Sociologist and essayist Anne Guillou examines why the language of matriarchy has become a distinctive feature of discussion about Breton society. Drawing on her research into women, land, money and rural social relations, she asks when the idea emerged and who helped popularise it. The conference separates a powerful regional narrative from demonstrable historical structures, opening a careful debate about gender and authority in Brittany.
Tag: local-history
Jeanne Malivel Craft Conference
This conference places Jeanne Malivel at the centre of the Breton applied arts revival. Historian Olivier Levasseur examines her projects and the role of artisans and industrial partners, often from the Côtes-d’Armor, in renewing regional forms. Malivel’s work connects modern design and craft production with the search for a distinctly Breton visual language.
Gallo-Roman Heritage Days
Saint-Romain-en-Gal marks the museum’s anniversary during the Journées européennes du patrimoine with meetings with its staff. The collections manager leads visits to the reserves, explaining how objects are conserved and studied. Storytelling walks among the archaeological remains draw on mythology and traditional tales; places require registration on arrival.
Puy de Lumieres
Puy de Lumières uses animated projections and sound to tell stories of volcanism, history and regional specialities. Seven heritage sites form the route, including the Musée Crozatier, the Rocher Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe and the old bridge at Brives-Charensac. The circuit is free to follow, with the architecture and landscape serving as the projection surfaces.
European Heritage Days at the Saline Royale
European Heritage Days at the Saline Royale follows the buildings where salt workers lived and worked, with guides introducing Claude-Nicolas Ledoux and his architecture. An archive-based photography retrospective traces changing views of the saltworks from Pointevin to Fessy. Family games and immersive projections extend the programme to other UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Wine Heritage Tour in Nuits-Saint-Georges
Véronique explores Nuits-Saint-Georges from the winegrower’s point of view on this Tourist Office guided visit. The route introduces the Climats de Bourgogne and the local appellation, linking the town’s history to its vineyards. Old winegrowers’ houses, traditional architecture and Burgundian follies show how that history appears in the streets.
Photography Exhibition in Romenay
Photographies : une histoire sensible de Romenay brings together work by the local photographers Alexandre, Bonnet and Meunier. Organised by the Friends of Vieux Romenay, the exhibition follows photographic practice from glass plates to film. The images connect family memory with a view of the surrounding region, presenting Romenay’s past through its photographers.
Blockhaus Visit in Le Pouldu: A WWII Insight
A 775 m³ mass of concrete above the Grands Sables beach, the Blockhaus sits on chemin de la grenouille, near the nautical base, restored to its original condition. Inside are an artillery firing hall, a rear firing post and ancillary rooms including a troop shelter. Explanatory panels, period objects, weapons and uniforms set out the Breton Resistance, the fighting in the Lorient pocket and the Laïta Front. Mémoire et Patrimoine de Clohars-Carnoët lets the route be walked alone or with a guide, and a historical booklet on the Blockhaus is sold on site.
Maritime History in Concarneau: Jean-Paul Mathelier
Jean-Paul Mathelier recounts a photographic campaign aboard a Concarneau trawler within a lecture on the great fisheries. Images from voyages to southern Ireland and later work on a live-bait tuna boat record Breton sailors through labour, routine and quieter moments at sea. His testimony connects those photographs with routes reaching from northern waters to Mauritania and with the port memory preserved by the Musée de la Pêche.
Guided Tour of Saint-Malo: Corsair Legacy
The guided tour of Saint-Malo explores the Cité corsaire, its ramparts and the seafaring identity of the walled city. Privateers, major voyages and a long tradition of civic independence place the port at the centre of French and Breton maritime history. Conducted in French for a limited group, the visit explains why the phrase neither French nor Breton, but Malouin remains attached to the city.