Ploërmel
Encyclopedia
Ploërmel is a commune
in the Morbihan
department in Brittany in north-western France
.
, which legend proclaims is the home of Merlin the Magician, amongst other fantastical characters.
(part of the Hundred Years' War
), two groups of approximately 30 English and French knights staged a tournament near the gates of town, to show their prowess and make money by capturing opponents. The Franco-Breton team eventually won after killing or capturing the Anglo-Breton force. This was later known as the Combat of the Thirty
.
In 1944, 10 Resistance fighters were killed by German soldiers. 31 inhabitants were killed, 125 wounded, by the American air raid on the railway station on June 12, during the Normandy landings.
On 10 December 2006, the city unveiled an 8.75 m tall statue of Pope John Paul II
. It was a gift by Russo
-Georgian
sculptor Zurab Tsereteli
, and has sparked some controversy over the separation of Church and State.
The town gave its name to a monastic order, the Brothers of Ploërmel. The Doctor Who
actor Tom Baker
was a monk of the order for a while in Jersey
.
In 2008 from May 24 till 1 June 2008 the City of Ploërmel became the first City in France to host the International Federation of Carnival
Cities Congress. The Ploërmel Carnival is the largest in central Brittany and is held on Saturdays at the beginning and end of May.
-medium or bilingual education.
, Republic of Ireland
n-born British female composer, Priaulx Rainier
. She evoked the place in her work for winds and percussion, Ploërmel (1973).
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 Morbihan
Morbihan
Morbihan is a department in Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan , the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastline.-History:...
department in 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...
.
Character of the town
It is a growing and developing community with a thriving economy and a lively atmosphere. The town is modern rather than romantically mediaeval, but it is clean and attractive and offers a great lifestyle with all amenities and easy access to most parts of Brittany. Ploërmel is set on the edge of the magical Paimpont forestPaimpont forest
Paimpont forest, sometimes said to be the Arthurian Brocéliande, is in the French commune of Paimpont, near the city of Rennes in Brittany. As Brocéliande it had a reputation in the Medieval imagination as a place of magic and mystery...
, which legend proclaims is the home of Merlin the Magician, amongst other fantastical characters.
History
In 1351, during the Breton War of SuccessionBreton War of Succession
The Breton War of Succession was a conflict between the Houses of Blois and Montfort for control of the Duchy of Brittany. It was fought between 1341 and 1364. It formed an integral part of the early Hundred Years War due to the involvement of the French and English governments in the conflict; the...
(part of the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
), two groups of approximately 30 English and French knights staged a tournament near the gates of town, to show their prowess and make money by capturing opponents. The Franco-Breton team eventually won after killing or capturing the Anglo-Breton force. This was later known as the Combat of the Thirty
Combat of the Thirty
The Combat of the Thirty [known as Combat des Trente in French] was an episode in the struggle for the succession to the Duchy of Brittany...
.
In 1944, 10 Resistance fighters were killed by German soldiers. 31 inhabitants were killed, 125 wounded, by the American air raid on the railway station on June 12, during the Normandy landings.
On 10 December 2006, the city unveiled an 8.75 m tall statue of Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. It was a gift by Russo
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
-Georgian
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
sculptor Zurab Tsereteli
Zurab Tsereteli
Zurab Konstantines dze Tsereteli is a Georgian-Russian painter, sculptor and architect who holds the office of President of the Russian Academy of Arts.- Life :...
, and has sparked some controversy over the separation of Church and State.
The town gave its name to a monastic order, the Brothers of Ploërmel. The Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
actor Tom Baker
Tom Baker
Thomas Stewart "Tom" Baker is a British actor. He is best known for playing the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who, a role he played from 1974 to 1981.-Early life:...
was a monk of the order for a while in Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
.
In 2008 from May 24 till 1 June 2008 the City of Ploërmel became the first City in France to host the International Federation of Carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
Cities Congress. The Ploërmel Carnival is the largest in central Brittany and is held on Saturdays at the beginning and end of May.
Breton language
In 2008, just 2.62% of the town's children received either BretonBreton 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...
-medium or bilingual education.
Twin towns
CobhCobh
Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island...
, Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
- Apensen, Germany
- Dittmannsdorf/ Witzschdorf, Germany GorseinonGorseinonGorseinon is a town in southwest Wales, near the Loughor estuary. It was a small village until the late 19th century when it grew around the coal mining and tinplate industries. It is situated in the north west of Swansea, around north west of the city centre...
& LlwchwrLlwchwrLlwchwr is a community at the far western edge of the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. Llwchwr comprises the town of Loughor and the village and district of Kingsbridge...
, WalesWalesWales 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...
KolbuszowaKolbuszowaKolbuszowa is a small town in south-eastern Poland, with 9,190 inhabitants .Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodship , it is the capital of Kolbuszowa County.-History:The name of the town comes from the land owner Kolbusz...
, PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Cultural references
Ploërmel was one of the favourite places of the South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n-born British female composer, Priaulx Rainier
Priaulx Rainier
Ivy Priaulx Rainier was a South African-British composer. Although she lived most of her life in England and died in France, her compositional style was strongly influenced by the African music remembered from her childhood. She never adopted 12-tone or serial techniques, but her music shows a...
. She evoked the place in her work for winds and percussion, Ploërmel (1973).