Dinan

For the automotive tuning company, see Dinan Cars. For the town in Belgium, see Dinant.

Dinan
Château de Dinan
Dinan
Location within Brittany region  Dinan
Administration
Country	France
Region	Brittany
Department	Côtes-d'Armor
Arrondissement	Dinan
Intercommunality	Dinan
Mayor	René Benoît (2001–2008)
Statistics
Elevation	7–92 m (23–302 ft)
Land area1	3.98 km2 (1.54 sq mi)
Population2	10,953  (2008)
- Density	2,752 /km2 (7,130 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	22050/ 22100
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Dinan is a walled Breton town and a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in northwestern France.

Geography

On the banks of the Rance River

Its geographical setting is exceptional. Instead of nestling on the valley floor like Morlaix, most urban development has been on the hillside, overlooking the river Rance. The area alongside the River Rance is known as the port of Dinan and is connected to the town by the steep streets Rue Jerzual and its continuation outside the walls the Rue de Petit Fort. This river has moderate turbidity and its brownish water is somewhat low in velocity due to the slight gradient of the watercourse; pH levels have been measured at 8.13 within the city of Dinan and electrical conductivity of the waters have tested at 33 micro-siemens per centimetre. In the centre of Dinan the Rance summer flows are typically in the range of 500 cubic feet per second (14 m³/s).

For many years, the bridge over the River Rance at Dinan was the most northerly crossing point on the river, but the tidal power station at the mouth of the estuary, constructed in the 1960s downstream from Dinan, incorporates a 750 meter long tidal barrage which doubles as a crossing point nearer to the sea.

Population

Historical population of Dinan

Year	1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851	1856
Population	6393	6406	7188	7175	8044	7356	7533	8159	7732	8238

Year	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896	1901
Population	8089	8510	7698	8180	9964	10,105	10,444	10,620	10,534

Year	1906	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954
Population	11,078	11,410	10,161	10,002	10,633	11,822	12,737	13,844

Year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2008
Population	12,847	13,137	13,429	12,267	11,591	10,907	10,953

Inhabitants of Dinan are called dinannais and dinannaises.

Attractions

The medieval town on the hilltop has many fine old buildings some as early as 13th century. The town retains a large section of the city walls, part of which can be walked around.

Major historical attractions include the Jacobins Theatre dating from 1224, the flamboyant Gothic St Malo's Church, the Romanesque St Saviour's Basilica, Duchess Anne's Tower and the Château de Dinan.

A major highlight in the calendar is Dinan's Fête des Remparts. The town is transformed with decoration and many locals dress up in medieval garb for this two-day festival. It occurs only every other year.

Breton language

In 2008, 4.97% of primary school children attended bilingual schools.

Personalities

Dinan was the birthplace of:

• Charles Beslay (1795–1878), member of the Council of the Paris Commune
• Théodore Botrel (1868–1925), poet and singer
• Yves Guyot (1843–1928), politician and economist
• Myrdhin (1950-), real name Rémi Chauvet, harpist and poet
• Auguste Pavie (1847–1925), explorer and diplomat
• Charles Pinot Duclos (1704–72), author
• Jean Rochefort (1930-), actor
• Da Silva (1976-), singer

Dinan is also associated with:

• François-René de Chateaubriand (1768-1848), writer, studied in Dinan
• Bertrand du Guesclin (c1320-80), connétable of France. Born at nearby Broons. His heart is buried in Dinan.
• John Everett Millais (1829-96), British painter who lived in Dinan as a child
• Yvonne Jean-Haffen (1895–1993), painter, died in Dinan
• Danielle Mitterrand (1924-2011), wife of President François Mitterrand, educated at the Roger Vercel college
• Colonel Robert Jambon (1924/5-2011), soldier in the First Indochina War, died in Dinan
• Jean-François Paillard (1928-), conductor, educated at the Cordeliers de Dinan
• Henri Pinault (1904–87), Catholic Bishop of Chengdu, educated at the Cordeliers de Dinan
• René Pleven, (1901–93), politician, minister, essayist. The hospital in Dinan is named after him.
• Horace Tuck (1876-1951), English painter, visited Dinan for its picturesque vistas
• Roger Vercel (1894–1957), writer, winner of the Prix Goncourt in 1934, died in Dinan. A college in the town is named after him.
• Edward Matthew Ward (1816-79), English artist who painted views of Dinan

Gallery

• 

  The Rue du Jerzual is a steep medieval street connecting Dinan to the river below.

• 

  Statue of Jean de Beaumanoir.

• 

  Statue of Bertrand Du Guesclin.

• 

  Saint Saviour's Basilica,
  The main altar.

• 

  Saint Malo's Church,
  Font carried by the Demon.

• 

  Saint Malo's Church,
  Entrance of Anne of Brittany.

• 

  Saint Malo's Church,
  Transfer of Saint Malo's relics.

Dinan Port on the Rance River

Panorama from the belvedere of the Jardin Anglais (English garden)

See also

• Communes of the Côtes-d'Armor department

References

• INSEE

External links

• (French) Town council website
• Dinan Basilica Image
• (French) French Ministry of Culture list for Dinan