Pontivy
Subprefecture and commune in Brittany, France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pontivy (French pronunciation: [pɔ̃tivi]; Breton: Pondi) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.[3] It lies at the confluence of the river Blavet and the Canal de Nantes à Brest. Inhabitants of Pontivy are called Pontivyens in French.
Pontivy
Pondi | |
|---|---|
Subprefecture and commune | |
The Château des Rohan in Pontivy | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Pontivy | |
  Pontivy  Pontivy | |
| Coordinates: 48°04′09″N 2°57′41″W | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Brittany |
| Department | Morbihan |
| Arrondissement | Pontivy |
| Canton | Pontivy |
| Intercommunality | Pontivy Communauté |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Christine Le Strat[1] |
Area 1 | 24.85 km2 (9.59 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 14,640 |
| • Density | 589.1/km2 (1,526/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 56178 /56300 |
| Elevation | 48–192 m (157–630 ft) (avg. 60 m or 200 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Map
History
A monk called Ivy built a bridge nearby over the river Blavet in the 7th century, and the town is named after him ("pont-Ivi" being the Breton for "Ivy's bridge").[4] From November 9, 1804, the name was changed to Napoléonville after Napoléon Bonaparte, under whom it had around 3,000 inhabitants. After his downfall, it was renamed Pontivy again, then later Bourbonville, and Napoléonville again after Napoléon III came to power.
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 11,412 | — |
| 1975 | 12,578 | +1.40% |
| 1982 | 12,675 | +0.11% |
| 1990 | 13,140 | +0.45% |
| 1999 | 13,508 | +0.31% |
| 2007 | 13,648 | +0.13% |
| 2012 | 13,973 | +0.47% |
| 2017 | 14,606 | +0.89% |
| Source: INSEE[5] | ||
Economy
This is a largely agricultural town.
Breton language
The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on 8 August 2004. As part of that plan, all road signs in the town centre are bilingual.[6]
In 2008, 11.34% of the children in the town attended the bilingual schools in primary education.[7]
Sights
Events
- Every year the final round of Kan ar Bobl, a Breton music competition.
Twin towns
The town maintains twinning links with:
Tavistock, United Kingdom since 1958
Ouelessebougou, Mali since 1986
Wesseling, Germany since 1972
Napoléonville, United States since 1989
Climate
| Climate data for Pontivy (1981–2010 normals, extremes 1968–2016) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 17.5 (63.5) |
19.8 (67.6) |
22.9 (73.2) |
27.8 (82.0) |
30.3 (86.5) |
34.6 (94.3) |
36.5 (97.7) |
39.2 (102.6) |
31.4 (88.5) |
28.8 (83.8) |
20.9 (69.6) |
16.5 (61.7) |
39.2 (102.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.9 (48.0) |
9.5 (49.1) |
12.3 (54.1) |
14.5 (58.1) |
18.0 (64.4) |
21.3 (70.3) |
23.3 (73.9) |
23.4 (74.1) |
20.7 (69.3) |
16.4 (61.5) |
12.1 (53.8) |
9.3 (48.7) |
15.8 (60.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.9 (42.6) |
6.0 (42.8) |
8.1 (46.6) |
9.7 (49.5) |
13.1 (55.6) |
16.0 (60.8) |
17.9 (64.2) |
17.8 (64.0) |
15.4 (59.7) |
12.2 (54.0) |
8.5 (47.3) |
6.2 (43.2) |
11.4 (52.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.9 (37.2) |
2.5 (36.5) |
3.9 (39.0) |
4.8 (40.6) |
8.2 (46.8) |
10.6 (51.1) |
12.5 (54.5) |
12.2 (54.0) |
10.1 (50.2) |
8.1 (46.6) |
5.0 (41.0) |
3.1 (37.6) |
7.0 (44.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −17.0 (1.4) |
−15.1 (4.8) |
−7.3 (18.9) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
1.5 (34.7) |
5.0 (41.0) |
2.0 (35.6) |
0.5 (32.9) |
−4.6 (23.7) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−17.0 (1.4) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 117.7 (4.63) |
86.9 (3.42) |
76.7 (3.02) |
73.0 (2.87) |
70.8 (2.79) |
49.1 (1.93) |
47.9 (1.89) |
50.2 (1.98) |
72.0 (2.83) |
105.8 (4.17) |
100.2 (3.94) |
118.1 (4.65) |
968.4 (38.13) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 14.5 | 12.0 | 11.8 | 11.7 | 11.1 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 7.1 | 8.6 | 13.2 | 13.4 | 14.6 | 133.2 |
| Source: Meteociel[8] | |||||||||||||
See also
- Communes of the Morbihan department
- Gaston-Auguste Schweitzer Sculptor of Pontivy war memorial
