Carhaix

Rue Brizeux with the tourist information office on the corner

Mairie: 02 98 99 33 33                 
Police Station: 02 98 93 00 32
Station: 02 98 93 00 01
Tourist Office: 02 98 93 04 42       
Market Day:    Saturday (a. m.) 

The Château Rouge - one of the few brick-built buildings  in the area, which houses the library and a music school.

Carhaix is believed to be the site of the Roman city of Vorgium - one of the principal cities of Roman Brittany. The town sank into obscurity during the middle ages but was revitalised during the first half of the twentieth century when it became the headquarters of the region's narrow-gauge railway system. Carhaix's importance declined as the railways were superseded by roads, but the town has benefited from an ambitious programme of investment over the past fifteen years, and is now once again one of the principle town of central Brittany.

Like many towns in the region, Carhaix retains many old buildings.

Carhaix has succeeded in attracting many of the big chains to its out-of-town shopping sites including the supermarket E. Leclerc, the sports shop Decathlon, and DIY shops such as Monsieur Bricolage and Bricomarché.

The town is renowned for its annual pop-festival, 'Les Vieilles Charrues' which is more or less run by the town council and has grown to be one of the biggest events in France. It now attracts tens of thousands of young people every year, from all over the country, giving Carhaix a public profile far greater than would otherwise be warranted by its small size.

The town centre has been repaved in 2004, with measures introduced to moderate the amount of traffic passing through the main shopping street.

Local industry is based upon agriculture and food processing, with the major employers including a dairy (Unicopa), Otor, and a vegetable canning factory. The town is making active efforts to diversify and to attract new businesses to the area. There are various industrial sites around the town with plots available for development.