Fougères

Fougères is a town on the edge of Brittany, Maine and Normandy and named after a fern (see also fougère), or from fous which means fossé ["gap"] (in Brittany and Normandy, a gap is a terrace of land formed by the excavations made on each side of the terrace, and serving as a separation between two properties).

The town of Fougères is mentioned in the chorus of the song La Blanche Hermine by Gilles Servat. The author uses it as a symbol of the Breton resistance where it is adjacent to the town of Clisson in the Loire-Atlantique.

Fougères is historically, since the arrival of Latin in Armorica, a region where Gallo is spoken. In Gallo, Fougères translates to Foujerr while its Breton name is Felger.[3] Entry signs to the agglomeration have carried the Breton name for several years. One of the two bagad of the city takes this name: Bagad Bro Felger and the Diwan school, opened in 2013, is also called Skol Diwan bro Felger.

The presence of many megalithic monuments, particularly in the Forest of Fougères, suggests that the area was already inhabited in the Neolithic era (5000 to 2000 years BC).

Fougères: The walls of the city (lithography by Albert Robida, 1900)

The creation of Fougères dates back to the Middle Ages. The Château de Fougères was first mentioned around the end of the 10th century. At the time, it was a simple wooden fortification located on a rocky ridge, whose position favourably dominated the Nançon Valley and the surrounding marshes. Fougères was at the crossing of two Roman roads, one from Chartres to Carhaix and the other from Avranches to Nantes. From the 12th century, the population moved away from the shore of the Nançon and the city grew in size, divided into two parishes: Saint-Sulpice for the lower town and Saint-Léonard for the upper town. Since the Middle Ages, crafts developed around tannery, weavers and drapers in the lower town.

Built in the 11th century by the Lords of Fougères, the first fortification, defended by Raoul II (1130–1194), was taken by Henry II of England in 1166 and destroyed. Raoul II stubbornly rebuilt a more imposing structure and it became a stronghold defending the borders of Brittany from Mont Saint-Michel to Nantes. However, the geographical position and the interests of the lords of Fougères often tipped in favour of the Kingdom of France. When Raoul III offered its possession to Louis IX of France, the Breton prince Pierre Mauclerc captured the city in 1231, which was re-captured by the king. The daughter of Raoul III, Jeanne de Fougères who married Hugh XII of Lusignan, undertook new fortification work and beautified the city. The end of the 13th century was a period of peace and prosperity for Fougères.

In 1307, Philip IV of France bought the domain but the Kingdom of France was not interested and did not maintain it. After various fights and reversals of alliances, Bertrand du Guesclin entered in 1373, but the situation did not improve. Abandoned and ravaged by pillaging, the population of Fougères requested assistance from the Duchy of Brittany and the town joined the duchy in 1428, sold by John II of Alençon. However, in 1449, a man named François de Surienne, an Aragonese mercenary at the service of the English, captured and sacked the town in an attempt to force Brittany to ally with England. There were many massacres, which caused a reaction from Francis I, Duke of Brittany, determined to get rid of the English. The Duke of Brittany allied with Charles VII of France and attacked the south of Normandy, laying a siege to Fougères. Surienne and his men were, however, able to resist and surrendered on the condition of being able to walk free. This episode announced the Battle of Formigny. Finally, the French general La Trémoille seized Fougères in 1488, during the Mad War.

In the 16th century, the town lost its defensive role. Crafts continued to develop, including the craft of tin (in Rue de la Pinterie). During the Wars of Religion, the town remained Catholic while Vitré was affected by clashes with the Huguenots.

Until 1775, Fougères was barely mentioned. The Marquis de La Rouërie, a young man of high standing, then moved to the United States to fight with American insurgents. Back in France, after having been imprisoned for a month for leading the Breton conspiracy, he was greeted as a hero in his homeland.

