Plogonnec 

Plogonnec is a rural commune of 2806 inhabitants (census of 1999) extended on 54 km².  A commune is an administrative unit of the French state. It is localised in the south of Finistère, a department in the West of Brittany, between Quimper (8 miles) and Douarnenez (6 miles). The Breton name is Plogoneg, meaning “parish (ploe) of Saint-Coneg” (or Saint-Egonnec).

There are three main zone of habitation: the centre, the Croëzou on the road to Quimper , and Saint-Albin on the road to Quemeneven.

The centre	Croëzou	St-Albin

Many people work in the surrounding towns though they prefer to live in Plogonnec in order to take advantage of the countryside. However, Plogonnec is not simply a dormitory town. It contains all the necessities for daily living. The various trades and services allow many people to work there and the three primary schools receive nearly 300 pupils in all.

The services :

Like in every town, the “mairie” is the equivalent of Llandysul community council but have many of the responsibilities of Ceredigion County Council. It is the representative of the State. It is involved in the fields of town planning, maintenance of the roads, registering births, deaths and marriages and involved in the issuing of passports and identity cards. The town councillors are elected by the population for 6 years and have responsibilities in the fields of education, social services, tourism, sport, public transports, culture … The mairie has many other duties, which are not listed here.

   The Mairie

Plogonnec has a leisure centre, halls for societies to use (sociocultural), a library with access to the Internet, football fields, etc. For a few years a bus service has been established between Plogonnec and Quimper .

The library	A hall	The leisure centre

There are also all the facilities in the field of health. We have doctors, nurses, a dentist, a physiotherapist and a pharmacy. Other services include notaires (notary), banks, veterinary surgeons etc.

The trades :

It is not always necessary to go shopping in surrounding towns because the shops and businesses of Plogonnec provide most of the necessaries for every day life. For example there is a supermarket, bakers’ and a butcher’s shops, a hostel-restaurant, a creperie, hairdressers, bars, a clothes’ shop, garages, an agricultural cooperative store, an equestrian centre, as well as electricians  and carpenters, most of which are long established.

The schools : (year 2003-2004)

There are three primary schools in the commune of Plogonnec: two state school and one private (Roman Catholic).

School Paul Gauguin	School of St-Albin	School St-Egonnec

The commune of Plogonnec profits from the charm and quiet of the countryside and is situated about 7 miles from the beach of the Bay of Douarnenez . Many tourists are attracted to the area and they have the opportunity to stay at the hotel or B&B (Chambres d’hotes) or Gites in and around Plogonnec.

The bay of Douarnenez            The centre of Plogonnec