The entrance to this harbour is known as the Goulet, and is lighted by five lighthouses, which at night send out their twinkling rays of red, green, and white in most kaleidoscopic fashion,—all Greek to a landsman, but as clear as day to the Breton pilots who bring the great ships in and out of this narrow waterway. In the ninth century, Brest was already in existence, in spite of its modern aspect to-day, and belonged to the Counts of Léon. Its future was as varied as the history of Brittany.
It opened its ports to the army of Charles VIII. in 1489, in spite of the efforts of Duchess Anne to prevent such a proceeding. How far she succumbed will be recalled when one realizes that two years later her marriage with this prince was the first step which united the province of Brittany for ever with France. Brest from this time took on a new importance, until Cardinal Richelieu came to designate it as one of the principal arsenals of France, and then, in 1631, came the creation of the great dockyards.
Of architectural monuments, Brest still has the Church of St. Louis (1688-1778) and the twelfth and thirteenth century castle. As an ecclesiastical monument, the church is quite unworthy of attention, though it has some interesting tombs and monuments.
The castle is an admirable example of mediæval fortification, with some remarkable accessory details in its construction. The isolated donjon tower was in other days a sort of independent citadel, and formed a last refuge for the besieged occupants of the castle, should its outer walls give way to the invaders. The Tower of Azenor and the Tower of Anne of Brittany, so named for the respective princesses, are admirably preserved parts.
The local museum and library have fine collections. There are fifty-six thousand volumes in the library, and the collection of paintings contains many Breton subjects by modern masters.
The dockyard—navy-yard in the language of the United States, port militaire in French—is closed to the general public, but a marvellous detailed bird’s-eye view of the city, the docks, and the roads is obtained from the platform of the Pont Tournant.
Nineteen kilometres from Brest is Landerneau, and the junction of the railway lines to Kerlouan and Folgoët in the north, and to Quimper and Concarneau in the south. Landerneau from the twelfth to sixteenth centuries had a distinct feudal administration.
The folk of Landerneau have opinions of their own, as witness the remark, made at Versailles under the regency by a Breton noble hailing from this place: “The Landerneau moon is larger than that at Versailles.”
Again there is a Breton proverb which runs thus: “There will always be something to talk about in Landerneau.” Mostly this is used when a widow marries again, which may be taken to mean much or little, as one chooses.
Landerneau has a fine little tidal harbour, and its streets and wharfs are busy with the hum of coastwise traffic and river life, and, with its Church of St. Thomas of Canterbury and its “best and cleanest inn in the bishopric” (Hôtel de l’Univers), as a traveller of a century or more ago once wrote, it has no lack of interest for travellers.