The battalion square - Affair of Fougères, 1793, oil on canvas by Julien Le Blant, 1880. Brigham Young University, University of Provo, Utah

During the French Revolution, the province of Brittany disappeared along with its privileges. The first changes were originally welcomed by the population. However, over time the Civil Constitution of the Clergy of the priests and the Levée en masse triggered a rebellion, the Chouannerie. In 1793, during the Virée de Galerne, the Vendéens and Chouans seized the town which was taken a few weeks later by the Republicans. For eight years, the town and its region passed from hand to hand, with many massacres and looting occurring. The leader of the Chouans of the Fougères area was the young general Aimé du Boisguy.

The Organization of the Revolutionary Celebrations reflected a favourable feeling from the population to the new regime:

• The victories of the Republican armies were celebrated, including the Siege of Toulon against the Anglo-royalists[4]
• The feast of 26 messidor (14 July), established in 1794, was celebrated in Fougères[4]
• The anniversary of the execution of Louis XVI, accompanied by an oath of hatred to royalty and anarchy, was celebrated (from 1795)[5]
• Other Republican festivals followed, such as the anniversary of the Republic up to the year VIII (22 September, 1 Vendémiaire),[6] the celebration of youth (10 Germinal, on 30 March),[7] and the Festival of Recognition (the 10 prairial)[8] or the Festival of Agriculture (the 10 messidor).[8]

Fougères: The Saint-Sulpice Gate (lithography by Albert Robida, 1900)

Little by little, industry replaced crafts and Fougères saw the establishment of shoe manufacturers. In the winter of 1906–07, workers went on strike in the shoe factories and in response, managers organised a lockout. Solidarity was very strong in the city ("Communist" soups to feed the strikers without family income) but also beyond: Children were welcomed by Rennes and Parisian families during conflicts. Jean Jaurès came to Fougères to support the movement.

Statue of the general Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière

Glassware production also existed in the Fougères area since the arrival of Italian glass masters in the 16th and 17th centuries. The installation of this industry is explained by the presence of a sandy soil (sand being the main component of glass), a forest (since sand needs to be melt) and ferns (soda-rich plants). A glass factory existed on the outskirts of the town (Laignelet) which flourished in the 19th century. However, following social demands in 1921, religious unionism was mobilised and a new Fougères glass factory: La Cristallerie Fougeraise, was founded by Abbot Bridel, as well as a working town later in 1922, designed by the architect Hyacinthe Perrin, to accommodate staff.

The 20th century was marked by the terrible British and American bombing of 8 June 1944, during Operation Overlord, which killed 300 people, injured twice as many, and destroyed most of the public and industrial facilities.[9] Since then, the town has largely been open to tourism, thanks to its medieval castle and its historic districts. From the 1970s, industry has been diverse: Food processing, furniture, mechanical, glass, electronics, computing, and robotics. Fougères also organises an important cattle market.

640 names are engraved in a monument to commemorate the death of soldiers from Fougères that fought for France during World War I. Fougères also welcomed many war wounded soldiers in its hospital and the monument mention 148 additional names of soldiers that died in Fougères but were not originating from the city.

On 11 July 2013, Fougères hosted the Tour de France as a departure town. When the Tour de France returned on 10 July 2015, Fougères was the finish town for stage 7 (Livarot-Fougères). It was a stage victory for the British cyclist Mark Cavendish. Cyclism came back to the town on 4 July 2016, where Fougères was a race-through town in the stage Granville-Angers.[10]

Fougères is also one of the control points for the Paris–Brest–Paris (PBP) bicycle event. PBP is an ultra-marathon event where cyclists are expected to complete the 1,200 km (746 miles) course in under 90 hours, and occurs the year before a Summer Olympic year. Fougères is a control point both out bound to Brest as well as back to Paris

Château de Fougères

Fougères' most visited attraction is the Château de Fougères, a medieval stronghold built atop a granite ledge, which was part of the Duchy of Brittany's ultimately unsuccessful defence against French aggression, and part of a tripartite with Vitré.

