Spézet (French pronunciation: [spezɛt]; Breton: Speied) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.

Spézet
Speied
The town hall in Spézet
The town hall in Spézet
Coat of arms of Spézet
Location of Spézet
Map
Spézet is located in France
Spézet
Spézet
Spézet is located in Brittany
Spézet
Spézet
Coordinates: 48°11′34″N 3°42′55″W / 48.1928°N 3.7153°W / 48.1928; -3.7153
CountryFrance
RegionBrittany
DepartmentFinistère
ArrondissementChâteaulin
CantonCarhaix-Plouguer
IntercommunalityHaute Cornouaille
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Guy Citérin[1]
Area
1
60.67 km2 (23.42 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
1,748
 • Density29/km2 (75/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
29278 /29540
Elevation45–315 m (148–1,033 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

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Spézet is a rural municipality in east central Finistère, historically belonging to Cornouaille. It is bounded on the west and north by the river the Aulne and Hyères describing large meanders (Nantes-Brest Canal-channel) while at the southeast end of its territory lies Roc'h Toullaëron, which from its height of 318 m is the culmination of the Black Mountains. The village occupies a small hill whose altitude is around 100 meters northwest of the town. Spézet is border by Saint-Hernin to the east, by Gourin to the southeast, by Roudouallec to the south, by Saint-Goazec to the southwest, by Châteauneuf-du-Faou to the west and by Plonévez-du-Faou, Landeleau and Cleden-Poher to the north.

Topographic map

Climate

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Spézet has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The average annual temperature in Spézet is 11.5 °C (52.7 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,164.9 mm (45.86 in) with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 17.5 °C (63.5 °F), and lowest in January, at around 6.1 °C (43.0 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Spézet was 37.4 °C (99.3 °F) on 9 August 2003; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −12.4 °C (9.7 °F) on 1 February 1997.

Climate data for Spézet (1981–2010 averages, extremes 1994−2017)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 15.5
(59.9)
18.3
(64.9)
23.1
(73.6)
27.6
(81.7)
30.5
(86.9)
33.3
(91.9)
34.9
(94.8)
37.4
(99.3)
30.8
(87.4)
28.9
(84.0)
21.0
(69.8)
17.3
(63.1)
37.4
(99.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 8.7
(47.7)
9.7
(49.5)
12.0
(53.6)
14.3
(57.7)
17.5
(63.5)
20.7
(69.3)
21.9
(71.4)
22.4
(72.3)
20.1
(68.2)
16.3
(61.3)
12.0
(53.6)
9.0
(48.2)
15.4
(59.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 6.1
(43.0)
6.6
(43.9)
8.1
(46.6)
9.9
(49.8)
12.9
(55.2)
15.7
(60.3)
17.3
(63.1)
17.5
(63.5)
15.3
(59.5)
12.7
(54.9)
9.0
(48.2)
6.3
(43.3)
11.5
(52.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 3.4
(38.1)
3.5
(38.3)
4.3
(39.7)
5.4
(41.7)
8.3
(46.9)
10.8
(51.4)
12.6
(54.7)
12.7
(54.9)
10.4
(50.7)
9.2
(48.6)
6.1
(43.0)
3.5
(38.3)
7.5
(45.5)
Record low °C (°F) −12.4
(9.7)
−8.4
(16.9)
−5.5
(22.1)
−3.6
(25.5)
−1.0
(30.2)
1.8
(35.2)
5.2
(41.4)
4.7
(40.5)
1.7
(35.1)
−3.9
(25.0)
−6.7
(19.9)
−9.0
(15.8)
−12.4
(9.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 134.3
(5.29)
111.8
(4.40)
87.0
(3.43)
86.0
(3.39)
84.0
(3.31)
48.3
(1.90)
64.2
(2.53)
68.0
(2.68)
75.9
(2.99)
126.5
(4.98)
138.9
(5.47)
140.0
(5.51)
1,164.9
(45.86)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 16.4 13.6 13.1 12.5 11.1 8.1 10.6 9.0 9.1 14.6 16.8 15.8 150.7
Source: Meteociel[3]

History

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During the Revolt of the Bonnets Rouges ("Red Caps") in 1675, the parishioners involved in the ransacking of the Kergoet castle in Saint-Hernin, owned by the Marquis Le Moyne de Trevigny. The parish is to pay 5000 livres as damages and repairs to the said Marquis for the injury. Four residents of the parish were excluded from the amnesty of 1676.

In 1770, according to Jean-Baptiste Ogée, the parish lands were uncultivated in many parts, especially in the mountains where the soil, poor quality, did not allow residents to take advantage of it. The land was actually good in the north of the parish.

In September and October 1779, an outbreak of dysentery caused about 150 victims in Spézet. Bodies had to be buried without entering the church for fear of contagion, under penalty of a fine of 20 livres.

June 24, 1944, ten resistants arrested in Spézet were shot in Lanvénégen after being sentenced to death by the German military court sitting in Le Faouët.

Population

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Inhabitants of Spézet are called in French Spézetois.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 2,531—    
1800 2,559+0.16%
1806 2,703+0.92%
1821 2,987+0.67%
1831 2,631−1.26%
1836 2,793+1.20%
1841 2,797+0.03%
1846 2,782−0.11%
1851 2,958+1.23%
1856 2,933−0.17%
1861 2,922−0.08%
1866 2,990+0.46%
1872 2,735−1.47%
1876 2,960+2.00%
1881 2,987+0.18%
1886 3,060+0.48%
1891 3,166+0.68%
1896 3,590+2.55%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 3,701+0.61%
1906 3,899+1.05%
1911 4,095+0.99%
1921 3,997−0.24%
1926 3,913−0.42%
1931 3,736−0.92%
1936 3,662−0.40%
1946 3,345−0.90%
1954 2,871−1.89%
1962 2,555−1.45%
1968 2,299−1.74%
1975 2,165−0.85%
1982 2,076−0.60%
1990 2,038−0.23%
1999 1,861−1.00%
2007 1,865+0.03%
2012 1,802−0.68%
2017 1,808+0.07%
Source: EHESS[4] and INSEE (1968-2017)[5]

Sights and monuments

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  • Jardin botanique des Montagnes Noires
  • Manoir de Menez Kamm (where lived the adventurer and reporter, the Countess Vefa de Saint-Pierre) ;
  • Manoir du Bois Garin ;
  • Église paroissiale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul, consacrée en 17198 et son ossuaire ;
  • Chapelle du Krann (vitraux du XVIe siècle et bas-reliefs) et son ossuaire ;
  • Panorama du roc de Toull al Laëron ;
  • Éperon rocheux de Kudel ;
  • Alignement des menhirs du "Bois du Duc" ;
  • Allée couverte de Kerbasquet

Twin towns

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Spézet is twinned with the village of Roundwood, in County Wicklow, Ireland.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Normales et records pour Spezet (29)". Meteociel. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  4. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Spézet, EHESS (in French).
  5. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  6. ^ Roundwood School News Archived 2007-11-19 at the Wayback Machine Roundwood.ie. Published in 02-04. Retrieved on 11-12-07.
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