Dinan
Dinan | |
---|---|
Subprefecture and commune | |
Coordinates: 48°27′23″N 2°02′56″W / 48.4564°N 2.0489°W | |
Country | France |
Region | Brittany |
Department | Côtes-d'Armor |
Arrondissement | Dinan |
Canton | Dinan |
Intercommunality | Dinan Agglomération |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–2026) | Didier Lechien[1] |
Area 1 | 8.71 km2 (3.36 sq mi) |
Population (2021)[2] | 14,675 |
• Density | 1,700/km2 (4,400/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
INSEE/Postal code | 22050 /22100 |
Elevation | 7–92 m (23–302 ft) |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
Dinan (French pronunciation: [dinɑ̃] ; Breton: [ˈdinãn]) is a walled Breton town and a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in northwestern France. On 1 January 2018, the former commune of Léhon was merged into Dinan.[3]
Geography
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 is known as the "port of Dinan", and is connected to the town by steep streets: Rue Jerzual and its continuation outside the city walls, the Rue Petit Fort. The Rance has moderate turbidity and its brownish water is somewhat low in velocity due to the very low gradient of the watercourse; pH levels have been measured at a slightly basic 8.13[4] within the city, and electrical conductivity of the waters has tested at 33 micro-siemens per centimetre. In the centre of Dinan, the Rance's summer flows are typically low, 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-metre long tidal barrage, which also serves as a crossing point nearer to the sea.
Dinan station has rail connections to Saint-Brieuc, Lamballe and Dol-de-Bretagne.
Population
Inhabitants of Dinan are called dinannais and dinannaises.
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Populations after 2017 for the area corresponding with the new commune of Dinan (incl. Léhon). Source: EHESS[5] and INSEE (2007-2017)[6] |
Attractions
The medieval town on the hilltop has many fine old buildings, some of which date from the 13th century. The town retains a large section of the city walls, part of which can be walked round.
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. The festival takes place over the third weekend in July every even-numbered year.
At least in November, the city hosts the Festival Films courts de Dinan, an international French-speaking film festival.
Breton language
In 2008, 4.97% of primary school children attended bilingual schools.[7]
Personalities
Prominent people born in Dinan include:
- Charles Beslay (1795–1878), member of the Council of the Paris Commune
- Théodore Botrel (1868–1925), poet and singer
- Maurice Colbourne (1939–1989), actor
- Yves Guyot (1843–1928), politician and economist
- Auguste Pavie (1847–1925), explorer and diplomat
- Charles Pinot Duclos (1704–1772), author
- Pierre de Porcaro (1904–1945), Catholic priest and prisoner-of-war
- Jean Rochefort (1930–2017 ), actor
- Da Silva (singer) (1976–), singer
- Yann Benoist, musician, (1951–)
Other people associated with Dinan include:
- 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
- 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 (1904–1987), Catholic Bishop of Chengdu, educated at the Cordeliers de Dinan
- René Pleven, (1901–1993), 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 (1816–1879), 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 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.
International relations
Dinan is twinned with:
Climate
Climate data for Dinan (Le Quiou) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1985–present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 17.0 (62.6) |
22.1 (71.8) |
24.3 (75.7) |
28.8 (83.8) |
32.0 (89.6) |
37.0 (98.6) |
39.7 (103.5) |
40.4 (104.7) |
34.1 (93.4) |
30.8 (87.4) |
21.6 (70.9) |
17.0 (62.6) |
40.4 (104.7) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.3 (48.7) |
10.4 (50.7) |
13.3 (55.9) |
16.2 (61.2) |
19.4 (66.9) |
22.5 (72.5) |
24.7 (76.5) |
24.6 (76.3) |
21.9 (71.4) |
17.3 (63.1) |
12.7 (54.9) |
9.7 (49.5) |
16.8 (62.2) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.1 (43.0) |
6.6 (43.9) |
8.5 (47.3) |
10.5 (50.9) |
13.4 (56.1) |
16.0 (60.8) |
17.7 (63.9) |
17.7 (63.9) |
15.4 (59.7) |
12.5 (54.5) |
9.0 (48.2) |
6.4 (43.5) |
11.6 (52.9) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.0 (37.4) |
2.7 (36.9) |
3.7 (38.7) |
4.8 (40.6) |
7.4 (45.3) |
9.4 (48.9) |
10.7 (51.3) |
10.8 (51.4) |
8.9 (48.0) |
7.6 (45.7) |
5.2 (41.4) |
3.2 (37.8) |
6.4 (43.5) |
Record low °C (°F) | −12.0 (10.4) |
−14.5 (5.9) |
−7.2 (19.0) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
2.6 (36.7) |
4.5 (40.1) |
3.5 (38.3) |
0.7 (33.3) |
−5.5 (22.1) |
−6.6 (20.1) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−14.5 (5.9) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 71.8 (2.83) |
58.3 (2.30) |
50.6 (1.99) |
54.5 (2.15) |
62.8 (2.47) |
52.8 (2.08) |
46.6 (1.83) |
52.3 (2.06) |
57.1 (2.25) |
78.0 (3.07) |
86.0 (3.39) |
86.6 (3.41) |
757.4 (29.82) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 12.6 | 11.5 | 9.7 | 10.3 | 9.4 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 8.2 | 8.5 | 12.1 | 14.0 | 14.3 | 126.3 |
Source: Meteociel[8] |
See also
References
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ Arrêté préfectoral 30 September 2017 (in French)
- ^ Hogan, C. Michael, Water quality of freshwater bodies in France, Lumina Press, Aberdeen, Scotland(2006)
- ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Dinan, EHESS (in French).
- ^ "Populations légales 2017: Commune de Dinan (22050)". Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ (in French) Ofis ar Brezhoneg: Enseignement bilingue
- ^ "Normales et records pour Le Quiou (22)". Meteociel. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
External links
- (in French) Town council website
- Dinan Basilica Image
- Base Mérimée: Search for heritage in the commune, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)