Ploërmel

The town is both modern and medieval, and has easy access to most parts of Brittany. Ploërmel is set on the edge of the Brocéliande forest, which legend proclaims is the home of Merlin the Magician, amongst other fantastical characters.[http://www.frenchpropertylinks.com/brittany/morbihan/ploermel.htm FrenchPropertiyLinks]

In 1351, during the Breton War of Succession (part of the Hundred Years' War), the town was occupied by the Montfortist faction, supported by the English. The rival French-supported Blois faction controlled nearby Josselin. Two groups of approximately 30 English and French knights staged a tournament at a spot between the two towns, to show their prowess and make money by capturing opponents. {{Citation needed|date=July 2013}}The Franco-Breton team eventually won after killing or capturing the Anglo-Breton force. This was later known as the Combat of the Thirty.

In 1944, 10 Resistance fighters were killed by German soldiers. 31 inhabitants were killed, 125 wounded, by the American air raid on the railway station on 12 June, during the Normandy landings.memorials in town

On 10 December 2006, the city unveiled a statue of Pope John Paul II. It was a gift by Russo-Georgian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, and has sparked controversy over the separation of Church and State.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6168603.stm BBC News]

The town gave its name to a monastic order, the Brothers of Ploërmel.{{Cite web |url=http://www.zenit.org/english/archive/0004/ZE000407.html |title=Zenit News Agency - the World Seen from Rome |access-date=2007-02-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060108111510/http://www.zenit.org/english/archive/0004/ZE000407.html |archive-date=2006-01-08 |url-status=dead }} The Doctor Who actor Tom Baker was a monk of the order for a while in Jersey.{{Cite web |url=http://www.tombaker.tv/abouttom/biography.htm |title=Tom Baker mini-biography |access-date=2007-02-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061222084920/http://www.tombaker.tv/abouttom/biography.htm |archive-date=2006-12-22 |url-status=dead }}

In 2008 from 24 May till 1 June 2008 the City of Ploërmel became the first City in France to host the International Federation of Carnival Cities Congress.[http://www.carnivalcities.com Carnival Cities] The Ploërmel Carnival is the largest in central Brittany and is held on Saturdays at the beginning and end of May.

Inhabitants of Ploërmel are called Ploërmelais. The population data given in the table below refer to the commune in its geography as of January 2020.

{{Historical populations

|source = INSEE[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-56165#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE

|percentages = pagr

|align = none

|1968 |6235

|1975 |6584

|1982 |6896

|1990 |7294

|1999 |7833

|2007 |9016

|2012 |9771

|2017 |9837

}}

In 2008, just 2.62% of the town's children received either Breton-medium or bilingual education.{{in lang|fr}} Ofis ar Brezhoneg: [http://www.ofis-bzh.org/fr/services/observatoire/travaux.php?travail_id=83 Enseignement bilingue]

• {{Flagicon|Ireland}} Cobh, Republic of Ireland[https://www.ploermel.bzh/ploermel-ma-ville/la-ville/echanges-et-partenariats-internationaux-503.html Échanges et partenariats internationaux], Ville de Ploërmel
• {{Flagicon|Germany}} Apensen, Germany[https://www.apensen.de/freizeit/partnerschaften/ Partnerschaften der Samtgemeinde Apensen], Samtgemeinde Apensen
• {{Flagicon|Germany}} Gornau, Germany[https://www.gornau.de/index.php?id=11428 Unsere Partnerstädte], Gemeinde Gornau
• {{Flagicon|Wales}} Gorseinon & Llwchwr, Wales
• {{Flagicon|Poland}} Kolbuszowa, Poland
• {{Flagicon|Guinea}} Dabola, Guinea

{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2022}}

An 1859 French opéra comique with music by Giacomo Meyerbeer, Le pardon de Ploërmel (The Pardon of Ploërmel), was about an annual procession in Ploermel.

