Cité provisoire de Soye
MonumentHidden Treasure
Cité provisoire de Soye, located in Ploemeur (Département 56), is a modern edifice built in the 19th-20th centuries. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Modern (19th-20th century)
- Location
- Ploemeur, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- Mérimée Reference
- PA56000079
A poignant vestige of the Second World War, the temporary housing estate at Soye bears witness to the fate of thousands of Breton refugees after the bombing of Lorient. An extraordinary memorial.
History
In the heart of the grounds of Château de Soye, halfway between Lorient and Ploemeur, two barracks still stand today, seemingly suspended in time. Listed as Historic Monuments in 2016, these modest buildings have none of the splendour of castles or cathedrals, but their evocative power is all the more striking. Here, history is not read in carved stone, but in the wood and metal of emergency architecture, the kind you build when everything else has burnt down. What makes the Cité de Soye truly unique is its ability to embody, in its very materiality, disaster and resilience. Lorient was one of the most devastated cities in France during the Second World War: in February 1943, Allied bombing reduced almost 90% of the city to ashes. Tens of thousands of residents were left homeless overnight. The Parc de Soye became one of the makeshift shelters for these displaced people, housing in makeshift barracks a battered humanity determined to survive. The two buildings that have survived feature deliberately different architectural styles, which in itself is a precious testimony to the diversity of emergency solutions deployed at the time. To visit the Soye housing estate is to come face to face with a tangible memory, far removed from frozen museums: the structures still seem to be inhabited by the voices of their former occupants, the families who sometimes lived there for several years waiting for a return to normality. The parkland setting of Château de Soye adds an almost surreal dimension to the visit. The elegance of the estate contrasts with the functional sobriety of the barracks, a stark reminder of the contrasts of the time: pre-war and post-war France coexisted in the same space. This visual paradox is in itself a history lesson. A discreet but deeply moving place of remembrance, the cité provisoire de Soye is for all those who want to go beyond the conventional accounts of the war to get a real feel for the day-to-day reality of civilians. A monument not to be missed if you want to understand twentieth-century Brittany.
Architecture
The architecture of the cité de Soye belongs to a rarely studied but historically fundamental category: that of emergency wartime construction. The two listed buildings have distinct typologies, revealing the trial and error and pragmatic adaptations that went into their construction. The first has the elongated rectangular shape typical of military or para-military barracks, with a light gable roof and evenly spaced openings. The second, in a markedly different style, reflects a more elaborate approach, perhaps built in a later phase or to a separate prefabricated model. The materials used reflect the scarcity and resourcefulness of the period: timber framing, cladding in planks or composite panels, and roofing in corrugated iron or fibre cement sheets. The walls, which initially offered little insulation, were gradually improved by the occupants themselves over the years. Inside, spaces were divided into narrow dwellings, with each family having a surface area reduced to the bare minimum. Sanitary facilities were usually shared. The architectural value of these barracks lies not in their sophistication, but in their authenticity: they are a living document of the techniques and standards of post-war emergency housing in France. Their setting in the grounds of the Château de Soye creates a striking architectural dialogue between the estate's prestigious architecture and these buildings of necessity, two opposite but complementary sides of the same troubled era.
Related Figures
Auguste Perret — architecte chargé de la reconstruction de Lorient, dont le chantier prolongea le séjour des réfugiés à SoyeLes familles lorientaises déplacées — premiers et principaux habitants de la cité, dont certains y vécurent plus d'une décennieLes ingénieurs et techniciens des Chantiers de Reconstruction — responsables de l'érection rapide des baraquements en 1943Les autorités préfectorales du Morbihan — ayant coordonné l'évacuation et le relogement d'urgence des sinistrésLes maires successifs de Ploemeur — qui gérèrent administrativement la cité provisoire pendant toute sa période d'occupation
Map
Coordinates not available for this monument.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Cité provisoire de Soye located?
Cité provisoire de Soye is located in Ploemeur, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Cité provisoire de Soye built?
Cité provisoire de Soye dates back to a period built in the modern era (19th-20th century).
Is Cité provisoire de Soye open to visitors?
Cité provisoire de Soye is currently closed to visitors.