Montfort-sur-MeuThe unexpected Small City of Character

Montfort-sur-Meu

At two steps from the Breton capital, Montfort-sur-Meu has preserved cobbled streets, timber-framed houses, purple shale residences and medieval remains of the castle… Stroll through the streets, open your eyes and observe… You will travel between history and modernity!”

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Travelers' photos

A COLORED CITY OF THE MIDDLE EARTH

The city is distinguished by its buildings constructed of purple stone. The wine-colored buildings constitute its architectural identity and the city and its surroundings have the qualifier of “purple country”. Called Montfort stone, but also poudingue, it was extracted in quarries near the city in the heart of the forest.

Don’t miss a walk in the city center and discover the alleys dating from the Middle Ages. The oldest street, rue de la Saulnerie, was dedicated to the trade of “gros et menu sel”. It still has some beautiful houses made of purple schist and preserves today the facades of the shops as they were in the 19th and 20th centuries. Some buildings even date back to the 16th century for the oldest.

HISTORY BY THE WATER

The history of Montfort is closely linked to the two rivers that cross the city: the Meu and the Garun. The town has developed thanks to its waterways.

Indeed, the banks of the Meu were the first “industrial zone” of the city as early as the Middle Ages with the establishment of several mills as well as tanneries that operated until the 1960s.

The tanning mills were used to tan the skins produced in the tanneries thanks to the oak bark that was ground.