A general view of the château

The castle is one of the most impressive French castles, occupying an area of 2 hectares (4.9 acres), or even for some "the largest medieval fortress of Europe."[12] It consists of three enclosures whose walls have been preserved. If the seigniorial is ruined, the thirteen towers still rise with majesty. Some can be visited (the Hallay Tower and Tower of the Hague (12th century), Raoul Tower (15th century) and the Mélusine Tower). At the entrance, is a triple watermill. Access to the west curtain wall allows observation of the upper town (48°21′13″N 1°12′34″W).

The castle and its surroundings has been classified as a historic monument by list of 1862, by order of 4 July 1928 and by order of 26 February 1953.[13]

A postage stamp representing the castle was issued on 18 January 1960.

The belfry

This was the first to be built in Brittany, in 1397, and also one of only three belfries in Brittany. The location serves as the centre of the weekend market. It symbolised the dynamism of a small-scale civil society seeking independence. Funded by local merchants, it allowed ordinary people access to timekeeping, previously the preserve of the church and nobility. Its architecture was inspired by the Flemish models which the drapers of Fougères discovered during their travels in Flanders. Engraved on the Bell is the inscription: In 1397 the market town of Fougères made me and my name is Roland Chapelle.

The belfry was classified as a historical monument by Decree of 1 September 1922.[14]

The Notre-Dame Gate, to the west of the town

A sizable section of the town wall survives, stretching from the château in the lower town, up the hill to surround the upper town. Medieval citizens in the lower town were outside the fortifications and had to retreat into the fortress in times of trouble. The gate of the 15th century[15] with a double drawbridge presents many defenses including moats, embrasures, machicolations, etc., and a protective Virgin turned outwards. It is the only fortified town gate which is left.

The Notre-Dame Gate was listed a historical monument by Decree of 9 December 1946, with the south and west of the city walls.[16]

The Church of Saint-Sulpice was classified as a historical monument by Decree of 26 September 1910.[17] There are two remarkable medieval altarpieces of monumental granite with carved decoration: The altarpiece of the Tanners and the altarpiece of Notre-Dame-des-Marais.

The church was listed a historical monument by Decree of 15 March 1949.[18] Located at the top of the upper town, it offers a panoramic view of the city.

• 
  The Church of Saint-Léonard at Fougères
• 
  The Church of Saint-Léonard, north side
• 
  Stained-glass windows of the Church of Saint-Léonard

• 
  Façade of the town hall
• 
  The museum of Emmanuel-de-la-Villéon
• 
  The convent of the Clarisses Urbanists
• 
  Belinaye Hotel
• 
  Façade of the municipal theatre

• The town hall was built in the 15th century. It was listed by order of 14 October 1926.
• The Emmanuel-de-la-Villéon Museum; house porch built in the 16th century near the Saint-Léonard Church. It has been listed by order of 13 May 1929.
• The former Convent of the Clarisses planners, built in 1680 and partly destroyed by fire in 1794, now houses a cultural centre after being used as a prison and then as barracks. Scored by order of 15 July 1965.
• The Hôtel de la Belinaye, built in 1740, is the birthplace of the marquis Armand Tuffin de La Rouërie. It now houses the city court. Its front garden was listed by order of 3 February 1928.
• The Victor-Hugo theatre, one of the last Italian theatres, built in 1888 by Jean-Marie Laloy, listed by order of 1 June 1988; its façade was ranked by order of 1 March 1990.

The Tower of Papegaud, place where the plot of the novel Les Chouans by de Balzac unravels.

Convent of the clarisses urbanists of Fougères

• Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Rillé. It was originally a collegiate church of Augustinian regular canons. It was founded in 1143 and in the seventeenth century became the Abbey of Sainte-Geneviève. It was rebuilt once between 1724 and 1750, and again in the 19th century. Of the former building, visible in its entirety on the 1756 plan, it remains the only stair tower topped by an imperial roof.
• Crystal glass factory built in 1922 by architect Hyacinthe Perrin, restored, now houses administrative buildings.
• Church Notre-Dame-de-Bonabry of Fougères.
• Saint-Brice hotel
• Hotel Marigny

Fougères is situated in the Cadomian chain. The oldest buildings use readily available stone: la cornéenne. A metamorphic rock, difficult to cut and of very different appearance, it is very solid. Later came the use of Louvigné granite, which is more homogeneous. Most of the buildings of the town are built with these local materials. It took the arrival of the railway to import other stones (late 19th century). In military strategy, note that the castle is not on high, but on a deposit of la cornéenne, which prevents the risk of attacks by mining and from underground.

