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| Paimpont forest Forêt de Paimpont / Brocéliande Koad Pempont | |
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| Geography | |
| Location | AroundIlle-et-Vilaine, Brittany, France |
| Area | 9,000 hectares (2010)[1] |
| Administration | |
| Governing body | Mostly private, a small part under theONF |
| Ecology | |
| Ecosystem(s) | Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest |
Paimpont Forest (French:Forêt de Paimpont,Breton:Koad Pempont), also known asBrocéliande Forest (French:Forêt de Brocéliande), is atemperate forest located around the village ofPaimpont in the department ofIlle-et-Vilaine inBrittany, France. Covering an area of 9,000 hectares, it is part of a larger forest area that covers the neighboring departments ofMorbihan andCôtes-d'Armor. It contains the castlesChâteau de Comper andChâteau de Trécesson as well as the Forges of Paimpont, a national historical site. It has been associated with the forest ofBrocéliande and many locations fromArthurian legend, including theVal sans retour, thetomb of Merlin, and the fountain of Barenton.
The forest is located in the northwestern French region ofBrittany, about 30 km southwest of the city ofRennes. It occupies mainly the territory of thecommune ofPaimpont but extends to bordering communes in the departments ofIlle-et-Vilaine andMorbihan, mainlyGuer andBeignon in the south,Saint-Péran in the northeast, andConcoret in the north.
The woodland surrounding Paimpont is the remains of a denser and much larger forest. It is mainly abroadleaved forest, mostlyoaks andbeech, with areas ofconifers either inside after clear-felling or on the periphery as a transition tomoorland, for example towards the west in the area ofTréhorenteuc and theVal sans retour. The relative altitude of the forested massif helps produce a climate close to the oceanic climate of theFinistère coast. This, in addition to west and southwest winds that carry clouds and rain, supports ample vegetation. The surplus of water feeds the many brooks at the bottoms of small valleys before flowing into the riverAff, then into theVilaine, and on to the area aroundRedon in the south of Ille-et-Vilaine.
The road from Forges to Concoret, which goes north through Paimpont, separates the western "high forest" (haute forêt) and the eastern "low forest", both of comparable size. In the high forest, the altitude decreases regularly from the highest point to 258 m, regularly offering views southwest towards the department ofMorbihan; similarly, to the north are views towards the commune ofMauron on the edge ofCôtes-d'Armor.
Paimpont Forest was known asBrocélien in the 15th century. InBreton, it was calledBrec'Helean. It has been repeatedly logged for construction needs of the city of Rennes, in particular in the 15th century. Because of its importance, the forest was put under royal jurisdiction.
The Forges of Paimpont were the most important wood-fueledforges of Brittany, operating from the 16th century until the end of the 19th century. Their location was enabled by the proximity of anopen-cast deposit ofiron ore at Gelée (a site near the village of Paimpont), the existence of a major river system, and the easy supply of locally produced charcoal. The forest was overexploited for the needs of the forges.
During theFrench Revolution, the abolition of protection triggered massive clear-cutting of the forest as the wood was excessively exploited to power the blast furnaces of local industry, which employedcharcoal. In 1804, the prefect of the department wrote that the forest at Paimpont was in a state of degradation and threatened by complete destruction.[2]
In 1875, the forest was bought fromPrince Philippe, Count of Paris by shipowner and industrialistLouis Levesque, for rest and pleasure. The new owner created the Domaine de Paimpont and organized hunts of wild boars and deer. Exploitation of the forest by the local population was limited to be only under licenses and the supervision of private forest rangers.
DuringWorld War I, the forest, deprived of most of its guards, was affected by major fires of unknown origin. DuringWorld War II, paratroopers of theSAS ofFree France were dropped to join the partisans of theFFI in the forest with the mission of delaying German reinforcements as part of theNormandy landings in 1944. In the 1990s, a dam project on the Aff for the water supply of the Rennes region caused controversy and protests before being abandoned.
