Roscoff Rosko (Breton) | |
|---|---|
 Center of Roscoff from Sainte Barbe chapel | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
Location of Roscoff  | |
  Roscoff  Roscoff | |
| Coordinates:48°44′00″N3°59′00″W / 48.733333°N 3.983333°W /48.733333; -3.983333 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Brittany |
| Department | Finistère |
| Arrondissement | Morlaix |
| Canton | Saint-Pol-de-Léon |
| Intercommunality | Haut-Léon Communauté |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Odile Thubert Montagne[1] |
Area 1 | 6.19 km2 (2.39 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 3,318 |
| • Density | 540/km2 (1,400/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 29239 /29680 |
| Elevation | 0–58 m (0–190 ft) (avg. 6 m or 20 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Roscoff (/ˈrɒskoʊ/ROSK-oh,French:[ʁɔskɔf];Breton:Rosko) is acommune in theFinistère département ofBrittany in northwestern France.
Roscoff is renowned for its picturesque architecture, labelledpetite cité de caractère de Bretagne (small town of character)[3] since 2009. Roscoff is also a traditional departure point forOnion Johnnies.
After lobbying by local economic leaders headed byAlexis Gourvennec, the French government agreed in 1968 to provide a deep-water port at Roscoff. Existing ferry operators were reluctant to take on the relatively long Plymouth–Roscoff crossing so Gourvennec and colleagues foundedBrittany Ferries. Since the early 1970s Roscoff has been developed as a ferry port for the transport of Breton agricultural produce and for motor tourism.Brittany Ferries link Roscoff with both Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Owing to the richness ofiodine in the surrounding waters and the mild climate maintained by a sea current that varies only between 8 and 18 °C (46 and 64 °F), Roscoff is also a centre of post-cure, which gave rise to the concept ofthalassotherapy in the latter half of the 19th century. A French doctor, Louis-Eugène Bagot, opened the Institut Marin in Roscoff in 1899, the first centre for thalassotherapy in Europe. Since then many important centres of thalassotherapy such as the Institut de Rockroum (originally Institut marin), the clinic Kerléna and a heliomarin hospital founded in 1900, the Perharidy Centre, can be found by the sea at Roscoff.
The nearbyÎle de Batz, calledEnez Vaz inBreton, is a small island that can be reached bylaunch from theharbour.
Inhabitants of Roscoff are called in FrenchRoscovites.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 3,339 | — |
| 1975 | 3,404 | +0.28% |
| 1982 | 3,581 | +0.73% |
| 1990 | 3,711 | +0.45% |
| 1999 | 3,550 | −0.49% |
| 2007 | 3,675 | +0.43% |
| 2012 | 3,515 | −0.89% |
| 2017 | 3,404 | −0.64% |
| Source: INSEE[4] | ||
The municipality launched a language plan throughYa d'ar brezhoneg on 14 November 2008.
In 2008 18.44% of primary-school children attended bilingual schools.[5]
Brittany Ferries operate ferry services from Roscoff toPlymouth daily from February to November with occasional Christmas sailings, toCork twice a week (Friday and Tuesday service).
Irish Ferries used to operate a ferry service from Roscoff toRosslare from May to September but now sail to Cherbourg instead.
| Preceding station | Ferry | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Brittany Ferries Ferry | Plymouth | ||
| Cork |
Roscoff istwinned with:
Great Torrington, United Kingdom[6]
Auxerre, France![Roscoff from the pier [1]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aRoscoff_during_high_tide.jpg)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
