Photo : Nicolas Vollmer / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Quimper
Quimper developed at the confluence of the Odet, the Steïr and the Frout, about fifteen kilometres from the Atlantic. Its Breton name, Kemper, means precisely confluence; the French form appears around 1236. Prefecture of the Finistère and historic capital of Cornouaille, it has about 64,000 inhabitants and bears the Ville d'art et d'histoire label.
Saint-Corentin cathedral dominates the old centre. Its two Gothic stone spires were completed in 1856 and have become the emblem of the town. Quimper is also renowned for its faience production and each year hosts the Festival de Cornouaille, a major gathering of Breton music and traditions. The town extends along the Odet quays, where you stroll among half-timbered houses and the cobbled lanes of the old quarter. It has won four flowers in the Villes et villages fleuris competition.
