At the crossroads of history
The name ‘Poher’ refers to the historic Haute-Cornouaille region, which today covers the inland areas of Finistère, Côtes-d’Armor and Morbihan. This region has played a key role as a crossroads throughout its history.
In fact, its location was chosen as the site of the ancient Vorgium, at the heart of a network of some ten Roman roads. Carhaix’s original name was later changed to Carofes, from the Latin ‘carruvium’: the crossroads.
Later, its central position made it a town of fairs, with horse and cattle markets in particular.
In the late 19th century, Carhaix was once again chosen as a central location for the Breton railway network.
Dismantled in the 1960s, these lines were converted into Greenways at the end of the 2000s. Carhaix naturally lies at the intersection of these two routes, as well as that of the Nantes–Brest Canal in western Brittany.
A nod to the past? Today, Poher is once again a place for major gatherings, with the development of seminar activities at the Glenmor Conference Centre and the holding of the famous Vieilles Charrues Festival.
La Foire aux chevaux devant l'Eglise Saint-Trémeur
Le Pont "Gaulois", ancienne voie romaine à Plounévézel
Carte postale ancienne du train à vapeur à la Gare de Carhaix
Port-de-Carhaix : le canal et la gare
