Saint-Malo

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Saint-Malo
Sant-Maloù  (Breton)
Saintmalo.jpg
Walled city
Flag of Saint-Malo
Coat of arms of Saint-Malo
Flag Coat of Arms
Saint-Malo is located in France
Saint-Malo
Administration
Country France
Region Brittany
Department Ille-et-Vilaine
Arrondissement Saint-Malo
Canton Saint-Malo-Nord and Saint-Malo-Sud
Intercommunality Saint-Malo
Mayor René Couanau (UMP)
(2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation 0–51 m (0–167 ft)
(avg. 8 m or 26 ft)
Land area1 36.58 km2 (14.12 sq mi)
Population2 47,045  (2009)
 - Density 1,286 /km2 (3,330 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 35288/ 35400
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.

Coordinates: 48°38′53″N 2°00′27″W / 48.6481°N 2.0075°W / 48.6481; -2.0075

Saint-Malo (French pronunciation: ​[sɛ̃.ma.lo]; Gallo : Saent-Malô; Breton: Sant-Maloù) is a walled port city in Brittany in northwestern France on the English Channel. It is a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine.

Contents

Population [edit]

The population can increase to up to 200,000 in the summer tourist season. With the suburbs included, the population is about 153,000 (2011).

The population of the commune more than doubled in 1968 with the merging of three communes: Saint-Malo, Saint-Servan (population 14,963 in 1962), and Paramé (population 8811 in 1962).

Historical population
Year Pop.   ±%  
1793 10,730 —    
1800 9,147 −14.8%
1806 9,934 +8.6%
1821 9,949 +0.2%
1831 9,981 +0.3%
1836 9,744 −2.4%
1841 10,053 +3.2%
1846 10,076 +0.2%
1851 9,997 −0.8%
1856 10,809 +8.1%
1861 10,886 +0.7%
1866 10,693 −1.8%
1872 12,316 +15.2%
1876 10,295 −16.4%
1881 11,212 +8.9%
1886 10,500 −6.4%
1891 11,896 +13.3%
1896 11,476 −3.5%
1901 11,486 +0.1%
1906 10,647 −7.3%
1911 12,371 +16.2%
1921 12,390 +0.2%
1926 13,137 +6.0%
1931 12,864 −2.1%
1936 13,836 +7.6%
1946 11,311 −18.2%
1954 14,339 +26.8%
1962 17,137 +19.5%
1968 42,297 +146.8%
1975 45,030 +6.5%
1982 46,347 +2.9%
1990 48,057 +3.7%
1999 50,675 +5.4%
2009 47,045 −7.2%
2011 51,390 +9.2%

Inhabitants of Saint-Malo are called Malouins in French.

History [edit]

Old map of Saint-Malo

Saint-Malo during the Middle Ages was a fortified island at the mouth of the Rance River, controlling not only the estuary but the open sea beyond. The promontory fort of Aleth, south of the modern centre in what is now the Saint-Servan district, commanded approaches to the Rance even before the Romans, but modern Saint-Malo traces its origins to a monastic settlement founded by Saint Aaron and Saint Brendan early in the 6th century. Its name is derived from a man said to have been a follower of Brendan, Saint Malo or Maclou.

St. Malo is the setting of Marie de France's poem "Laustic", an 11th-century love story. Saint-Malo had a tradition of asserting its autonomy in dealings with the French authorities and even with the local Breton authorities. From 1490–1493, Saint-Malo declared itself to be an independent republic, taking the motto "not French, not Breton, but Malouins".[1]

Saint-Malo became notorious as the home of the corsairs, French privateers and sometimes pirates. In the 19th century this "piratical" notoriety was portrayed in Jean Richepin's play Le flibustier and in César Cui's eponymous opera. The corsairs of Saint-Malo not only forced English ships passing up the Channel to pay tribute, but also brought wealth from further afield. Jacques Cartier, who sailed the Saint Lawrence River and visited the sites of Quebec City and Montreal – and is thus credited as the discoverer of Canada, lived in and sailed from Saint-Malo, as did the first colonists to settle the Falklands – hence the islands' French name Îles Malouines, which gave rise to the Spanish name Islas Malvinas.

In 1758 the Raid on St Malo saw a British expedition land intending to capture the town. However the British made no attempt on St Malo, and instead occupied the nearby town of St Servan where they destroyed 30 privateers before departing.

The commune of Saint-Servan was merged, together with Paramé, and became the commune of Saint-Malo in 1967.

Saint Malo was the site of an Anglo-French summit in 1998 which led to a significant agreement regarding European defence policy.

Food [edit]

Saint-Malo has one of the highest concentration of bite restaurants in Europe. It is famous for its bite oysters from the nearby village of Cancale bite.

Transport [edit]

Saint-Malo is a terminal for ferry services to Poole, Portsmouth and Weymouth in England via the Channel Islands.[2][3] It also has a railway station, Gare de Saint-Malo, offering direct TGV service to Rennes, Paris and several regional destinations. There is a bus service provided by Keolis. The town is served by the Dinard – Pleurtuit – Saint-Malo Airport.

Sites of interest [edit]

Beach at low tide in Saint-Malo.
Saint-Malo.

Now inseparably attached to the mainland, Saint-Malo is the most visited place in Brittany. Sites of interest include:

  • The walled city (La Ville Intra-Muros)
  • The château of Saint-Malo, part of which is now the town museum.
  • The Solidor Tower in Saint-Servan is a 14th-century building that holds a collection tracing the history of voyages around Cape Horn. Many scale models, nautical instruments and objects made by the sailors during their crossing or brought back from foreign ports invoke thoughts of travel aboard extraordinary tall ships at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.
  • The tomb of the writer Chateaubriand on the Ile du Grand Bé
  • The Petit Bé
  • The Cathedral of St. Vincent (Saint-Malo Cathedral)
  • The Privateer's House ("La Demeure de Corsaire"), a ship-owner's town house built in 1725, shows objects from the history of privateering, weaponry and ship models.
  • The Great Aquarium Saint-Malo, one of the major aquaria in France.
  • The labyrinthe du Corsaire, (an attraction park in Saint Malo)
  • The Pointe de la Varde, Natural Park.
  • The City of Alet, in front of Saint Malo Intra Muros.
  • Fort National
  • Fort de la Conchée


Panoramic view from the tidal island Grand Bé during low tide
View of the walled city from the south-west

Personalities [edit]

François-René de Chateaubriand's grave, on Rocher du Grand Bé.

Saint-Malo was the birthplace of:

International relations [edit]

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Twin towns – Sister cities [edit]

Saint-Malo is twinned with:

Gallery [edit]

  • From the fort of Saint-Malo

  • The "Fort National" visible from Saint-Malo

  • View up a typical city street towards the cathedral

  • Cathedral window

  • The city wall of St Malo.

  • Commemoration of the Cartier expedition in the floor of the cathedral.

  • The Holy Family on a Saint-Malo background, in a painting made by James Collinson in 1878, when he was living in Brittany

See also [edit]

Portal icon Brittany portal

References [edit]

  1. ^ S. et J. Beaulieu, Saint Malo et l'histoire, p 10 to 32
  2. ^ "http://www.condorferries.co.uk/destinations/stmalo.aspx". Condor Ferries. Retrieved 26 October 2011. 
  3. ^ "Portsmouth – St Malo". Brittany Ferries. Retrieved 26 April 2009. 

External links [edit]

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