Fougères is situated:

• 330 kilometres (210 mi) from Paris
• 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Rennes
• 58 kilometres (36 mi) from Mont-Saint-Michel
• 81 kilometres (50 mi) from Saint-Malo
• 290 kilometres (180 mi) from Brest
• 140 kilometres (87 mi) from Nantes
• 149 kilometres (93 mi) from Caen
• 130 kilometres (81 mi) from Angers
• 54 kilometres (34 mi) from Laval
• 52 kilometres (32 mi) from Avranches
• 111 kilometres (69 mi) from Alençon

Fougères is twinned with:

• Ashford, Kent, United Kingdom[20] since 1984
• Bad Münstereifel, Germany, since 1967

These two towns have also been paired together since 1964.

• Ouargaye, Burkina Faso
• Somoto, Nicaragua
• Śrem, Poland

In Fougères, five councils of quarters have been implemented:

• Centre-ville - Urbanistes
• Forairie - Cotterêts
• Paron-Orieres - Écartelée - Bonabry
• Montaubert - Rillé - Saint-Sulpice
• Madeleine - Sermandiere - Chattiere

• The public garden: Located in the upper town, it offers a remarkable panoramic view of the town, overlooking the castle and the medieval quarter around Saint-Sulpice church.
• The Val Nançon: A landscaped garden which offers many ambiances to be discovered and measured. An exhibition of contemporary works including L'Œuvre à la Vie of Louis-Marie Catta has been present since 2000.
• The Orières Park: Extended more than 4 hectares (9.9 acres), the stream of Groslay joins a small pond and a playground. There is also a sporting course.
• René-Gallais Park: In front of the Juliette Drouet cultural centre.

The Val Nançon

• La carrière du Rocher Coupé [the quarry of cut rock], nicknamed the Carrière de Californie [California Quarry], is an exceptional place to walk near the castle. A lake now replaces the former corneal shale operation which ran until 1999 and was acquired from the town. At 60 metres (200 ft) depth, the lake is more a place of underwater diving training.
• Pedestrian paths marked out on the ground, allow for the discovery of the upper and the lower town, as well as its many monuments. The walk along the old railway, from the bridge of the slaughterhouse, leads to the forest of Fougères.

A view of the public garden and the Church of Saint-Léonard

The public garden

Fougères participates in the contest of flowery cities and villages and has the label of four flowers (220 cities rewarded in France) and five in Ille-et-Vilaine for the quality of its planning and management of the landscaped areas. The signs are located at all entrances of the city.

A Fougères roundabout

Fougères is also served by the Illenoo interurban network.

• Route 9a Rennes <> Liffré <> Fougères
• Route 13 Fougères <> Vitré
• Route 17b Fougères <> Pontorson
• Route 18 Fougères <> Louvigné-du-Désert <> Saint-Georges-de-Reintembault

Surf-branded bus

Fougères is served by the A84 autoroute linking Caen to Rennes.

Since the cessation of regular passenger traffic between Fougères and Vitré in 1972, only freight and some special trains continued to circulate until 1991, when Fougères station closed. Subsequently, the building served as an SNCF point of sale, until its demolition in 2001 to make way for a shopping complex in the town centre.

