Point Penmarc'h
Encyclopedia
Point Penmarc'h, often spelled Point Penmarch, or in French Pointe de Penmarc'h, is the extremity of a small peninsula
in Finistère
department in Brittany
in northwestern France
, and the northern limit of the Bay of Biscay
.
It contains the fortified remains of a town which was of considerable importance from the 14th to the 16th centuries, and included today's commune
of Penmarc'h, which covers the harbours of Saint-Guénolé and Kerity. The town owed its prosperity to its cod
-banks, the disappearance of which together with the discovery of the Newfoundland cod-banks and the pillage of the place by the bandit La Fontenelle
in 1595 contributed to its decline.
The Phare d'Eckmühl
, a lighthouse
with a light visible for 60 nautical miles (111 kilometers), stands on the point.
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
in Finistère
Finistère
Finistère is a département of France, in the extreme west of Brittany.-History:The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, and may be compared with Land's End on the opposite side of the English Channel...
department in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
in northwestern 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...
, and the northern limit of the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
.
It contains the fortified remains of a town which was of considerable importance from the 14th to the 16th centuries, and included today's commune
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...
of Penmarc'h, which covers the harbours of Saint-Guénolé and Kerity. The town owed its prosperity to its cod
Cod
Cod is the common name for genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...
-banks, the disappearance of which together with the discovery of the Newfoundland cod-banks and the pillage of the place by the bandit La Fontenelle
Guy Éder de La Fontenelle
Guy Éder de Beaumanoir de la Haye, also known by his nicknames La Fontenelle or Ar Bleiz , was born in 1573 in the former parish of Bothoa, today called Saint-Nicolas-du-Pélem....
in 1595 contributed to its decline.
The Phare d'Eckmühl
Phare d'Eckmuhl
The Phare d'Eckmühl, also known as Point Penmarc'h Light or Saint-Pierre Light, is an active lighthouse in Penmarc'h, Finistère department, Brittany, France. At a height of it is one of the tallest lighthouses in the world...
, a lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
with a light visible for 60 nautical miles (111 kilometers), stands on the point.