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DOUARNENEZ. (29)
Various dicoveries prove that the small valley
opening to the sea which is now the site of Douarnenez was frequented
by prehistoic man but it was the Romans who first built lasting
settlements in this area. Legends pertaining to Douarnez abound and
it is not always easy to ditinguish fact from fiction as they have
been intertwined by the process of oral story telling which dates
from more than 1500 years. One of the most famous stories concerns
King Gradlon of Cornouaille as Douarnenez was the site of the town of
Y's which was Gradlon's capital. The king had a very beautiful but
less than virtuous daughter called Dahud whose bad example was
generally followed by the local population. God was much angered by
the debauchaury in Y's and handed the town over to the devil who
quickly seduced Dahud and forced her to bring the keys to the sluice
gates which he opened and flooded the town.
The commune of Douarnenez is comprised of the 4
localities of Tréboul, Ploaré, Pouldavid and
Douarnenez. Romeur harbour on the eastern edge of Douarnenez is the
5th largest fishing port in France and is well worth a visit early
morning when the boats have returned and the fish market is in full
swing. The town is situated in a curved bay presenting a picturesque
vista which seduced a number of artists, such as Auguste Renoir,
Eugène Boudin and Emmanuel Lansyer. In the town both the Port
Museum and the boat museum are quite splendid and give an insight
into life in Douarnenez for the last couple of hundred years. Around
the town there are a number of beautiful beaches and delightful walks
for the visitor to enjoy.
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