Well as usual by now, I go into many places stop take some pictures and move on with so much to see in my belle France, there is always time to come back. And I do come back , eventually. Many times in this lovely town in the Rhuys peninsula and some posts on it, with more needed, This is from my cd rom vault pictures that should be in my blog for you and me, Therefore, here is my take on curiosities of Arzon !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The town of Arzon is located in my beautiful Morbihan department no 56, in my lovely Bretagne and in my belle France, The picturesque Moulin de Pen Castel is between the points of Saint-Nicolas and Béché. It closes the pond de Pen Castel.
The Moulin de Pen Castel is one of the oldest tidal mills in France. The overall decoration, quite unusual for a mill, marks it as a manor house and property. The pediments of the dormer windows, the series of modillions on the facade, and the sculptures on the chimneys ;legend has it that the masks are those of Abelard and Heloise, recall the decorative vocabulary of the Renaissance. The mill once operated with the tide. valve gates hidden by the roadway directed the water retained in the pond to flow onto the wheels located in the basement of the building. The mill is located at the end of a 120 meters long and 8 to 12 meters wide dike which closes the Pen Castel pond of 13 ha, and supports the current departmental road D198 , The mill itself is built according to a rectangular plan of approximately 16 × 7 meters, The entrance door, in a semicircular arch, is located in the south-east gable. Two small windows accompany it in this facade. A second door, on the sea side, which was used for loading or unloading ships, is framed by two windows. Three chimneys are fitted there, Extending the north-east facade, a hangar of approximately 13 × 5 meters is topped with a single-sided slate roof. It is open with three large windows on the sea side, as well as two windows, two doors and a skylight on the land side and a chimney.
A bit of history I like tell us that a first mill is attested on this site from the 12C, before 1186. Equipped at the time with a double mechanism, two wheels, two spinning wheels, and two millstones, it transformed wheat and oats into flour at low tide. Out of operation since 1921, it has since been a gourmet restaurant, a crêperie, and even a nightclub. Its sponsor is unknown; it could be a local lord, the Duke of Brittany or the Templars. It became the property of the dukes around 1250. In 1380, the Duke of Brittany Jean IV exchanged Pen Castel for the Moulin des Lices that the monks of Saint Gildas owned in Vannes. The monks rebuilt it in the 17C. A storeroom was also built there in 1786, a few years before the monks were driven from the site by the French revolution of 1789. The the mill was sold on July 20, 1796. In turn a restaurant in the 1950s and 1960s, then a nightclub in the 1970s, the mill was purchased in 1995 by the Morbihan General Council, which delegated its management to the town of Arzon. The latter restored it between 2002 and 2009 and acquired it in 2007. The Moulin de Pen Castel is now managed by the Arzon tourist office as a cultural and artistic site. Since 2009, the town of Arzon has chosen to make it a cultural venue that showcases contemporary art.The mill welcomes around twenty artists and craftspeople each year. In addition to these exhibitions, this historic site hosts many important events.
The town of Arzon cultural events site on the Moulin de Pen Castel : https://arzonevenements.fr/moulin-de-pen-castel
The local Gulf of Morbihan tourist office on the Moulin de Pen Castel : https://www.golfedumorbihan.co.uk/fiche/le-moulin-de-pen-castel-en/
The Morbihan dept 56 tourist office on the Moulin de Pen Castel : https://morbihan.com/a-voir-a-faire/suivez-le-guide/le-moulin-a-maree-de-pen-castel-arzon-fr-4411507/
There you go folks a wonderful area which even if visited several times, never tired of being back. These are off the beaten path trails that yours truly enjoys and sharing with you all Again, hope you enjoy the post on curiosities of Arzon !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 