Pontivy
| Pontivy Pondi | ||
|---|---|---|
|
The Château des Rohan in Pontivy | ||
| ||
  Pontivy | ||
|
Location within Brittany region  Pontivy | ||
| Coordinates: 48°04′09″N 2°57′41″W / 48.0692°N 2.9614°WCoordinates: 48°04′09″N 2°57′41″W / 48.0692°N 2.9614°W | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Brittany | |
| Department | Morbihan | |
| Arrondissement | Pontivy | |
| Canton | Pontivy | |
| Intercommunality | Pontivy Communauté | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2008—2014) | Jean-Pierre Le Roch | |
| Area1 | 24.85 km2 (9.59 sq mi) | |
| Population (1999)2 | 13,508 | |
| • Density | 540/km2 (1,400/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 56178 / 56300 | |
| Elevation |
48–192 m (157–630 ft) (avg. 60 m or 200 ft) | |
|
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | ||
Pontivy (French pronunciation: [pɔ̃tivi]; Breton: Pondi) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It lies at the confluence of the river Blavet and the Canal de Nantes à Brest.
History
A monk called Ivy built a bridge nearby over the river Blavet in the 7th century, and the town is named after him ("pont-Ivi" being the Breton for "Ivy's bridge").[1] From November 9, 1804, the name was changed to Napoléonville after Napoléon Bonaparte, under whom it had around 3,000 inhabitants. After his downfall, it was renamed Pontivy again, then later Bourbonville, and Napoléonville again after Napoléon III came to power.
Economy
This is a largely agricultural town.
Demographics
Inhabitants of Pontivy are called Pontivyens.
Breton language
The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on 8 August 2004. As part of that plan, all road signs in the town centre are bilingual.[2]
In 2008, 11.34% of the children in the town attended the bilingual schools in primary education.[3]
Sights
- The castle of Rohan (with its moat) (late XVe).
- The Notre-Dame-de-Joie basilica. [Basilica:
- The Saint Joseph church. [Eglise St. Joseph:
Events
- Every year the final round of Kan ar Bobl, a Breton music competition.
Twin towns
The town maintains twinning links with:
-
Tavistock, United Kingdom since 1958 -
Ouelessebougou, Mali since 1986 -
Wesseling, Germany since 1972 -
Napoléonville, United States since 1989
See also
- Communes of the Morbihan department
- Gaston-Auguste Schweitzer Sculptor of Pontivy war memorial
References
- ↑ Commune de Pontivy: Etude Normative des Toponymes . http://www.pontivy.fr/pontivy/public/Le_saviez-vous/pontivy-toponymie.pdf
- ↑ (French) Ofis ar Brezhoneg: Des plaques de rue bilingues à Pontivy
- ↑ (French) Ofis ar Brezhoneg: Enseignement bilingue
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pontivy. |
- Official website (French)
- French Ministry of Culture list for Pontivy (French)
- Map of Pontivy on Michelin (English)
