Brest, France, Live Webcam

More info: Brest is Brittany’s second largest administrative centre. It is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon. The protected location of Brest means that its harbour is ideal to receive any type of ship, from the smallest dinghy to the biggest aircraft carrier

During World War II, the Germans — who occupied Northern France in June 1940 — built and maintained a large U-boat submarine base at Brest, using it against Allied shipping. In 1944, after the Allied invasion of Normandy, the city of Brest was heavily bombed by Allied forces during the Battle for Brest. Only a few buildings were left standing.

The Château de Brest is a castle on the eastern bank of the Penfeld River, in the heart of the city. It was one of the few structures to survive the Second Woldl War bombing and today it houses a Maritime Museum dedicated to French naval history over the centuries.

Another survivor of the bombing was The Tour Tanguy, a 14th century watchtower across the river from the castle and now another museum, depicting what Brest looked like before the bombing. Next to this tower and spanning the Penfeld River is what used to be the highest vertical lift bridge in the world until it was superseded by the Pont Gustave Flaubert on the Seine in 2008.

Brest is home to one of Europe’s largest aquariums — the Oceanopolis Ocean Discovery Park. It has more than 1 million gallons of sea water and 77 aquariums, with 1,000 marine species from around the world.