Plougastel-Daoulas

French commune
nomcommune=Plougastel-Daoulas


caption="Women of Plougastel" by Charles Cottet, 1903


x=16
y=82
lat_long=coord|48|22|24|N|4|22|10|W|region:FR_type:city
région=Bretagne
département=Finistère
arrondissement=Brest
canton=Daoulas
insee=29189
cp=29470
maire=Dominique Cap
mandat=2001-2008
intercomm=Brest Métropole Océane
alt moy=110 m
alt mini=0
alt maxi=145 m
hectares=4683
km²=46.83
sans=12,248
date-sans=1999
dens=262
date-dens=1999

Plougastel-Daoulas ( _br. Plougastell-Daoulaz) is a commune in the Finistère department in Bretagne in northwestern France.

Demographics

Inhabitants of Plougastel-Daoulas are called "Plougastels".

trawberries

The region is famous for its production of strawberries ("fraises de Plougastel"). The New World species of strawberry, "Fragaria chiloensis", which had been introduced into France by Amédée-François Frézier (1682-1773), flourished in the marine climate of Plougastel. Gardeners there had observed that this species bore abundant fruit when "Fragaria moschata" and "Fragaria virginiana" were planted in between rows of it. There had been failed attempts to cultivate "fragaria chiloensis" in Anjou, Touraine, and the lower-Loire areas.

Tourism

The "Albert Louppe Bridge" or "Plougastel Bridge" over the Elorn River is situated in the commune.

Miscellaneous

Plougastel is twinned with Westport, County Mayo, a town in the west of Ireland.

External links

*fr icon [http://www.musee-fraise.org/ Musée de la fraise]
*fr icon [http://www.coursedupont.com/ La course du pont sur l'Elorn - May, 19 2006]
*en icon [http://www.nal.usda.gov/pgdic/Strawberry/book/bokfour.htm G.M. Darrow, The Strawberry: History, Breeding and Physiology]
* [http://www4.culture.fr/patrimoines/patrimoine_architectural_et_mobilier/sribzh/main.xsp?execute=parsed_query&query=com:|Plougastel-Daoulas|&tri=region&tri=dpt&tri=com&tri=adrstri&tri=lieu&tri=edif&tri=tico Cultural Heritage]