Tanguy Tower

Built in the 14th century, the Tanguy Tower is one of Brest’s oldest landmarks. Sadly, you’re not looking at the original, as it’s been rebuilt twice in the course of its history. It’s located on the right bank of the Penfeld River, opposite the Brest Castle, and was once part of a fortress built at the request of the Duke of Brittany Jean IV to keep out the English soldiers occupying the castle at the time. It was named after the Du Chastel family, a great noble family from the diocese of Léon in northwest Brittany. Apparently, several of its members were called Tanguy! In 1786, the tower passed into the hands of another noble family, before being converted into a private residence a century later. Its last owner left the building in 1944, when it caught fire after wartime bombings. The tower was restored in the years that followed, and in 1962 it became home to the Museum of Old Brest. The latter retraces the city’s history through a series of scale models, photos and paintings by Breton artist Jim Sévellec.