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Lamballe |
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Lamballe
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Location within Brittany region
Lamballe
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Brittany |
| Department | Côtes-d'Armor |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Brieuc |
| Canton | Lamballe |
| Intercommunality | Lamballe Communauté |
| Mayor | Loïc Cauret (2001–2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 37–131 m (121–430 ft) |
| Land area1 | 76.29 km2 (29.46 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 11,705 (2008) |
| - Density | 153 /km2 (400 /sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 22093/ 22400 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Lamballe (Breton: Lambal, Gallo: Lanball) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France.
It lies on the Gouessant 13 miles (21 km) east-southeast of Saint-Brieuc by rail.
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Lamballe was the capital of the territory of the counts of Penthièvre, who in 1569 were made dukes.
La Noue, the famous Huguenot leader, was mortally wounded in 1591 in the siege of the castle, which was dismantled in 1626 by Richelieu. The last Duke of Penthièvre granted his son Louis the title Prince of Lamballe. The Prince de Lamballe married Marie Therese de Savoie-Carignan and she took the title Princesse de Lamballe. The Princesse lived with her father-in-law after the early death of her husband. She was a close friend of Queen Marie Antoinette and one of the most famous victims of the French Revolution.
Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouerie, hero of the American war of independence, died near Lamballe in 1793.
Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet's father was a Lamballe native of Breton descent.
| Year | 1793 | 1800 | 1806 | 1821 | 1831 | 1836 | 1841 | 1846 | 1851 | 1856 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 3907 | 4402 | 3873 | 4253 | 4390 | 4396 | 4206 | 4212 | 4187 | 4092 |
| Year | 1861 | 1866 | 1872 | 1876 | 1881 | 1886 | 1891 | 1896 | 1901 | 1906 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 4256 | 4151 | 4295 | 4255 | 4515 | 4429 | 4529 | 4531 | 4391 | 4562 |
| Year | 1911 | 1921 | 1926 | 1931 | 1936 | 1946 | 1954 | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 4528 | 4460 | 4708 | 4775 | 5048 | 5646 | 5641 | 5069 | 5075 | 9330 |
| Year | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 9452 | 9894 | 10,563 | 11,705 |
Inhabitants of Lamballe are called lamballais.
As of the census of 1999, the town has a population of 10,563. The population in 1906 was 4,347.
Crowning the eminence on which the town is built is a beautiful Gothic church (13th and 14th centuries), once the chapel of the castle of the counts of Penthièvre.
Of the other buildings, the church of St Martin (11th, 16th and 16th centuries) is the chief.
Lamballe has an important haras (depôt for stallions) and carries on trade in grain, tanning and leather-dressing; earthenware is manufactured in the environs.
The town of Lamballe is noted for its exceptional weekly market. Although held on Thursday mornings only, this market is known as one of France's finest, with people travelling from far and wide to visit it and to enjoy its gastronomic delights. According to locals, something that must be tried here is a local speciality of gallettes with sausages, apparently irresistibly delicious, and also the Breton buckwheat pancakes (crêpes), cider and seafood for which the area is famed.