The restrained palette of Brest
Nov 13, 2013 18:20:24 GMT
Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2013 18:20:24 GMT
I know where most of the most beautiful cities of France are and have been to just about all of them over the years. But I also like the challenge of visiting some of the more unlovely (and unlucky) ones and trying to find something of interest there.
Being on the western tip of Brittany, Brest has always been a major seaport and naval base (well, at least since the 17th century). This made it a very dynamic city and gave it a few idiosyncrasies compared to the rest of Brittany. For example, due to the naval presence, it was almost the only city in Brittany where the French language was spoken more than Breton at the beginning of the 20th century. And of course, it is the Navy that caused its doom during the second world war. Obviously, the Germans had taken over all of the shipyards, the arsenal and the port, so it was totally pulverised by Allied bombings, starting in 1941.
Just like Le Havre, Brest was rebuilt in a rectangular grid out of concrete. Absolutely no aesthetic flourishes -- save one -- were made in the reconstruction of the city because the chief architect was interested only in "efficiency" and "hygiene." The ruins were totally removed with no attempt to save anything and even any little hills in the centre of the city were flattened out. The one aesthetic 'fantasy' that was allowed was to make every façade different from the others, even when the buildings were identical inside.
I had not seen this homage to the compartments of the old trains before. There were these 'compartments' on one side of the aisle and single or double seating on the side. I finally changed my travel preference for the iDTGV trains, which offer 'zen' or 'zap' as the ambience. I had always chosen zen in the past, because zen sounded nice. It is supposed to completely calm, while 'zap' means that you accept more activity and noise. Well after three zen trips, I was climbing the walls. The silence is totally oppressive and people don't dare speak to each other in anything other than a whisper -- it is much quieter than even a library. In fact, it is like a mortuary. So I took zap this time and was very pleased. People are allowed to act normally and you don't feel as though you are attending a funeral.
So here is my first view of Brest on a grey and misty day to match the architecture.
The tramway was just inaugurated last year.
Even the monument to the dead had to be rebuilt after the war.
This is the main street of the town, now a pedestrian street since the tramway began operations.
The name is rather unusual. It is because the people were so impressed by the Siamese delegation that visited in 1742.
Siam was the first country of Southeast Asia to establish diplomatic relations with the court of Louis XIV. Thank god they did not see this version of Brest.
And thank god that Brest did not choose pearl grey for the colour of their tramway.
They used a different stone on the church. I recognized it as Vosges granite, like my grandparents' tomb.
What about the inside of this lovely edifice?
I had to look at dead leaves for colour.
a vestige... of something.
Being on the western tip of Brittany, Brest has always been a major seaport and naval base (well, at least since the 17th century). This made it a very dynamic city and gave it a few idiosyncrasies compared to the rest of Brittany. For example, due to the naval presence, it was almost the only city in Brittany where the French language was spoken more than Breton at the beginning of the 20th century. And of course, it is the Navy that caused its doom during the second world war. Obviously, the Germans had taken over all of the shipyards, the arsenal and the port, so it was totally pulverised by Allied bombings, starting in 1941.
This is the most famous photo of postwar Brest, but I'll show a few others later.
Just like Le Havre, Brest was rebuilt in a rectangular grid out of concrete. Absolutely no aesthetic flourishes -- save one -- were made in the reconstruction of the city because the chief architect was interested only in "efficiency" and "hygiene." The ruins were totally removed with no attempt to save anything and even any little hills in the centre of the city were flattened out. The one aesthetic 'fantasy' that was allowed was to make every façade different from the others, even when the buildings were identical inside.
Okay, my trip began at Gare Montparnasse, which is the station that serves Brittany.
I had not seen this homage to the compartments of the old trains before. There were these 'compartments' on one side of the aisle and single or double seating on the side. I finally changed my travel preference for the iDTGV trains, which offer 'zen' or 'zap' as the ambience. I had always chosen zen in the past, because zen sounded nice. It is supposed to completely calm, while 'zap' means that you accept more activity and noise. Well after three zen trips, I was climbing the walls. The silence is totally oppressive and people don't dare speak to each other in anything other than a whisper -- it is much quieter than even a library. In fact, it is like a mortuary. So I took zap this time and was very pleased. People are allowed to act normally and you don't feel as though you are attending a funeral.
So here is my first view of Brest on a grey and misty day to match the architecture.
The tramway was just inaugurated last year.
Even the monument to the dead had to be rebuilt after the war.
This is the main street of the town, now a pedestrian street since the tramway began operations.
The name is rather unusual. It is because the people were so impressed by the Siamese delegation that visited in 1742.
Siam was the first country of Southeast Asia to establish diplomatic relations with the court of Louis XIV. Thank god they did not see this version of Brest.
And thank god that Brest did not choose pearl grey for the colour of their tramway.
They used a different stone on the church. I recognized it as Vosges granite, like my grandparents' tomb.
What about the inside of this lovely edifice?
I had to look at dead leaves for colour.
a vestige... of something.