Plabennec

Plabennec
Plabenneg

The church of Saint-Ténénan, in Plabennec

Coat of arms
Plabennec

Coordinates: 48°30′10″N 4°25′29″W / 48.5028°N 4.4247°W / 48.5028; -4.4247Coordinates: 48°30′10″N 4°25′29″W / 48.5028°N 4.4247°W / 48.5028; -4.4247
Country France
Region Brittany
Department Finistère
Arrondissement Brest
Canton Plabennec
Intercommunality Plabennec et des Abers
Government
  Mayor (20142020) Marie-Annick Créac'h-Cadec
Area1 50.43 km2 (19.47 sq mi)
Population (2008)2 7,764
  Density 150/km2 (400/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code 29160 / 29860
Elevation 28–102 m (92–335 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.

Plabennec (Breton: Plabenneg) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.

History

The area around Plabennec has been occupied since Neolithic times and into the Bronze Age. The commune of Plabennec was formed around the 6th century by a Breton, Saint Abennec. Its name comes from a portmanteau of two Breton language words, Plou and Abennec, which translates as Parish of Saint Abennec.

The land in the area is especially good for growing crops. Since the 19th century, things such as linen, hemp and wheat have been grown locally. In more recent times, with the advancement of agriculture, the land has started to be used for potato growing.

Population

Inhabitants of Plabennec are called in French Plabennecois.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1793 3,080    
1800 3,086+0.2%
1806 3,779+22.5%
1821 3,000−20.6%
1831 3,831+27.7%
1836 3,540−7.6%
1841 3,555+0.4%
1846 3,624+1.9%
1851 3,752+3.5%
1856 3,663−2.4%
1861 3,557−2.9%
1866 3,571+0.4%
1872 3,556−0.4%
1876 3,556+0.0%
1881 3,658+2.9%
1886 3,577−2.2%
1891 3,658+2.3%
1896 3,606−1.4%
1901 3,628+0.6%
1906 3,836+5.7%
1911 3,887+1.3%
1921 3,823−1.6%
1926 3,758−1.7%
1931 3,713−1.2%
1936 3,768+1.5%
1946 4,098+8.8%
1954 4,036−1.5%
1962 4,389+8.7%
1968 4,484+2.2%
1975 5,168+15.3%
1982 6,435+24.5%
1990 6,600+2.6%
1999 6,992+5.9%
2008 7,764+11.0%

Breton language

In 2008, 13.88% of primary-school children in Plabennec attended bilingual schools.[1]

Economy

Since the 1960s a lot has changed in the economy of the area. The popularity of new vehicles and mechanicalisation of farming has led to certain professions, such as blacksmiths and saddlers, disappearing. However, many people are now moving to the area to live in the revamped barns and lodges.

Most money in the area comes from tourism (due to the fact it is only 10km from Brest Bretagne Airport), industry, hand-crafted goods and agriculture.

Sport

Plabennec is home to Championnat de France de football National side Stade Plabennecois, who play at the Stade de Kervéguen in the commune. The club also deals with other sports such as basketball, handball and volleyball.

International relations

Plabennec has been twinned with Waltenhofen in Germany Germany since 1976.

See also

References

  1. (French) Ofis ar Brezhoneg: Enseignement bilingue
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Plabennec.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 4/20/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.