La Roche-Bernard

La Roche-Bernard

Ar Roc'h-Bernez
La Roche-Bernard Ar Roc'h-Bernez
Commune
	A street of La Roche-Bernard
	Coat of arms
	Location of La Roche-Bernard
	La Roche-Bernard La Roche-Bernard
	Coordinates: 47°31′08″N 2°17′51″W / 47.5189°N 2.2975°W
Country	France
Region	Brittany
Department	Morbihan
Arrondissement	Vannes
Canton	Muzillac
Intercommunality	Arc Sud Bretagne
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Bruno Le Borgne
Area 1	0.43 km2 (0.17 sq mi)
Population (2022)	720
• Density	1,700/km2 (4,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	56195 /56130
Elevation	0–58 m (0–190 ft)
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

La Roche-Bernard (French pronunciation: [la ʁɔʃ bɛʁnaʁ]; Breton: Ar Roc'h-Bernez) is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.^[3] Inhabitants of La Roche-Bernard are called in French Rochois for men and Rochoises for women.

Forming a part of Petites Cités de Caractère, a quality label, the town is known for its marina along the waterfront of the river named Vilaine and also for its old area.

Geography

The town is located on the south part of Morbihan in Brittany.

History

Middle Ages

The town was founded in 919 by a Viking chief named Bern-hart. He understood the interest of this strategic defensive place and he decided to fortify the area and settle here. His successors swore allegiance to the duke of Brittany.

During the 1341–1365 War of Succession, the baron decided to help Charles de Blois but at the end of the war, and after Charles de Blois's death, Jean de Montfort decided to destroy his castle.

Modern times

In the 19th century, the town become an important dock with an apogee between 1880 and 1890 but the economic activity decreased quickly with the development of railway.

Today, La Roche-Bernard is a thriving yachting port with over five hundred private pleasure craft.