For some time, the idea of the return of trains to Fougères has risen in some minds, but eluded most of the local elected representatives.[25]

The town has numerous municipal sports facilities to allow the people to practice their sport in the best possible conditions:

• Paron Sports Complex: Football fields and gymnasium
• Jean-Manfredi Sports Complex (Paron South): Football pitches, rugby, athletics track, velodrome, golf driving range, skating rings, tennis courts
• Berthelot Municipal Stadium: Football field
• Justy-Speker Gymnasium
• Madeleine Stadium: football pitch and athletics track
• The Cotterêts multi-sport gymnasium
• The Chattière Sports Centre gymnasium

Other complementing facilities:

• Aquatis aquatic centre, Fougères community, inaugurated in May 2010: sports pool and ditch diving (Interior) and fun (Interior and exterior), aquaboggan, jacuzzi, Turkish bath, sauna, water games.
• Chênedet outdoor base (Fougères community) on the edge of the forest of Fougères, on the road to Louvigné-du-désert
• CRAPA (Rustic Circuit of physical activity) in Chenedet, near the pond

Private sports centres also exist:

• Montaubert equestrian centre
• Dojo of the Pays de Fougères
• Fougerais Tennis Club
• Salle de l'Espérance
• Shooting range

• AGL-Drapeau Football (since September 2011) is a new club born from the fusion of two historic associations of the town.[27]
  • AGL Football (until May 2011) which has been organising the Mondialito (mini World Cup bringing together 32 clubs from Brittany and neighbouring departments). These 32 clubs accounted for a weekend the 32 nations qualified for the world in Germany. They have also, for the occasion, worn the complete outfit of the country, offered by the AGL Football.
  • Le Drapeau Football (until May 2011)
• AGL Handball
• Pays de Fougères Basket basketball club
• Espérance Fougères Tennis & Tennis Club fougerais (TCF)
• Fougères Volley Ball
• Fougerais swimming club and water polo since the 1970s
• Fougères Rugby-Club-AGL
• BCPF Badminton Club of the Pays de Fougères
• Vigilant Fougères athletics
• ASPTT Fougères athletics

Each year the town of Fougères invites four nations to participate in a basketball tournament. This tournament concerns U17 (under 17 years old) or U16 (under 16) female competitors. For three nights (Thursday, Friday and Saturday), each nation competes. In addition to the matches, a 3-point contest is held where the basketball players from each nation must score as many 3-point baskets as possible.

After three matches, the player who has scored the most points is titled "best scorer of the tournament".

The first tournament was in 1993, won by Russia. France has had the most wins (7) ahead of Russia (6) and Australia (3).

L'association de formation et d'animation populaire [The association of training and popular animation] - or AFAP - is an association created in 1976 whose objective is "to bring together persons wishing to experience and develop traditional cultures in the pays de Fougères (music, dance and singing)." With nearly 200 members, it annually organises the Froger-Ferron prize,[28] whose 25th anniversary in 2011 was marked by the presence of Graeme Allwright.

The Bagad Bro Felger during the big parade of the Festival interceltique de Lorient in 2012, arriving in the Moustoir Stadium.

The Bagad Bro Felger is an ensemble of traditional Breton music from the lands of Fougères, created in the autumn of 2002 at Fougères. A member of the Bodadeg ar Sonerion federation, it currently competes in 2nd category of the national championship of the bagadou and is present at many festivals in France.

Still active to date,[29] it is the first bagad of the town and one of the first of Brittany, created in 1954, it quickly took the name of Raoul II in honour of the founder of the town of Fougeres.[30]

A Diwan school was opened in September 2013, where 14 children are enrolled,[31] or 0.7% of the commune's primary schoolchildren.[32]

Every year in July, the Festival des Voix de Pays [Festival of the Country Voices] is held within the walls of the castle, organized by the Juliette-Drouet de Fougères Community cultural centre. This event has taken place for more than twenty years,

• 
  Luc Urbain du Bouëxic de Guichen
• 
  Armand Tuffin de La Rouërie
• 
  François René Jean de Pommereul
• 
  Gilbert de Pommereul
• 
  Aimé Picquet du Boisguy
• 
  Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière
• 
  Juliette Drouet
• 
  Thérèse Pierre

