Hirel
Hirel is a commune with 1368 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the department of Ille -et -Vilaine in the Brittany region.
Geography
Hirel located 20 kilometers from Saint -Malo, 15 km of Cancale, 10 kilometers from Dol -de -Bretagne and 35 kilometers away from Mont -Saint -Michel.
History
Coin finds prove an existence of the town in Roman times. Hirel and the district Vildé la Marine were built on a layer of sand. A dam, which was dedicated in particular to the Duchess Anne of Brittany, Hirel protected from floods. Through the construction of a canal system, the marshy area was drained and cultivated. 843 allowed Charles the Bald residents fishing. Later, several mills were built on the five kilometers of coastline. The mills were once an important guide for soldiers and sailors.
Mills of Hirel
The products imported into France in the Middle Ages windmills lost through the electrification in the country and the progressive industrialization in the 20th century rapidly in importance. In the Bay of Mont -Saint -Michel, there were a total of about a hundred mills. The municipal area of Hirel there were the following ten mills: La Ville it Brune, La Pintonnière, La Chèvre, Saint- Lunaire, Le Moulin Carré, La Digue, Le Chatelier, La Petite Pâture, Fantou and Le Chapitre. Alfred Jamaux goes in his article The 103 windmills in the Pays de Dol assume that between Hirel and Saint -Benoit -des- Ondes is the perfect location for windmills.