The forest has experienced many fires since the start of the 20th century. In September 1990, a large wildfire devastated 450 hectares of the forest of Paimpont, especially the area of the Val sans retour, raging for five days.[3] Afterward, from 1991 to 1992, thousands of volunteers planted more than a half-million new trees.[4] Other major fires have occurred in 1955, 1984, 2003, and in particular in 1976, when a fire ravaged a thousand hectares.[5] Another massive blaze (preceded by a lesser one started by a man illegally burning garden waste two months earlier[6]) occurred during three days in August 2022 as part of the2022 European wildfires, which completely destroyed nearly 400 hectares of woodlands and moors and damaged some 230 more.[7]
The forest is an area ofZNIEFF andNatura 2000. It is mostly privately owned by landowners who maintain and exploit it for timber and for hunting; only a small part in the northeast (10%) is state-owned and managed by theNational Forest Office. This situation prevents free movement in the forest, even on the outskirts of the village and its lake. However, landowners have signed an agreement authorizing hiking, although some forest paths are closed during the hunting season.[8] Forest guards watch for behaviors that threaten the forest and its flora and fauna.
The Paimpont forest benefits from its association, since the 13th century, with the legendary forest ofBrocéliande, which has become the site of many stories ofArthurian legend in the French romance tradition. The identification with Brocéliande became institutionalized with the creation of thecommunauté de communes de Brocéliande, which was itself regrouped within a supra-intercommunal structure named thePays de Brocéliande.
The area has been a tourist destination site since the 19th century, especially after 1945.[9] Since 1951, followers ofNeo-Druidism also meet there periodically, including in organized ceremonies.[10] The Paimpont sites are implemented through signs and pedestrian trails designed to introduce visitors to Arthurian locations, with explanatory panels linking each place to a legendary tale.
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The Abbey Notre-Dame de Paimpont is a tourist and cultural location at the edge of Lake Paimpont. It is built in medievalGothic style (walls, openings, baptistery and the Blessed Sacrament chapel, vault) with an interior (pulpit, statues, altars, altarpieces) in theBaroque style of the 17th century.
Theabbey was built in the 13th century on the site of apriory founded in 645 byJudicaël, king ofDomnonée. It was originally aBenedictine monastery but was inhabited bycanons from the 13th century until the Revolution, when the abbey was nationalized and sold asbiens nationaux in 1790.
This historical industrial site has been listed as ahistoric monument since 2001,[11] and was restored before it was opened to the public. Located inIlle-et-Vilaine, it is actually closer toPlélan-le-Grand than to Paimpont.
The Château de Comper is a former castle and mansion located in northern part of the forest, two kilometers east of the village of Concoret. From the 13th century, Comper has been one of the strongest positions ofUpper Brittany. The castle has been the scene of much fighting—including being badly damaged by fire in out-of-control riots in the forest during the Revolution in 1790[12]—and has passed into the hands of several families. The mansion at the site now houses the exhibitions of theCentre de l'Imaginaire Arthurien (Center of the Arthurian Imagination). Adjoining it is a pond where, according to a local legend, theLady of the Lake Viviane lived in her underwater crystal palace.[8]
Located outside the village and the forest, immediately in its extension to the southwest, this castle was rebuilt in its current state in the 15th century. The most famous of the legends associated with it is that of theMariée de Trécesson (of"white lady" type), which, unusual for the region, has no Arthurian connections but instead seems to be inspired by a true story.[13]
The biological station of Paimpont, under theUniversity of Rennes, was built in 1966–1967; its buildings accommodate about 70 people. The forest and its varied environments provide a framework for university biology courses as well as student and foreign researchers. Although the first researchers extensively studied moor ecology, soils, and hydrology, other works concern subjects far removed from the local biotope, such as the behavior of primates.[14]
The Hotié de Viviane, also called theMaison de Viviane (lit. 'House of Viviane') or theTombeau des Druides (lit. 'Tomb of the Druids'), it is a funeral circle of stones dating from about 4,500 ago. It is located near the Val sans retour and has been known under this name since 1843.[15]
In the northern part of the forest is the "Tomb of Merlin", a remnant of aNeolithic covereddolmen structure. The site was largely destroyed with dynamite by treasure hunters after it became associated with the Arthurian figure ofMerlin in 1889.[16]
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According to the legend, having seduced Merlin,Viviane imprisoned him in an invisible prison, and then locked him in a tomb: Merlin, having lain down in a pit, had two enormous stones cast down on him. Today, it is an important site ofNeopagan pilgrimages. Visitors to the site might leave flowers and a note to Merlin, often with a wish,[8] or some kind of devotional object.
