Ushant

Ushant ( Breton: Enos Eusa, English Ushant. ) Is a French island off the coast of Brittany in the Atlantic. Ouessant also forms a municipality with 883 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) and the French canton of Ouessant, which consists only of this one church. The island belongs to the region Brittany, in the Finistère in the arrondissement of Brest.

Location and nature

The 15.58 km ² large island is located about 20 kilometers west of the coast of Brittany Finistère département. The island thus represents the most western part of metropolitan France, and marks the extreme western end of the English Channel and the northern end of the sea area Iroise.

Ouessant is like almost all Breton islands of granite rock, at its highest point in the island reaches 61 m. The island's shape vaguely reminiscent of a crab. The municipality consists of Ouessant officially 92 hamlets; Capital and seat of government is Lambaol / Lampaul.

Economy and Tourism

Many residents now live on tourism and the service industry. The number of workers in the nautical occupations ( fishermen, sailors or lighthouse keeper ) is declining. Agriculture plays hardly any role; for beekeeping, the island is important because it gives up her a pure, Varroa - free stock of the Breton dark bee.

In the summer months there are numerous day-trippers who visit the island for a few hours. Guests who stay longer, there are some smaller hotels and private accommodations available. The island is scenic, but does not offer significant beaches still outstanding tourist attractions. It is worth mentioning in the West located, impressive 55-meter high lighthouse Phare du Créac'h with a small museum about maritime signaling devices.

After Ouessant is a daily ferry service from Brest on the much smaller neighboring island inhabited Molène that will go underway. Furthermore, a small airfield is present, which is served from Brest airport. There is also a ferry service from the fishing village of Le Conquet after Ushant, by the ferry Le Fromveur.

Importance for navigation

The island marks the entrance to the English Channel for the coming of the south-west from the Atlantic ships. The most visible lighthouse Phare du Créac'h, better known as Ushant Lighthouse, the first lighthouse after crossing the Bay of Biscay and the main course mark for the entrance to the English Channel to mariners. Located northwest of the lighthouse is a traffic separation scheme for the regulation of navigation in the course change from the Atlantic to the English Channel and vice versa. A radar tower next to the lighthouse Phare du Stiff in the northwest of the island is the control of the traffic separation scheme.

Historical Significance

"The Island of the end of the world " had several megalithic sites, including the so- named by Admiral Antoine -Jean -Marie Thevenard in 1800 " pagan temple ". A rectangular enclosure, called a " quadrilatère " is available only as a watercolor painter Jean -Baptiste Debret. Has survived the small oval stone circle of Pen-ar- Lan in the far west of the island.

Ouessant is known for its maritime past, both in terms of fishing, however, and, above all, for his outstanding role as French landmark in the English Channel. The lighthouse Phare du Stiff, whose construction was begun in 1695 under the military architect Vauban and completed in 1700, was the first French lighthouse on the English Channel. (see also List of European Lighthouses / France)

Various famous naval battles took place in front of Ouessant in the marine environment. The famous French organist and composer Charles Tournemire (1870-1939) owned a house on Ouessant, and let savagery and unbridled forces of nature this island in his late romantic compositions incorporated.

1896 sank the Drummond Castle after hitting a rock. 243 of the 246 people on board were killed.

In May 1922 collided 25 miles off the island of the British passenger liner Egypt with a French freighter and sank within minutes, with 87 passengers and crew members were killed. It was one of the heaviest ship tragedies in this region during peacetime.

From July 1940 until the summer of 1944 Northern France was occupied by troops of the Wehrmacht, the France within a few weeks in the western campaign to a capitulation similar cease-fire, had the Armistice of Compiègne forced. Then they had built on the English Channel coast a chain of defense structures ( Atlantic Wall ). On 6 June 1944 ( "D- Day" ) began the Allied landings in Normandy. On Ouessant some Wehrmacht soldiers were stationed. During the Battle of Brest they renounced their troops, stood on the side of the island population and distributed with shots a German boat, which should look as " missing " after them.

On March 16, 1978 10 km sank off the island, the oil tanker Amoco Cadiz and polluted the coast of Brittany.

As early as 1929 turned director Jean Epstein with residents of the island to the silent film Finis Terrae, which partly plays on Ouessant. Also in the French film The wife of the lighthouse keeper from 2004 was placed the meager life on the rugged island a monument.

The Phare de la Jument in the southwest of Ushant is the subject of the well-known photograph of Jean Guichard in 1989, showing the lighthouse keeper in the open door of the tower, which is being engulfed by a huge wave.

Literary

The young Bernhard Kellermann has stopped some time on the island and she and her inhabitants, " The Sea" (1910 ) set his story a monument.