Lorient

Lorient ; to Oriant
region	Brittany
Department	Morbihan
Arrondissement	Lorient ( sub-prefecture )
Canton	Lorient-1 (main town) ; Lorient-2 (main town)
Community association	Lorient agglomeration
Coordinates	47 ° 45 ′ N , 3 ° 22 ′ W Coordinates: 47 ° 45 ′ N , 3 ° 22 ′ W
height	0-46 m
surface	17.48 km 2
Residents	57,149 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	3,269 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	56100
INSEE code	56121
Website	https://www.lorient.bzh/
	; Port de Plaisance of Lorient

Lorient ( Breton : An Oriant ) is a French town and commune with 57,149 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Morbihan in the region of Brittany . It is located on the banks of the Blavet River at the confluence of the Scorff tributary at an altitude of 15 meters.

history

The name Lorient comes from L'Orient (the Orient ), as it used to be the home port of the French East India Company . From the beginning, the port was the center of an extensive trading network that linked the businesses of numerous traders, merchants and producers across Europe. Here the ships set off for the Mascarene Mountains , India or China in order to return from the Orient with the coveted goods of silk , gold and spices .

In 1770 the port and all its facilities were taken over by the state. Under Napoleon it then became a naval port . The Lorient tram ran from 1901 to 1944.

During the Second World War - on June 25, 1940 - the German Wehrmacht occupied the port and maintained a naval hospital . On October 28, 1940, at the suggestion of BdU Karl Dönitz , Hitler ordered the Todt Organization to build concrete submarine shelters in Lorient . Lorient suffered from the Second World War like hardly any other city: Since the Allied air raids could not destroy the submarine bunker , the supply lines to the submarine base were bombed, so that in 1943 almost the entire city was destroyed. The submarine bunkers remained intact, but could hardly be used without supplies. After the invasion of Normandy ( Operation Overlord ) in the summer of 1944, the city was besieged by American forces in the Battle of Brittany . The Germans were able to hold the Atlantic fortress until May 10, 1945.

The reconstruction after the Second World War reinforced the identity of a ville nouvelle , a “new city”. Until then, some remnants of Art Nouveau and architecture from the 1930s had been preserved. With its thoroughly modern character, Lorient falls out of the usual Breton typography.

and display information about the image

Marina and submarine bunker in Lorient

economy

Today, Lorient is the largest fishing port in France alongside Boulogne-sur-Mer . Lorient Airport is about twelve kilometers to the west . The city is connected to the TGV network via the Savenay – Landerneau railway line.

culture and education

The Festival Interceltique de Lorient takes place here for ten days every year at the beginning of August . For this purpose, a multiple of the population flows into the city. CDs and DVDs with excerpts from the live concerts are also released on a regular basis.

There is a university in Lorient, the Université Bretagne Sud .

Sports

The most famous sports club in the city is the Football Club Lorient-Bretagne Sud (FC Lorient). The club was not represented in the professional field until late in its history (1967–1977 and again since 1995). He has played in Ligue 1 since the 2006/07 season . FC Lorient has been playing in Ligue 2 again since the 2017/18 season after losing the relegation match against Troyes .

In the high seas regatta Volvo Ocean Race 2011–2012 and 2014–15, Lorient was a stage destination and host of an in-port race.

sons and daughters of the town

Frédéric Adam (* 1973), football player
Eugène Anthiome (1836–1916), composer
Erwan Balanant (* 1971), politician
Jean Raymond Bourke (1772–1847), infantry general
Auguste Brizeux (1803-1858), writer
Delphine Coulin (* 1972), author, screenwriter and film director
Nicole Le Douarin (* 1930), developmental biologist
Pierre Fatou (1878–1929), mathematician
Ernest Hello (1828–1885), writer and philosopher.
Viktor Lazlo (* 1960), pop singer
Ronan Le Crom (born 1974), football player
Enzo Le Fée (* 2000), football player
Victor Massé (1822–1884), composer
Jérémy Morel (* 1984), football player
Émile de Najac (1828-1889), librettist
Béatrice Patrie (* 1957), politician and judge
François de La Rocque (1885–1946), politician
Rita Strohl (1865–1941), pianist and composer

Twin cities

Weird	United Kingdom	since 1957 (until 1975 as then incorporated Bebington )
Ludwigshafen am Rhein	Germany	since 1963
Galway	Ireland	since 1974
Ventspils	Latvia	since 1974
Vigo	Spain	since 1983
České Budějovice	Czech Republic	since 1997