Groix

The island of Groix , (Enez Groe into Breton unified and Iniz Groe vannetais some) is a common Breton of the department of the Morbihan (French Republic). It is on the southern part of the Brittany, in the west of Belle-Île, in the ocean Atlantique opposite Lorient. It constitutes the canton of Groix as well as a commune (common of the Island of Groix). It is accessible by boat at the beginning from Lorient and Port-Louis

Its inhabitants is called Groisillon () S . One gives them also the pleasant name of Greks , Groisillonnes having formerly always a coffee machine ( grek into Breton) on fire to heat the fishermen of the family on their return.

Geography

Groix is the second island of Brittany by the surface. Long and broad of 3 (to the maximum), it 7 kilometers is composed primarily of a plate of Micaschiste, high from 40 to 50 meters, notched by many small valleys or bordered of abrupt cliffs dug of caves.

In Groix, the rocks kept the memory of the deformations of planet: blue schists and red beaches tell mists of time. It is a large geological museum in the open air.

Groix conceals geological characteristics of such an interest that a baptized geological natural reserve “François the Lease” was created, in 1982, on its east coasts and south: Groix has more than 60 mineral species, of which the very rare blue Glaucophane, which levels here with the free air, the epidote and the Grenat. Glaucophane and epidote are ores born several million years ago under the action of the overlapping of the terrestrial plates. Groix mainly made up of Micaschiste S (with garnet and glaucophane) is tinted of red and blue by its components.

Large Sands

The principal beach - Large Sands - offers several exceptional aspects: She is convex, she moves very quickly and she consists of two sands of different colors.

Its convex form is due to two marine currents, one coming from the North-West, the other of south-west, which skirt the island on its two coasts north and south and which drossent sands at their point of meeting. This one evolving/moving according to the relative power of a current compared to the other, the beach moves. Its old comings and goings are documented. Since the storms of 1987 and especially since 1994, Large Sands strongly moved towards the North-West, passing even to the north of the point of the Cross. Its flashback, with less than one reinforcement of the current of the North-West, is improbable from now on. If it always progressed towards the west, one could fear that it ensable Port-Tudy, the main port of Groix.

Fauna and flora, Ecology

There is with Groix neither snake nor fox, but clamping plates are found - rare on the islands - of which the name norrois " gro" could be at the origin of the name Groix.

The grounds of the batteries of Grognon are managed by the Conservatoire littoral.

History

One culturally divided Groix into two: in the Piwisy west (to pronounce puisi) of speaking cornouaillais, in the east Primiture (to pronounce prumtur) of speaking vannetais. But the island divided forever into two parishes and forms only one commune. The religious services were ensured by the insular clergy and the monks Bénédictins of the Holy-Cross abbey of Quimperlé.

Perhaps the invasions Normans will leave with Groix on the one hand its name, but more surely a tomb Viking with incinerated boat whose Tumulus (17 meters diameter) was excavated and destroyed in 1906. This 14 meters length boat contained the bones of a chief, a person of his entourage, a dog and birds. She contained also many weapons of all types (swords, shield-bulwark, axe, lance, arrows, knife) and board games.

Groix belonged to Kemenet-Heboe, Machtiernat then centered seigniory with Hennebont, which will pass then to the family of Rohan, until the Révolution.

Warlike history

The existence of ditch defensive and palisades with Kervedan (locality of the “camp of the Romans”) indicates possible fights against invaders come from the outside of the island as of the age of iron.
At the 17th century, Groix was the subject periodically of plunderings and attacks of all kinds, mainly on behalf of the English and Dutch navy. In spite of the creation of the town of Lorient and Company of the Indies, it is necessary to await 1744 so that a first defensive structure is built on the island. Several others will follow, until the German occupation during the Second world war:

Fort-surville (Point of the Cross): built in 1744, aggrandi in 1846,
Extremely of Bas-grognon: built in 1744, modified into 1761,1848 and 1893,
Extremely of Haut-grognon: built of 1878 to 1881,
Battery of Gripp: built in 1744, modified in 1847,
Battery of Nosterven: built in 1744, modified in 1846,
Redoute of the point of the Cats: built in 1757, modified in 1761,
Battery of Carried out: built between 1901 and 1903,
Seydlitz Battery: built by the German army in 1944.
Atlantic Wall: on the whole, 28 concreted works distributed on 25 sites, built by the German army.

