The town of Pontivy sits on the river Blavet, which feeds the Canaux de Bretagne. The river rises in central Brittany and flows some 150 Kilometers to the Atlantic Ocean on the south coast of the peninsula near Lorient. At Pontivy, the river and the canal system join within the heart of the town. The canal links the two major seaports of Nantes and Brest and runs through the centre of Brittany for 385 kilometres. Along the length, there are 238 locks. I regret to say that on my visit to Brittany, I didn’t bring my bike, so there will be no notes about which locks I have or haven’t navigated!
Brittany began developing its network of waterways in the early 1500s in order to improve the navigation on the river Vilaine. But, it wasn’t until Brest was blockaded by the English fleet that Napoleon Bonaparte decided that a navigable inland routeway was required to provide a safe inland link and access to the Atlantic ports. Building eventually began in 1811, and it was Napoleon 3 – the nephew of Bonaparte – who had the duty of officially opening the canal in 1858. At that time, the canal was the most ambitious building project undertaken in France.
In 1920, the canal was dammed at Guerlédan and the safe route across country was lost. The entire section of the canal west of the dam was closed in 1957 and the fall in commercial traffic (26m barges carrying 140 tonnes) resulted in massive silting along the length of the canal. But there are and have been plans for dredging and opening up sections of the canal for pleasure boats since the 1980s/1990s.
The town of Pontivy has a population of around 15,000 inhabitants. It sprawls along the river and canal, and the ancient heart of the town is charming. The name Pontivy has its roots in the 7th century. A monk called Ivy visited the town and built a bridge across the river Blavet. Hence the name, which in translation means Ivy’s bridge.
As this is the region of Bretagne, you might think it would not be unusual to hear the Breton language being spoken. Especially as the municipality launched a special linguistic project way back in 2004. Part of that plan saw all the street signs in the town replaced with new dual-language ones. So, as I meander among the streets, I can see the Breton names juxtaposed with the modern French. But the ancient language? I didn’t hear a single word. Back at the campsite and I take the opportunity to politely ask about the popularity of the old language. My query is met with a very gallic shrug and just the admission that Breton is not spoken that much. I nod and take my leave.
If you enjoyed this post, you might also like to read some of my other jottings about my trips along the Nivernais and Bourgogne canals. Just click the links.
Very interesting, Angela. Is the canal still being used commercially?
ReplyDeleteNot along its full length, no. Parts are used for pleasure craft, but the building of a Guerledan dam in 1920 closed the through route between to the two ports. The entire section of the canl west of the dam was closed in 1957 and with the fall in commercial traffic (26m barges carrying 140 tonnes) resulted in massive silting along the length of the canal. But they are and have been plans for dredging and opening up sections of the canal since the 1980s/1990s.
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