Wilson Square

The square you’re in has a history spanning over 300 years! Designed in 1694 by the famous architect Vauban, it was originally used as a parade ground for the Guards of the Navy. It was known as the “Champ de Bataille” (the “Battlefield”), and later as Place de la Liberté (“Liberty Square”) during the French Revolution. In 1918, it was renamed Wilson Square, after US President Woodrow Wilson, who briefly visited Brest a year before signing the Treaty of Versailles after World War I. The square’s centerpiece is a bandstand built in reinforced concrete, in a style typical of post-war architecture. Locals affectionately call it the “flying saucer” or the “mushroom.” It came to replace the bandstand that stood here in the 19th century, hosting open-air concerts on an almost daily basis.