Dinan

On the banks of the Rance River

Its geographical setting is exceptional. Instead of nestling on the valley floor like Morlaix, most urban development has been on the hillside, overlooking the river Rance. The area alongside the River Rance is known as the port of Dinan and is connected to the town by the steep streets Rue Jerzual and its continuation outside the walls the Rue de Petit Fort. This river has moderate turbidity and its brownish water is somewhat low in velocity due to the slight gradient of the watercourse; pH levels have been measured at 8.13[3] within the city of Dinan and electrical conductivity of the waters have tested at 33 micro-siemens per centimetre. In the centre of Dinan the Rance summer flows are typically in the range of 500 cubic feet per second (14 m³/s).

For many years, the bridge over the River Rance at Dinan was the most northerly crossing point on the river, but the tidal power station at the mouth of the estuary, constructed in the 1960s downstream from Dinan, incorporates a 750-metre long tidal barrage which doubles as a crossing point nearer to the sea.

Inhabitants of Dinan are called dinannais and dinannaises.

Basilica of St Saviour

HIC MILITES WILLELMI DUCIS PUGNANT CONTRA DINANTES ("Here the knights of Duke William fight against the men of Dinan"). Scene from the Bayeux Tapestry, c.1066, showing the early castle of Dinan

ET CUNAN CLAVES PORREXIT ("and Conan passed out the keys"). Successive scene

The medieval town on the hilltop has many fine old buildings, some of which date from the 13th century. The town retains a large section of the city walls, part of which can be walked round.

Major historical attractions include the Jacobins Theatre dating from 1224, the flamboyant Gothic St Malo's Church, the Romanesque St Saviour's Basilica, Duchess Anne's Tower and the Château de Dinan.

A major highlight in the calendar is Dinan's Fête des Remparts. The town is transformed with decoration and many locals dress up in medieval garb for this two-day festival. The festival takes place over the third weekend in July every even-numbered year.

In 2008, 4.97% of primary school children attended bilingual schools.[4]

Prominent people born in Dinan include:

• Charles Beslay (1795–1878), member of the Council of the Paris Commune
• Théodore Botrel (1868–1925), poet and singer
• Maurice Colbourne (1939–1989), actor
• Yves Guyot (1843–1928), politician and economist
• Myrdhin (1950– ), real name Rémi Chauvet, harpist and poet
• Auguste Pavie (1847–1925), explorer and diplomat
• Charles Pinot Duclos (1704–1772), author
• Pierre de Porcaro (1904–1945), Catholic priest and prisoner-of-war
• Jean Rochefort (1930–2017 ), actor
• Da Silva (1976–), singer
• Yann Benoist, musician,(1951–)

Other people associated with Dinan include:

• François-René de Chateaubriand (1768–1848), writer, studied in Dinan
• Bertrand du Guesclin (c1320-80), connétable of France. Born at nearby Broons. His heart is buried in Dinan.
• John Everett Millais (1829–96), British painter who lived in Dinan as a child
• Yvonne Jean-Haffen (1895–1993), painter, died in Dinan
• Danielle Mitterrand (1924–2011), wife of President François Mitterrand, educated at the Roger Vercel college
• Colonel Robert Jambon (1924/5-2011), soldier in the First Indochina War, died in Dinan
• Jean-François Paillard (1928– ), conductor, educated at the Cordeliers de Dinan
• Henri Pinault (1904–1987), Catholic Bishop of Chengdu, educated at the Cordeliers de Dinan
• René Pleven, (1901–1993), politician, minister, essayist. The hospital in Dinan is named after him.
• Horace Tuck (1876–1951), English painter, visited Dinan for its picturesque vistas
• Roger Vercel (1894–1957), writer, winner of the Prix Goncourt in 1934, died in Dinan. A college in the town is named after him.
• Edward Matthew Ward (1816–1879), English artist who painted views of Dinan
• The Soft Boys, (1983–present), Boyband, Fashionistas

• 
  The Rue du Jerzual is a steep medieval street connecting Dinan to the river below.
• 
  Statue of Bertrand Du Guesclin.
• 
  Saint Saviour's Basilica,
  The main altar.
• 
  Saint Malo's Church,
  Font carried by the Demon.
• 
  Saint Malo's Church,
  Entrance of Anne of Brittany.
• 
  Saint Malo's Church,
  Transfer of Saint Malo's relics.

Dinan Port on the Rance River

Panorama from the belvedere of the Jardin Anglais (English garden)

Dinan is twinned with:

• Dinant, Belgium
• Exmouth, United Kingdom
• Lugo, Spain

• Communes of the Côtes-d'Armor department

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dinan.

• (in French) Town council website
• Dinan Basilica Image
• Base Mérimée: Search for heritage in the commune, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)