Roscoff

Roscoff
Rosko
Commune
Center of Roscoff from Sainte Barbe chapel

Flag
Coat of arms
Roscoff
Location within Brittany region
Roscoff
Coordinates: 48°43′38″N 3°59′04″W / 48.7272°N 3.9844°W / 48.7272; -3.9844Coordinates: 48°43′38″N 3°59′04″W / 48.7272°N 3.9844°W / 48.7272; -3.9844
Country France
Region Brittany
Department Finistère
Arrondissement Morlaix
Canton Saint-Pol-de-Léon
Intercommunality Pays Léonard
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) Joseph Séïté
Area1 6.19 km2 (2.39 sq mi)
Population (2008)2 3,648
 • Density 590/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code 29239 /29680
Elevation 0–58 m (0–190 ft)
(avg. 6 m or 20 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.

Roscoff (Breton: Rosko) is a commune in the Finistère département of Brittany in northwestern France.

Roscoff is renowned for its picturesque architecture, labeled "petite cité de caractère de Bretagne" (small town of character)[1] since 2009. Roscoff is also a traditional departure point for Onion Johnnies.

After lobbying by local economic leaders headed by Alexis Gourvennec, the French government agreed in 1968 to provide a deep water port at Roscoff. Existing ferry operators were reluctant to take on the relatively long Plymouth/Roscoff crossing, so Gourvennec and colleagues founded Brittany Ferries. Since the early 1970s, Roscoff has been developed as a ferry port for the transport of Breton agricultural produce, and for motor tourism. Brittany Ferries and Irish Ferries link Roscoff with both Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Due to the richness of iodine in the surrounding waters and the mild climate maintained by a sea current that only varies between 8 ° C and 18 °C, Roscoff is also a center of post-cure which gave rise to the concept of thalassotherapy in the latter half of the 19th century. A French doctor, Louis-Eugène Bagot opened Institut marin in Roscoff in 1899, the first center for thalassotherapy in Europe. Since then many important centers of thalassotherapy such as the Institut de Rockroum (originally Institut marin), the clinic Kerléna, and a heliomarin hospital founded in 1900, the Perharidy Center can be found on the edges of the sea of Roscoff.

The nearby Île de Batz, called Enez Vaz in Breton, is a small island that can be reached by launch from the harbour.

Sights

Population

Inhabitants of Roscoff are called in French Roscovites.

Breton language

The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on 14 November 2008.

In 2008, 18.44% of primary-school children attended bilingual schools.[2]

Ferries

Brittany Ferries operate ferry services from Roscoff to Plymouth daily from February to November and to Cork once weekly (Saturday service) from March to November.

Irish Ferries operate ferry services from Roscoff to Rosslare from May to September.

Preceding station   Ferry   Following station
Terminus   Brittany Ferries
Ferry		   Plymouth
    Cork
Terminus   Irish Ferries
Ferry		   Rosslare

Historic events

  • In 1375, the harbour was destroyed by the Earl of Arundel. It would later be rebuilt at its current location, at Kroas Batz.
  • From 1522 to 1545–1550, construction the Church of Our Lady of Kroas Batz (see Monuments above).
  • In 1548, the six-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots, having been betrothed to the Dauphin François, disembarks at Roscoff.
  • In 1790, Roscoff was raised to independent commune. Until this time, the town had effectively depended on Saint-Pol-de-Léon.
  • The illustrator Henry Gerbault and his wife moved to Roscoff in 1919 and lived there the rest of their lives.

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Roscoff is twinned with:

Roscoff from the pier

See also

References

  1. ↑ City of Roscoff: Roscoff awarded "Petite cité de caractère de Bretagne" (small town of character) (in French)
  2. ↑ (in French) Ofis ar Brezhoneg: Enseignement bilingue
  3. ↑ "British towns twinned with French towns". Archant Community Media Ltd. Retrieved 2013-07-11.
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