| Hennebont | |
| Native Name: | Henbont |
| Commune Status: | Commune |
| Coordinates: | 47.805°N -3.2775°W |
| Arrondissement: | Lorient |
| Intercommunality: | Lorient Agglomération |
| Mayor: | Michèle Dollé[1] |
| Term: | 2021 - 2026 |
| Elevation M: | 5 |
| Elevation Min M: | 0 |
| Elevation Max M: | 82 |
| Area Km2: | 18.57 |
| Insee: | 56083 |
| Postal Code: | 56700 |
| Image Coat Of Arms: | Blason ville fr Hennebont (Morbihan).svg |
| Canton: | Hennebont |
Hennebont (in French pronounced as /ɛnbɔ̃/;) is a commune in the Morbihan department in the region of Brittany in north-western France.[2]
Hennebont is situated about ten miles from the mouth of the River Blavet, which divides it into two parts: the Ville Close, the medieval walled town, and the 17th century Ville Neuve on the left bank and the oldest site: the Vieille Ville on the right. The old walled town (Ville Close) still has traces of its medieval ramparts dating from the 13th to 15th centuries as well as a large fortified 15th century gatehouse complete with double-doors with drawbridge slots, known as the Porte du Broërec.
Hennebont is famed for its resistance, under Joanna of Flanders, the widow of Jean de Montfort, to the armies of Philip of Valois and Charles of Blois when besieged in 1342 during the War of the Breton Succession. A century before Joan of Arc, Jeanne dressed herself in armor and led the resistance to the besiegers. She personally led an attack on the enemy camp, setting fire to it and earned the nickname "Jeanne la Flamme" ("Joan the Fiery").
Hennebont is also the final home of Jeanne de Clisson, the Lioness of Brittany.
In August 1944, during the Allied invasion of Brittany, a large section of the old walled town, especially the ramparts, towers and medieval buildings, sustained major damage during the bombing of German positions entrenched in the downtown area.
Inhabitants of Hennebont are called Hennebontais. In 2008, 5.45% of the children of Hennebont attended bilingual primary schools.[3]
Hennebont is twinned with:
Hennebont has three soccer clubs:
In 2015, the clubs of GVH and ESG tried to form a youth group called Hennebont FC but the project did not succeed.
The Garde du Vœu Hennebont table tennis team won the French championship title in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009 and is regularly qualified to play in the Champions League or ETTU. The Abraham hall is known to be the most lively in France, with each match filling it.
In 2019, Hennebont wins its first European title, the ETTU Cup.
A new international table tennis training, coaching and competition center is expected to be built by the end of 2020.
The Basket Club Hennebontais (BCH), which plays in the National 3 Men's league, aims to reach the National 2 in 2024 (ADN 2024 project).
Hennebont Lochrist Handball will play in the National 1 Men's division (3rd division) from the 2022/23 season, following the first place obtained during the 2021/22 season in the National 2 division, after having won its last championship game against Cherbourg, and finishing undefeated at home during this season. The flagship team plays in Kerlano but will move to Inzinzac-Lochrist, within a new sports complex on the site of Mané-Braz, in order to be able to accommodate more spectators, in 2024.
L'Échiquier Hennebontais plays in Division 1, after having played in National 4. The club also trains young people (girls and boys) in their learning of the discipline, and also has a team present in D2 Jeunes. At the approach of the end of the year celebrations, the club also organizes a Christmas tournament, in fast configuration (7 rounds of 15 minutes per player), 2 tournaments are organized in reality: one for the young people and a second one for the adults and the experienced young people.[4]