, with the help of a unique collection of old objects, models of ships. and audio and video testimonials. Philippe de Kerhallet’s canoe, built in the 19C in Le Havre and restored at the end of the 1970s, is an example of this exceptional heritage. The second part takes visitors along the sea routes of the Far East. The tour begins with the evocation of trade routes through old navigation instruments and part of the models from the collection of Admiral François-Edmond Pâris, then underwater archeology is approached through objects from the excavations of the Mauritius wreck, a Dutch ship that was wrecked off Gabon in 1609.
The Musée de la Marine is a wonderful recollection of the seafaring French/Breton and its seafaring skills. webpage: http://www.musee-marine.fr/musee-national-de-la-marine-port-louis
The Company of the Indies museum retraces the history and epics of this exotic international trade in Lorient through magnificent period pieces and reconstructions. The East India Company, created by Colbert in 1664, it settled in the harbor of Port-Louis and in the locality of Faouëdic in 1666. Through diversified collections, the museum presents a route allowing to understand the history of the trading companies, the development of the city of Lorient and its port. You will also discover the life of the crews and navigation aboard the vessels of the Compagnie des Indes. The activity of the various counters as well as the goods transported are also presented.
The musée de la compagnie des Indies covering épisodes to far régions such as Africa, Asia, and the Americas. webpage: https://musee.lorient.bzh/museum-english-version/
During WWII, the Citadel of Port-Louis served as a prison, torture center and place of execution for resistance fighters. This of Port-Louis pronounced, without the accused being heard, 69 death sentences. The victims, many of whom had their hands and feet surrounded by wire and blindfolded, were shot at the edge of the pit and received the final blow from a burst of submachine guns. On May 18, 1945, a mass grave was discovered in the Citadel of Port-Louis, containing 69 corpses, among which six bodies could not be identified (three of them were subsequently identified), including that of a woman. A 70th body was discovered in 1995 inside the Citadel. A memorial in memory of the resistance fighters executed in front of the Citadel of Port-Louis was inaugurated on October 30, 1960. The executioners were found but none serve sentences due to the amnesty negotiated from the nations involved after the war! A webpage on the memorials in France on the one in Port Louis: https://www.memorialgenweb.org/memorial3/html/fr/resultcommune.php?idsource=4861
The city of Port Louis on its heritage; https://www.ville-portlouis.fr/64-decouverte/485-presentation.html
The Lorient South Brittany local tourist office on Port Louis : https://www.lorientbretagnesudtourisme.fr/?s=Port-Louis
The Bretagne region tourist office on Port Louis : https://www.brittanytourism.com/destinations/the-10-destinations/southern-brittany-morbihan-gulf/port-louis/
There you go folks, ,another beautiful dandy citadel in glorious Port Louis. Remember, two museums in one fortification, unique but that is my belle France. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the citadel of Port Louis, part I !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 