Certain constructions disappeared today:

Battery of Spernec: built with the 18th century,
Redoute de Porh-Costic: built in 1761,
Battery of Guava: built in 1761,
Redoute de Penennès: built in 1761,
Redoute de Porh-Polière: built in 1761,
Redoute of the Fountain of Large-Sands: built in 1761.

18th and 19th centuries, the range of the guns does not make it possible to reach the boats sailing in Coureaux. At most make it possible they to defend the boats wetting safe from the island. The defense works thus played a minor part in the Bataille of Groix which opposed on June 23rd, 1795 the fleets French and English.

Being a strategic place, Groix for a long time sheltered an important stock of Munition S in particular with the place which still bears the name of “Kermunition” , which sheltered in 1906 16 houses where 21 households placed (89 people on the whole), and which in the years 2000 fact the object of a new project of allotment and road.

Near the island of many stocks of ammunition was thrown at sea between 1914 and the years 1970, which one can fear that they release little by little their toxic contents (of which the mercury of mercury the Fulminate of the Amorce S.

Administration

Demography

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Groix knew its demographic maximum with the day before of the First World War. The density of the population on the island reached then 393 hab/km ² density much higher than that of the continent at the same time (density of Morbihan: 84 hab/km ²).

Famous characters

Yann-Ber Kalloc' H, poet of Breton language (1888-1917-), name of birth Jean-Pierre Calloc' H: the Bleimor bard.
Guillaume Proteau (1772-1837), marine groisillon become general of the Large army.
the storyteller Lucien Gourong.
Alain Stephant says Beudeff, owner of the famous bar eponyme, deceased on November 11th, 2007

Tourist monuments and places

Houses of fishermen of the 19th century in the hamlets.
Headlight S of PEN Men and the point of the Cats.
Church Saint-Tudy (19th century) with the Borough. This church is the only church of France to have like Girouette a Thon in place of the cock or arrow, whose legend would like that these is Korrigan S which would have made of it gift with the fishermen of the island
Four Vaults:

the Trinity (19th century) with the Borough,
Saint-Léonard (18th century) in Quelhuit,
Notre-Dame de Calméan (18th century) with the Carried out,
Notre-Dame of Place-Manec (19th century) to Locmaria.

Laundrette S and fountains: There are approximately 30 laundrettes and fountains on the Public domain.
Megalith S (Menhirs, like the large menhir of Kermario and dolmens).
prehistoric Camp of Kervédan (known as Camp of Gallic).
Écomusée of the island of Groix
Cave with the Sheep
Hole of the Hell.
Hole of the Thunder.
Saint Nicolas's Day Port.

Burial Viking

An excavation undertaken in 1906 and which required eight day's works allowed the discovery of a carbonized surface of a Scandinavian burial by incineration in and with a boat. Part of space on which the remainders of roughing-hew had been wide was removed by the sea. What was collected:

of the human bones as well as the bones of a dog and some birds
remainders of a boat characterized by special rivets.
two Vase S in Bronze, an iron sheet pot
21 umbos of Shield S
two sword S with two edges, a Snap of sleeve of sword, two Axe S, three Lance S, eight Arrow S and a Knife
a stone to be sharpened, a Anvil, a hammer, a Clipper, a wick with spoon, two Punches, two tools of unspecified use
a Ring out of gold, scraps of the coating of wire ofa woven gold fabric, two Staples S, a Button, a braid, small silver pearls, a button out of plated bronze iron

a head bronzes

the trimming iron, silver and bronzes of it of a collar of horse or a saddle - an iron chain - some other objects of unspecified use.

Only some elements visible with are écomusée today of Groix.

Culture

the island lodges the International festival of Insular Film, since August 2001.
Ecomusée de Groix

Education

School Tudy Saint, Holy college Tudy school of the Trinity, college of the islands of the West.

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