Dinan

Dinan (Dinan, Gallo: Dinan) is a walled Breton town and a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in northwestern France.

Geography and natural features

Its geographical setting is exceptional. Instead of nestling on the valley floor like Morlaix, most urban development has been on the hillside, overlooking the river Rance. This river has moderate turbidity and its brownish water is somewhat low in velocity due to the slight gradient of the watercourse; pH levels have been measured at 8.13 within the city of Dinan and electrical conductivity of the waters have tested at 33 micro-siemens per centimetre. In the centre of Dinan the Rance summer flows are typically in the range of 500 cubic feet per second.

For many years, the bridge over the River Rance at Dinan was the most northerly crossing point on the river, but the tidal power station at the mouth of the estuary, constructed in the 1960s downstream from Dinan, incorporates a 750 meter long tidal barrage which doubles as a crossing point nearer to the sea.

Attractions

Major historical attractions include the Jacobins Theatre dating from 1224, the flamboyant Gothic St Malo's Church, the Romanesque St Saviour's Basilica, Duchess Anne's Tower and the Château de Dinan.

A major highlight in the calendar is Dinan's Fête des Remparts. The town is transformed with decoration and many locals dress up in medieval garb for this two-day festival. It occurs only every other year, which can catch visitors out.

Demographics

Inhabitants of Dinan are called Dinannais.

Notable people linked with Dinan

Dinan was the birthplace of:

Charles Beslay (1795-1878), member of the Council of the Paris Commune
Théodore Botrel (1868-1925), poet and singer
Yves Guyot (1843-1928), politician and economist
Myrdhin (1950-), real name Rémi Chauvet, harpist and poet
Auguste Pavie (1847-1925), explorer and diplomat
Charles Pinot Duclos (1704-1772), author
Jean Rochefort (born 1930), actor
Da Silva (1976-), singer

Dinan is also associated with:

François-René de Chateaubriand, writer, studied in Dinan

Bertrand du Guesclin, connétable of France. Born at nearby Broons. His heart is buried in Dinan.
Yvonne Jean-Haffen (1895-1993), painter, died in Dinan
Danielle Mitterrand, wife of President François Mitterrand, educated at the Roger Vercel college
Jean-François Paillard (born 1928), orchestral conductor, educated at the Cordeliers de Dinan
René Pleven, (1901-1993), politician, minister, essayist. The hospital in Dinan is named after him.
Roger Vercel (1894-1957), writer, winner of Prix Goncourt 1934, died in Dinan. A college in the town is named after him.

Dinan was also a favourite place for artists to visit in search of picturesque views. The British artist John Everett Millais lived there as a child. It was also painted by Edward Ward and Horace Tuck among others.