TheFontaine dite de Jouvence (lit. 'Fountain of Youth') is a water hole near the Tomb of Merlin.[17] Also nearby there is an old tree known as thechêne des Hindrés.[18]
Thistumulus consists of four Neolitihicmenhirs originally erected some 5,000–4,500 years ago, each over four meters long and one meter wide. Three menhirs were reused in theBronze Age around 2,000–1,500 BC as a funerary vault; the fourth is on the ground about ten meters away. Formerly covered with a mound of earth, the site is by its impressive dimensions nicknamed "Tomb of a Giant".[19] According to local tradition, it is the tomb of a giant defeated by theKnights of the Round Table. The Tombeau du Géant was reported as completely destroyed by the 2022 fire,[20][21] but was in fact saved by firefighters, along with the first few rows of trees surrounding it.[22]
The "Garden of Monks", located inNéant-sur-Yvel, also calledJardin aux tombes (lit. 'Garden of Tombs'), is a megalithic tumulus dating from 5,000 to 4,500 years ago.[23] It is one of the many such mounds present in this region.
TheVal sans retour (lit. 'Vale of No Return'), is the most famous tourist place of the forest, located near Tréhorenteuc, west of Paimpont. It is a steep valley dug deep in red shale, the color resulting from theoxidation of the iron ore it contains. During the 19th century, there were two competing locations of the Vale in the forest, the other having been in thevallée de la Marette near the Tomb of Merlin and also including the initial location of the Tomb of Viviane. In 1896, Félix Bellamy decided that theVal sans retour was the place that inspired the anonymous 13th-century author to write the episode of the Vale inLancelot-Grail.[24]
According to the French tradition of Arthurian legend, QueenMorgan le Fay, half-sister ofKing Arthur, betrayed by her lover, decided to keep all the unfaithful knights as prisoners in a vale of that name. OnlyLancelot, faithful to QueenGuinevere, was able to break the spell, escape, and free the captive knights.
High above the Vale, therocher des Faux-Amants (lit. 'Rock of False Lovers') is the spot where Morgan le Fay is said to have turned her lover who betrayed her into stone. Another location is theSiège de Merlin (lit. 'Seat of Merlin'), a rock overlooking the valley.[8]
A lake that since the 1940s has been known as theMiroir aux Fées (lit. 'Fairy Mirror') marks the entrance to the Vale.[25] Nearby stands theEglise du Graal (lit. 'Church of the Holy Grail'), a Catholic church featuring imagery of Morgan and other Arthurian characters associated with the Vale reimagined as Christian-themed scenes, painted by two German prisoner-of-war artists after WWII, as commissioned by eccentric local priest FatherHenri Gillard.[26][27][28]
The forest of Paimpont contains several special trees. One of them is thehêtre de Ponthus (the beech of the Ponthus), associated with the tale ofPonthus and Sidonia.[29]
The most famous is an old oak about 1,000 years old and more than 9 meters in circumference: thechêne à Guillotin (the oak of Guillotin), located between Concoret and Tréhorenteuc. According to a local legend, arefractory priest named Pierre-Paul Guillotin took refuge there during the French Revolution, continued to administer sacraments and blessings in the region, and wrote a valuable journal of revolutionary events.[30]
The Fountain of Barenton (also known as Berenton, Belenton, or Balenton) is located west of the forest, near the hamlet of Folle-Pensée, and is quite difficult to access. As quoted in medieval literature, and retained to this day, this fountain occasionally has rosaries of bubbles rise to its surface. The site first become associated with the legendary fountain of Brocéliande byAuguste Brizeux in 1836.[31] A local custom made young men and women visit the fountain in search of marriage.
It is here thatYwain, as described by Chrétien de Troyes inYvain, the Knight of the Lion, challenged theBlack Knight, guardian of the fountain. According to a later legend, this is also where Merlin met Viviane, and the water of this fountain had the power to cure mental illnesses.
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