Pontivy

The creation of Napoléonville and Napoléon-Vendée (La Roche-sur-Yon) was the result of a pacifying and civilizing intent of Napoleon, who thus envisaged giving Pontivy great importance in central Brittany. The strategic and central position of Pontivy in Brittany inspired Napoleon this idea: “Two new cities are emerging in a land desolate once by civil wars, and too long foreign to our commerce, to our arts and to our customs.”

Cultivating its urban vocation in an essentially rural region, Pontivy remains a place of exchange and encounter for all of Brittany. Established in a valley, at the junction of the Blavet canal and the Nantes-Brest canal, the city presents a pronounced relief, alternating hills, valleys and plateaus.

Watered by numerous rivers, half divided between natural spaces and an exceptional architectural heritage, its territory offers a successful synthesis of nature and city. At the heart of Breton rurality, Pontivy embodies a certain idea of Brittany, proud of its culture, open to Europe and the world, sharing and inclusive.