Last modified: 2006-12-23 by ivan sache
Keywords: finistere | conquet (le) | tower (white) | anchors: 2 (red) | birds: 3 (white) | fishes: 2 (blue) | lion (white) | ship (white) | ermines: 2 (black) |
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![[Flag of Le Conquet]](../images/f/fr-29-lc.gif)
Flag of Le Conquet - Image by Arnaud Leroy, 30 October 2004
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The small port of Le Conquet (2,441 inhabitants; 845 hectares; coasts,
16 km) is located 25 km west of Brest, at the far end of Brittany. Le
Conquet has proclaimed itself port du bout du monde (port at the end
of the world). It fully deserves its nickname, since it is the
westernmost municipality of continental France.
The village of Le Conquet (known in 1341 as Le Conquest) was built
between the Atlantic Ocean and the left bank of Aber Conq.
The official limit between the Atlantic Ocean and the Channel is the
pointe de Corsen, located c. 10 km north of Le Conquet; in Brittany, an
aber, aka ria or simply rivière, is a large and often indented
estuary, made of a former river valley flooded by the sea after the
last glaciation. Such estuaries were often colonized by early settlers,
who built there villages and ports. The paeninsula of Kermorvan is
located on the right bank of Aber Conq and is linked to the center of
the village by a footbridge.
Le Conquet was probably founded in the Xth century and has a long
maritime history. Due to its strategical location near the entrance of
the goulet (bottleneck) of Brest, the city was often besieged and
sacked by the Norsemen and later the English.
In 1370, the shipowners from Le Conquet operated their own ships. They
shipped local food products, grains and salt meat, and shipped back to
Le Conquet wine and salt.
On 30 July 1558, the landing of the Anglo-Dutch fleet (130 vessels;
12,000 men) brought ruin upon the wealthy shipowners of Le Conquet. The
village never recovered from that event, and trade was relocated to
other ports. However, the historical center of the village was rebuilt and
preserved; the Maison des Seigneurs, the so-called houses à
l'anglaise, and the quays of the ancient port of Drellac'h still
recall the wealthy history of Le Conquet.
In 1829, a iodine extraction plant was opened in Le Conquet. Around
1850, spiny lobster fishers from Paimpol (Northern Brittany) settled in
Le Conquet and the fishing port started to increase. Today, Le Conquet
is one of the main fishing ports of Brittany, with a permanent fleet of
40 ships, specialized in inshore fishing of seafish and noble fish
(bass, turbot, etc.).
Several coastal fortifications were built around Le Conquet in order to
protect the military port of Brest. After the French Revolution, big
forts and batteries were built on the pointes of Kermorvan and
Saint-Matthieu and near the cove of Blancs Sablons. During the Second
World War, several blockhouses were added, as parts of the Atlantic
Wall.
Sources:
Ivan Sache, 30 October 2004
The flag of Le Conquet, as photographied by Hervé Prat, is white with
the municipal shield in the middle.
The shield is quartered, first or a tower argent masoned and opened
sable flanked by two anchors gules and surmonting a scallop argent,
second gules three seabirds argent, third argent a bar azure two fishes
of the same, fourth gules a lion argent, escutcheon vert a sailing ship
argent with sails ermine.
The name of the municipality is written in black Capital letters in a
red rectangle placed over the shield.
The municipal coat of arms given in Forger and Pressensé's Armorial of
Finistère (2002) is slightly different. The fishes are there dolphins
and the ship is sailing on a green sea surmonted by blue sky.
I have not found any explanation of these arms; they seem to recall
some of the local features (fishing, fortifications, Breton ermine).
Ivan Sache, 30 October 2004