The history of Brest has been much influenced by its geographical situation. The city occupies a strategic site at the back of a bay whose only entrance is a narrow channel. Many battles were fought in its waters, and the most important of them are described in detail at the Naval Museum. The castle of Brest, completed by the royal architect Vauban is one of the major monuments of Brittany. The city itself was almost entirely destroyed during the Second World War and is now characterised by the geometrical layout of its main streets.
The famous phrase “Tonnerre de Brest” (“Thundering typhoons” in English), made popular by Tintin’s captain Haddock, refers to the cannon shots that were fired every morning and every evening to signal the opening and closure of the port for almost three centuries. Occasionally, these cannon shots signalled the escape of a convict.
Centuries of history During the 3rd century, the Romans built a stronghold whose foundations would later be used for the construction of the castle during the Carolingian era. Built by and for the local earls (the Earls of Leon), the castle, together with the city of Brest, was bought in 1240 by the Duke of Brittany, Jean I. In 1341, during the War of Succession, Jean de Montfort hands the castle over to the British.
Neither Du Guesclin in 1373 nor Clisson in 1378 managed to recapture the castle, but in 1397 the Duke of Brittany bought it back from Richard II of England. During the 16th century, Brest is attacked by the members of the League. The governors of the city, supporters of Henry IV, drive off the Spanish armies from the nearby town Camaret in 1594.
Under the reign of Louis XIV, Richelieu decided to turn Brest into the main port of the Royal Navy. Eighty warships and hundreds of smaller ships were allocated there by Colbert, who also created the Seamen’s Register, the Gunnery School, the Sea Guards College and ordered the construction of the Arsenal in 1664. Vauban, who was assigned to fortify the site, completed his work in 1689. The last great naval battle took place in 1694 at Camaret, where the Anglo-Dutch fleet was severely defeated.
During the 18th century, new constructions flourish in the city. The Royal Naval Academy was built in 1752. In 1769, an esplanade overhanging the bay was designed by the architect d’Ajot. Between 1746 and 1784, the engineer Choquet de Lindu lead the alterations made to the Arsenal and the construction of the prison of Brest. Several of the great naval expeditions of the time started from Brest: de Bougainville (1766), de Kerguelen (1773), La Pérouse (1785). Although in favour of the Girondins, Brest was attracted by the new ideas of the Revolution and suffered from many reprisals during the Terreur.
Brest then went through a short period of stagnation until the 1820s, when the budding industrialism infused new life in the city. The Arsenal was modernized and several specialized schools were built during this period.
In 1861, a bridge was finally built between Brest and Recouvrance. The Paris-Brest rail line was opened in 1865 and a commercial port was built outside of the river Penfeld. It was a time of economic and demographic growth for the city of Brest.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the growing activity of trade unions earned Brest the nickname of “Red city”. During the first World War, Brest was used as a landing base for thousands of American soldiers. However, the second World War proved fatal : occupied by the German troops as early as June 1940, the city was later heavily bombed by the Allies. At the end of the war, Brest was in ruins. Over the following years, the city was slowly rebuilt under the supervision of Jean-Baptiste Mathon, and Brest was brought together with the nearby communes of Lambézellec, Saint-Marc and Saint-Pierre Quilbignon.