Landerneau
Encyclopedia
Landerneau is a commune
in the Finistère
department of Brittany in north-western France
.
It lies at the mouth of the Elorn River which divides the Breton provinces of Cornouaille
and Léon, 20 km (12.4 mi) east of Brest
. The name means "(religious) enclosure of St Ténénan ": allegedly a Welshman who also had llan
s in the Vale of Clwyd
, North Wales
and in Somerset
, and who moved to Brittany in the 7th century.
It was an important centre of the flax
and linen
industries in the 16th and 17th centuries. Today it is the main agricultural market in northwest Brittany.
A picturesque feature of the town centre is the sixteenth century house-lined bridge (the Pont de Rohan) across the Elorn.
with the towns of Caernarfon
in Gwynedd
, Wales
and Hünfeld
in Germany
.
Landernéens. As of the census
of 1999, the town has a population of .
s (French and Breton
), and is the first town where the indications in the local station were made bilingual, as a result of the Ya d'ar brezhoneg charter of the Ofis ar Brezhoneg.
The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg
on December 12, 2004. In 2008, 12.46% of primary-school children attended bilingual schools.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Finistère
Finistère
Finistère is a département of France, in the extreme west of Brittany.-History:The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, and may be compared with Land's End on the opposite side of the English Channel...
department of Brittany in north-western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It lies at the mouth of the Elorn River which divides the Breton provinces of Cornouaille
Cornouaille
Cornouaille is a historic region in Brittany, in northwest France. The name is identical to the French name for the Duchy of Cornwall, since the area was settled by migrant princes from Cornwall...
and Léon, 20 km (12.4 mi) east of Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
. The name means "(religious) enclosure of St Ténénan ": allegedly a Welshman who also had llan
Llan place name element
Llan or Lan is a common place name element in Brythonic languages such as Welsh, Cornish, Breton, Cumbric, and possibly Pictish. In Wales there are over 630 place names beginning with 'Llan', pronounced...
s in the Vale of Clwyd
River Clwyd
The River Clwyd is a river in North Wales which rises in the Clocaenog Forest northwest of Corwen.It flows due south until at Melin-y-Wig it veers northeastwards, tracking the A494 to Ruthin. Here it leaves the relatively narrow valley and enters a broad agricultural vale, the Vale of Clwyd...
, North Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, and who moved to Brittany in the 7th century.
It was an important centre of the flax
Flax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
and linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
industries in the 16th and 17th centuries. Today it is the main agricultural market in northwest Brittany.
A picturesque feature of the town centre is the sixteenth century house-lined bridge (the Pont de Rohan) across the Elorn.
International relations
Landerneau is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with the towns of Caernarfon
Caernarfon
Caernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
in Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Hünfeld
Hünfeld
Hünfeld is a town in the district of Fulda, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated 16 km northeast of Fulda.-Notable people:* Wilm Hosenfeld *Johann Leonhard Pfaff , bishop of Fulda* Konrad Zuse -Transport:...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Population
Inhabitants of Landerneau are called in FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
Landernéens. As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 1999, the town has a population of .
Breton language
Landerneau has many bilingual signBilingual sign
A bilingual sign is the representation on a panel of texts in more than one language...
s (French and Breton
Breton language
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
), and is the first town where the indications in the local station were made bilingual, as a result of the Ya d'ar brezhoneg charter of the Ofis ar Brezhoneg.
The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg
Ya d'ar brezhoneg
Ya d'ar brezhoneg is a campaign launched by the Ofis ar Brezhoneg in order to stimulate the use of the Breton language in daily life in Brittany, western France. In the first phase, started on 5 October 2001, civil society was targeted. Over 560 enterprises and organisations have signed the...
on December 12, 2004. In 2008, 12.46% of primary-school children attended bilingual schools.
Transport
- The Landerneau Railway StationGare de LanderneauGare de Landerneau is a railway station serving the town Landerneau, Finistère department, western France. It is situated on the Paris–Brest railway and the branch to Quimper.-Services:-References:*...
is situated on the Paris–Brest railwayParis–Brest railwayThe railway from Paris to Brest is an important French 622-kilometre long railway line, that connects Paris to the western port city Brest via Le Mans and Rennes. It is used for passenger and freight traffic...
and the branch to QuimperQuimperQuimper is a commune and capital of the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France.-Administration:Quimper is the prefecture of the Finistère department.-Geography:...
. - The RN 12Route nationale 12The Route nationale 12, or RN12, is a trunk road in France connecting Paris with Brittany. The road forms part of European route E50.-History:...
; a trunk road connecting Landerneau to Brest and Paris.