Paimpol

Paimpol Pempoull
The harbor
Paimpol
Location within Brittany region  Paimpol
Administration
Country	France
Region	Brittany
Department	Côtes-d'Armor
Arrondissement	Saint-Brieuc
Canton	Paimpol
Intercommunality	Paimpol-Goëlo
Mayor	Jean-Yves de Chaisemartin (2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation	0–86 m (0–282 ft)
Land area1	23.61 km2 (9.12 sq mi)
Population2	7,835  (2008)
- Density	332 /km2 (860 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	22162/ 22500
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.

Paimpol (Breton: Pempoull) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France.

It is a tourist destination, especially during the summer months when people are attracted by its port and beaches.

Population

Historical population of Paimpol

Year	1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851	1856
Population	1748	1679	1849	1900	2108	2012	2043	2076	2136	2032

Year	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896	1901	1906
Population	2116	2166	2017	2035	2363	2211	2213	2473	2737	2805

Year	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954	1962	1968	1975
Population	2873	2802	2690	2671	2528	2781	2795	7713	7723	8176

Year	1982	1990	1999	2008
Population	7994	7856	7932	7835

Inhabitants of Paimpol are called paimpolais.

Breton language

The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on 29 September 2008.

In 2008, 11.8% of primary school children attended bilingual schools.

Transport

The Gare de Paimpol is connected by trains to Gare de Guingamp with the Paris-Montparnasse - Brest line.

Sights

Beauport Abbey.

Blue and white striped-jumpers are immediately visible in the streets and are seen to reflect not only their pride in all things to do with the sea, but also in their région, Brittany.

The town centre leads from the port down to the coast, through cobbled streets filled with restaurants, cafés and bars. The town centre includes the Quartier Latin. It was at La place du Martray that Pierre Loti chose to put the house of Gaud, the heroine of his novel Pêcheur d'Islande. The attractions of the town are also a major theme of Guy Ropartz's opera Le Pays and Théodore Botrel's song La Paimpolaise.

Other popular tourist sights include: the Abbaye de Beauport dating back to 1202, and the chapels of Lanvignec, Ste Barbe and Kergrist. L'île de Bréhat is a rocky archipelago 10 minutes by ferry from the coast next to Paimpol. It is made up of two large islands connected by a bridge, and numerous smaller ones.

Other places of interest in the area include the Moulin de Craca and Circuit de falaises in Plouézec, as well as Pors-Even and the Tour de Kerroc'h in Ploubazlanec.

Events

The port

Tourists are well catered for with regular events such as the Tuesday morning street market, night-markets, and "Mardi du port" - where tourists can enjoy diverse world music beside the port.

Paimpol is also home to the bi-annual "Fête des chants de marin" (Sea shanty festival) which attracts thousands of visitors over three days in August and will take place this year on 12-14th August 2011.

International relations

The following towns are twinned with Paimpol:

• Grundarfjörður, Iceland
• Romsey, United Kingdom
• Vermilion, United States

See also

• Communes of the Côtes-d'Armor department

References

• INSEE

External links

• Official website (French)
• Sea shanty festival 2011 (English) (French)
• Paimpol.net (French)
• French Ministry of Culture list for Paimpol (French)