Moncontour: Holiday apartments and holiday homes

Moncontour is one of the best-preserved fortified towns in Brittany. The medieval fortress town is situated on an 80-metre-high rocky outcrop.

Townscape

The historic streets of Moncontour are characterised by half-timbered houses and granite manor houses with Flemish and Italian influences. The Poterne Saint-Jean on the northern rampart dates from the 15th century. It connected Moncontour with the suburbs of Saint-Jean and Saint-Michel, as well as with the road running between them.

History

The fortress of Moncontour was founded in the 11th century to protect Lamballe and the Duchy of Penthièvre from attackers from the south. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, a textile industry and cloth trade developed around the Breton towns of Quintin-Moncontour and Uzel-Loudéac; Moncontour was one of these particularly active centres. The Maison de la Chouannerie et de la Révolution presents a historical section on the history of Moncontour.

Culture

The Théâtre du Costume Museum traces 1,000 years of costume history through staged miniature scenes. La Résidence des Arts accommodates artists, provides them with studios, and enables them to present their works to an art-interested audience and tourists. La Résidence des Arts has three open studios and welcomes artists and craftspeople who can work there.

Nature

The Jardin d’Hildegarde is located in the remains of Moncontour Castle and contains medicinal, dye and spice plants. It is designed, maintained and cared for by volunteers; the guides welcome visitors in historical costumes. The “Moncontour, Cité Forteresse” circular trail starts in Moncontour, is 4.6 kilometres long and takes around 1.5 hours. It passes chapels and ponds, as well as forests and valleys.

Orientation

Moncontour offers guided tours for individuals and groups, as well as an interpretive trail. A discovery booklet for exploring the town is available from the Moncontour Tourist Office.

More places to discover: Quévert, Plurien, Gomené, Plounévez-Moëdec, Saint-Gilles-Du-Mené, Plouha, Mégrit, Saint-Alban.

To the higher-level travel overview: Côtes-D’armor.