Ploërmel was one of the favourite places of the South African-born British female composer, Priaulx Rainier. She evoked the place in her work for winds and percussion, Ploërmel (1973).

{{Weather box|width=auto

|metric first=y

|single line=y

|collapsed = Y

|location = Ploërmel (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present)

|Jan record high C = 18.8

|Feb record high C = 21.3

|Mar record high C = 23.9

|Apr record high C = 27.7

|May record high C = 32.8

|Jun record high C = 38.7

|Jul record high C = 39.5

|Aug record high C = 38.6

|Sep record high C = 35.3

|Oct record high C = 29.2

|Nov record high C = 22.1

|Dec record high C = 18.5

|Jan record low C = -15.4

|Feb record low C = -14.5

|Mar record low C = -8.4

|Apr record low C = -5.0

|May record low C = -2.5

|Jun record low C = 0.8

|Jul record low C = 4.1

|Aug record low C = 3.5

|Sep record low C = 0.3

|Oct record low C = -4.4

|Nov record low C = -8.3

|Dec record low C = -11.8

|Jan high C = 9.0

|Feb high C = 10.0

|Mar high C = 12.7

|Apr high C = 15.5

|May high C = 18.8

|Jun high C = 21.9

|Jul high C = 24.2

|Aug high C = 24.3

|Sep high C = 21.5

|Oct high C = 16.8

|Nov high C = 12.4

|Dec high C = 9.5

| year high C = 16.4

|Jan mean C = 6.2

|Feb mean C = 6.5

|Mar mean C = 8.5

|Apr mean C = 10.5

|May mean C = 13.7

|Jun mean C = 16.7

|Jul mean C = 18.6

|Aug mean C = 18.7

|Sep mean C = 16.1

|Oct mean C = 12.8

|Nov mean C = 9.1

|Dec mean C = 6.6

| year mean C = 12.0

|Jan low C = 3.3

|Feb low C = 3.0

|Mar low C = 4.3

|Apr low C = 5.5

|May low C = 8.6

|Jun low C = 11.4

|Jul low C = 13.1

|Aug low C = 13.0

|Sep low C = 10.7

|Oct low C = 8.9

|Nov low C = 5.7

|Dec low C = 3.6

| year low C = 7.6

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 84.1

|Feb precipitation mm = 62.8

|Mar precipitation mm = 52.8

|Apr precipitation mm = 57.6

|May precipitation mm = 57.7

|Jun precipitation mm = 52.8

|Jul precipitation mm = 40.2

|Aug precipitation mm = 47.4

|Sep precipitation mm = 56.7

|Oct precipitation mm = 80.9

|Nov precipitation mm = 85.0

|Dec precipitation mm = 89.2

|year precipitation mm = 767.2

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

| Jan precipitation days = 12.3

| Feb precipitation days = 10.4

| Mar precipitation days = 9.5

| Apr precipitation days = 10.0

| May precipitation days = 9.3

| Jun precipitation days = 8.1

| Jul precipitation days = 7.5

| Aug precipitation days = 6.9

| Sep precipitation days = 7.8

| Oct precipitation days = 11.7

| Nov precipitation days = 13.0

| Dec precipitation days = 13.0

| year precipitation days =119.4

|source 1 = Meteociel{{cite web

|url=https://www.meteociel.fr/obs/clim/normales_records.php?code=56165003

|title=Normales et records pour Ploërmel (56)

|publisher=Meteociel

|access-date=20 November 2024}}}}

• Ploërmel Astronomical Clock

{{Reflist|2}}

{{commons category}}

• [https://www.ploermel.bzh Official website] {{in lang|fr}}
• {{Search Mérimée|56165}}
• [http://www.maires56.asso.fr Mayors of Morbihan Association] {{in lang|fr}}

{{Communes nouvelles of Morbihan}}{{Morbihan communes}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ploermel}}

Category:Communes of Morbihan

Category:Communes nouvelles of Morbihan