Although Brest was entirely destroyed by Allied bombs in 1944, the 94 metres at the end of Rue Saint-Malo – in the heart of the Recouvrance district – was miraculously spared. Before the French Revolution, the cobblestones under your feet led to one of two shipyards in the city (the one in the Pontaniou inlet), which contributed to Brest's economic boom. Sailors and shipbuilders weren't the only ones who lived on this unassuming street. Dozens of prostitutes and free-thinking women were imprisoned in the Refuge Royal, at the site of Madeleine Court. Branded with a fleur de lys upon their arrival, these women – and war widows – were put to work making sail cloth for the Royal Navy. Today, Rue Saint-Malo is still a hotbed of activity, only of a different sort. The group Vivre La Rue organises concerts, exhibits and lectures to keep the district's colourful history alive.
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