Dinan

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

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.

As of the census of 1999, the town has a population of .

Miscellaneous

Dinan was the birthplace of:

• Charles Pinot Duclos (1704-1772), author
• Yves Guyot (1843-1928), politician and economist
• Auguste Pavie (1846-1925), explorer and diplomat
• Jean Rochefort (born 1930), actor

Dinan was also a favourite haunt of British artist Horace Tuck (1876-1951)

References

See also

• Communes of the Côtes-d'Armor department

External links

• Town council website
• Dinan Basilica Image
• Dinan Basilica Image
• French Ministry of Culture list for Dinan

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Last updated on Saturday February 16, 2008 at 11:58:35 PST (GMT -0800)
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