Locmariaquer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Commune of Locmariaquer

Menhir in Locmariaquer
Location
Longitude 02°56'39" W
Latitude 47°34'12" N
Administration
Country France
Region Bretagne
Department Morbihan
Arrondissement Lorient
Canton Auray
Intercommunality Communauté de communes des Trois Rivières
Mayor Michel Jeannot
(? - 2008)
Statistics
Altitude 0 m–19 m
(avg. 16 m)
Land area¹ 1.99 km²
Population²
(1999)
1,367
 - Density (1999) 687/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code 56116/ 56740
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 mi² or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).
France

Locmariaquer is a village and commune of western France, on the western shore of the Gulf of Morbihan, in the département of Morbihan, 8.5 miles south of Auray by road.

Contents

[edit] Sights

Roman remains are to be seen, but the place owes its celebrity to the megalithic monuments in the vicinity, some of which are among the largest extant.

[edit] Le grand menhir brisé

The menhir of Men-er-Hoeck (fairy stone), generally known as le grand menhir brisé (the great broken menhir) was broken into four pieces by an earthquake in 1722. It previously measured about 22 metres (67 ft.) in height, and from 3-4 metres (9 to 13 ft.) in thickness, weighing 347 tonnes. [1]It is thought to be the heaviest object ever moved by humans without powered machinery.

Certain stones in Locmariaquer have a connection with the Carnac Stones, either by having been transported from there, or possibly forming one larger astronomical structure. This latter theory is heavily disputed, however.

[edit] Economy

Locmariaquer has a small port, and oyster culture is carried on close to it.

[edit] See also

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[edit] References

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ http://france-for-visitors.com/brittany/south/locmariaquer.html