• Eolia, mummy
• Hardouin de Chartres, intellectual and Breton professor, conducted a school in the 11th century.
• Yves Bachelot (1700–1779), religious.
• Luc Urbain de Bouëxic, comte de Guichen (1712–1790), lieutenant general of the naval armies under Louis XV and Louis XVI.
• Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouërie, known as "Colonel Armand" (1751–1793), general of the army during the American War of Independence, head of the Breton Association under the French Revolution.
• Julien-Jean-François Loysel (born 1751), magistrate and politician.
• Thérèse de Moëlien Trojolif (1759–1793), cousin of La Rouërie, Member of the Breton Association.
• Aimé Picquet du Boisguy (1776–1839), general of the Chouans of Fougères and Vitré, Maréchal de camp under the Restoration.
• Louis Picquet du Boisguy (1774–1804), Chouan officer, brother of the former.
• Guy Picquet du Boisguy (1772–1795), Chouan officer, brother of previous.
• Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière (1759–1812): general and baron of the Empire, inspector-general of artillery under the First Empire.
• François René Jean de Pommereul (1745–1823): general and baron of the Empire, prefect of Indre-et-Loire, then prefect of Nord under the First Empire.
• Gilbert de Pommereul (1774–1860), general of the Empire, son of the former.
• Jean-Marie Bachelot La Pylaie (1786–1856), botanist and explorer.
• Juliette Drouet (1806–1883), actress, mistress of Victor Hugo. She gave her name to the Juliette-Drouet cultural centre.[37]
• Hyacinthe du Pontavice de Heussey (1814–1876), poet.
• Pierre Heude (1836–1902), zoologist.
• Jean-Marie Laloy (1851–1927), architect.
• Eugène Filâtre de Longchamps (1852–1927), magistrate, vice-président of the Mixed Courts of Alexandria, Egypt 1884-1902.
• Emmanuel Auguste Victor Marie de La Villéon (1858–1944), painter.
• Lucien Haudebert (1877–1963), composer
• The Abbé Louis Bridel (1880–1933).
• Georges Le Rumeur (1882–1941), nationalist Breton and Breton language poet.
• Constant Duclos (1885–1962), first French military parachutist.
• Jean Guéhenno (1890–1978), writer, journalist and academic. He has given his name to two public schools.[38]
• Théophile Briant (1891–1956), poet.
• Charles Berthelot (1901–1940), professional football player.
• Thérèse Pierre (1908–1943), resistant, responsible for the Arrondissement of Fougères where it participated actively in the Organization of the FTP, she was captured by the Gestapo and killed at the Jacques-Cartier Prison in Rennes. A public college bears her name in Fougères.
• Georges Franju (1912–1987), filmmaker and director.
• Yak Rivais (born 1939), author of children's literature.
• Philippe Nogrix (born 1942), politician.
• Christian Georgeault (born 1955), Breton independence of Emgann.
• Bruno Bertin (born in 1963), comic writer and artist.
• Pascale Fonteneau (born 1963), journalist and novelist.
• Hervé Coudray (born in 1965), basketball coach.
• Laurent Huard (born 1973), former professional football player for Stade Rennais, AS Saint-Étienne and CS Sedan Ardennes. He is now a coach at Stade Rennais training centre.
• Samuel Buquet (born 1976), illustrator.
• Laurent Despas (born 1977), journalist, founder of the Pan-African media Koaci.com.
• Frédéric Molas (born 1982), creator and star of the Joueur du Grenier YouTube web series
• Fabien Lemoine (born 1987), professional football player trained at Stade Rennais, evolving from 2011 at AS Saint-Étienne.

• François-René de Chateaubriand: he often came to Fougères where one of his sisters lived. He did not keep a very good memory of the place:

At my sisters, the province was in the middle of the fields. We went dancing neighbours as neighbours, playing the comedy which I was sometimes a bad actor. In winter, it was necessary to suffer the small town society at Fougères, dances, meetings, dinners.

— François-René de Chateaubriand

• Balzac: After having discovered Fougères in 1828, he wrote the novel Les Chouans. (Read the novel in French on Wikisource). A hotel on Rue Nationale bears his name.
• Victor Hugo stayed in Fougères with his mistress Juliette Drouet in June 1836.