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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Town of Concarneau is a fortified city of the 15th and 17th centuries, built on a rocky island off the present town. It is the historical core of Concarneau, around which the modern city has developed. Its origins date back to the early Middle Ages, when the island, then named Conq, housed a priory dependent on the abbey of Landévennec. The first wooden fortifications, intended to protect this monastery, were gradually replaced by stone walls from the thirteenth century.

In the 15th century, under the impulse of Duke Peter II of Brittany, the ramparts were completely rebuilt to adapt to the progress of artillery. The city became a strategic issue in the conflicts between English and French, particularly during the War of Succession of Brittany (1342-1373). She was taken over several times by Olivier Du Guesclin in 1373 for the king of France. In the 16th century, during the Wars of Religion, Concarneau was briefly taken by the Protestants in 1576 before being taken over by the inhabitants of neighbouring parishes.

In the 17th century, Vauban visited the site in 1680 and ordered major modifications to modernize the defences: removal of the roofs of the towers to install artillery platforms, construction of two additional towers near the Gateway, and digging of a ditch. The 980-metre-long ramparts were designed to withstand the assaults and protect the harbour, then a simple mudflat sheltering the fishermen's boats. The city, which housed a garrison and a population of fishermen, became an economic centre thanks to sardine fishing, exported to the major French ports.

After the Revolution, the closed city lost its military role and became a popular neighbourhood, while the city spread outside the walls. In the 19th century, industrialization transformed the local economy with the appearance of sardine and tuna canneries. The architectural heritage, including ramparts, towers and churches, was partially preserved despite successive destructions and reconstructions. Ranked as a historic monument in 1899 and 1913, the City was the object of restoration campaigns from the 1980s, notably to stabilize towers and courtesines.

Among the remarkable elements are nine towers (including the Governor's Tower, the Horse Iron Tower, and the Maure Tower), three main doors (Wine Gate, Passage Gate, Larron Gate), as well as civilian buildings such as the Trinity Chapel or the Fishing Museum. The crocodile fountain, erected in 1856, and the dome well of the castle of Keriolet, dating back to the 20th century, add to the heritage diversity of the site. In 2014, the City close was elected a favourite monument of the Bretons, highlighting its cultural and historical importance.

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