Lorient

Encyclopedia : L : LO : LOR : Lorient

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Lorient, or L'Orient, (Breton: An Oriant) is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan département, of Brittany. Population: city: 61,844; urban area: 186,144.

History

At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis. They later built additional warehouses across the bay in 1628, at the location which became known as L'Orient (the Orient in French). Later, the French East India Company, founded in 1664 and chartered by King Louis XIV, established shipyards there, thus giving an impetus to the development of the city.

Most of the city was destroyed during World War II and today's Lorient reflects an architectural style of the 1950s.

Geography

Lorient is located on the south coast of Brittany on the Atlantic Ocean. The rivers Blavet and Scorff enter the Atlantic Ocean at Lorient.

Industry

Lorient has a major fishing port, Porte de Pêche (Breton: Porzh Pesketa), at Keroman and the docks area at Kergroise handle large cargo and passenger ships.

Tourism plays an important part in the cities' economy and there are several large yachting marinas around the bay. The annual Festival Interceltique de Lorient was founded in Lorient in 1971 and attracts large numbers of tourists to the area every summer.

Lorient was a former base of the French Navy but these links have now disappeared. However, many important former naval buildings remain around the quayside.

Keroman Submarine Base

Lorient housed a German submarine base during World War II; although the city was heavily damaged by Allied bombing raids, the base survived through to the end of the war. As they could not destroy the base itself, the Allies decided to bomb the city, to cut the supplying of the U-boats. Without fuel, food or water it became impossible for these submarines to return to the Atlantic. Between the 14 of January 1943 and the 17 of February 1943 as many as 500 explosive bombs and more than 60,000 incendiary bombs were dropped on the city. Lorient was almost utterly destroyed, with nearly 90% of the city flattened.

Today the former submarine base of Keroman is open to the public and can be visited year-round. During the tour the submarine pens of block K3 can be seen. The roof area (3.40m to 7m thick) can be accessed leading to a former anti aircraft defence tower high on top of the base. From it there is an excellent view of the harbour and of the former headquarters of the German Commander Karl Dönitz across the bay at Larmor-Plage.

Miscellaneous

• Lorient was the birthplace of Jules Simon (1814-1896), statesman and philosopher.

• Lorient is the home of a major Celtic music festival, the Festival Interceltique de Lorient.

• Lorient is the home of FC Lorient Bretagne Sud whose stadium, Stade de Moustoir, is in the city centre.

• In the 2006 Tour de France, Lorient will host the end of Stage 8.

• Galway, Ireland
• Vigo, Galicia, Spain
• Wirral, England
• Ventspils, Latvia
• Ludwigshafen, Germany
• České Budějovice, Czech Republic

See also

• Mississippi Company
• Unterseeboot 74
• FC Lorient
• Festival Interceltique de Lorient
• Arrondissement of Lorient

External links

• [City council website] (in French)
• [Visiting Lorient]
• [Festival Interceltique de Lorient]

 

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