Property Bretagne - Buy, Rent & Stay in Bretagne, France

Bretagne

The present region of Bretagne is one of the 26 regions of France. It occupies a large peninsula in the northwest of the country, lying between the English Channel to the north and the Bay of Biscay to the south, and covers approximately 27,000 square kilometres. It capital city is Rennes.

It is one of the most distinctive regions of France. Its main origins are in celtic and the Bretons consider themselves a people apart. The many prehistoric monuments, castles, churches, manor houses, and fortresses are a testament to the rich history and culture of this region. The coastline is rugged and dramatic with long sandy beaches to enjoy. Further inland are wooded valleys, moors and green fields.

Bretagne is divided into four departments - Côtes-d'Armor (22), Ille-et-Vilaine (35), Morbihan (56), Finistère (29).

Today’s region of Bretagne is made up of 80% of the former duchy and province of Brittany. The remaining 20% of Brittany is now in the Loire-Atlantique department, part of the Pays-de-la-Loire region, with its capital Nantes. Nantes was the historical capital of the duchy of Brittany.

Part of the reason why Brittany was split between two modern day regions was to avoid the rivalry between Rennes and Nantes. Although Nantes had been the main capital of the duchy of Brittany until the 16th century, Rennes had been the seat of the supreme court of justice of Brittany between 1560 and 1789. Rennes had also been the administrative capital of the "intendance" (the most important administrative units of the kingdom of France in the 17th and 18th centuries) between 1689 and 1789.

When French regions were created, partly to stop this rivalry, it was decided in 1941 to create a region of Bretagne with Rennes as its capital, and another region created specifically for Nantes, which was called Pays-de-la-Loire. Pays-de-la-Loire is made up of a part of Brittany, but also several other historical provinces (Anjou, Maine etc).

Still a bone of contention, some Bretons complain about the current division of Brittany and would like to see the department of Loire-Atlantique joining the region of Bretagne in order to reunify Brittany. This, however, could cause problems in what to do with the Pays-de-la-Loire region, and secondly, the age- old question of which city would be chosen as the capital of the reunified Bretagne region.

Language of Bretagne

Two regional languages are recognised in Bretagne:

Breton, a Celtic language (similar to Welsh), is spoken in the western part of Brittany (roughly, west of a boundary from St Brieuc to Vannes) and, in the part of Brittany which never spoke Breton, Gallo is in the process of being revived, as a cultural feature of that part of Brittany.

Modern French administration now allows for some Breton or Gallo to be used by the region and its communes, in road signs and names of towns and cities, along with the French version. They are also taught at school and many folklore associations and clubs are endeavouring to re-invigorate them.

Transportation

There are several airports in Brittany serving destinations in France and England. TGV train services link the region with cities such as Paris, Lyon, Marseille, and Lille in other regions of France. In addition there are ferry services that take passengers, vehicles and freight to Ireland, England and the Channel Islands.

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