Bécherel | |
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.jpg) A general view of Bécherel | |
 Flag .svg) Coat of arms | |
 Location of Bécherel | |
  Bécherel  Bécherel | |
| Coordinates:48°17′46″N1°56′38″W / 48.2961°N 1.9439°W /48.2961; -1.9439 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Brittany |
| Department | Ille-et-Vilaine |
| Arrondissement | Rennes |
| Canton | Montauban-de-Bretagne |
| Intercommunality | Rennes Métropole |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Mélina Parmentier[1] |
Area 1 | 0.5 km2 (0.19 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 677 |
| • Density | 1,400/km2 (3,500/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 35022 /35190 |
| Elevation | 113–177 m (371–581 ft) (avg. 166 m or 545 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Bécherel (French pronunciation:[beʃʁɛl];Breton:Begerel,Gallo:Becherèu) is acommune in theIlle-et-Vilainedepartment inBrittany in northwesternFrance.
During theRoman times the town was positioned close to the important road linkingRennes withDinan to the north.
In 1124 Alain de Dinan was granted a substantial portion of land which he used to build a (stone) castle. This dominated the valley and the present town grew up around the castle.
In 1168Henry II, theLe Mans born English king, seized the strategically important town of Bécherel and fortified it.
In the middle years of the fourteenth century, during theBreton War of Succession the English, who were allied withJean IV (sometimes called Jean V according to the writer's point of view) of Brittany, occupied Bécherel. In 1363Charles of Blois, accompanied byBertrand du Guesclin, known also as the Black Dog ofBrocéliande, laid siege to the town, but Jean's forces aggressively and successfully resisted. The parties decided to meet nearÉvran to resolve their differences, but the bishops now intervened and a partition ofBrittany between the two parties was determined.
Troubles returned in April 1371 whenOlivier de Clisson laid siege to the town.Bertrand du Guesclin joined in against the English, who still held Bécherel, in August 1371.
In 1419Anne of Laval, who had inherited the barony through the decease of her brother, restored the town's fortifications, but by the sixteenth century the place had fallen into ruins. Between the 16th end 18th centuries prosperity returned, thanks to the cultivation and weaving oflinen andhemp. UnderNapoleon the "Continental System/Blockade" caused much damage to these industries, however, and they also suffered increasingly through the import to Europe of cheapcotton during the 19th century.
Though Bécherel was in the heart of the territory claimed by the Chouan royalists in the1789 French Revolution, others would support the Republic especially after 1794 when the worst of theblood letting came to an end with theexecution of Robespierre. The anniversary of theking's execution was still being widely celebrated each January 21 at the start of the twentieth century.[3] The Chouan freedom fighters may not be so well remembered.
The nineteenth century saw the development of various leather based industries, and a factory manufacturing agricultural machinery underpinned the local economy. Between 1914 and 1971 the town was also the home of a largeDairy business. More recently the economy has increasingly been based on tourism and on the book trade.
Bécherel is a smallvillage, called the "village of the books"[4] because there are fifteenbookstores for around 660 inhabitants. Events and performances taking place at Bécherel include: the European Festival ofAncient Greek andLatin, in March, for the national "Spring of Poets" weekend. The "Fête du Livre", each Easter week-end, the Night of Books (August), "Lire en Fête" (October), Treasures of Bécherel (December).
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Inhabitants of Bécherel are calledBécherellais in French.
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