The city adapted  and was rebuilt to allow the traffic to flow more freely and space was made for new enterprises. Many hotels were built, the Odet river was canalised, the main streets were straightened, and much of the ramparts were demolished.

Many bridges were built across the Odet and the harbour was moved one kilometer down stream near 'Cape Horn'. This point was named after a cafe-bar which still exists today.

Quimper had for many years been unable to expand due to its geographical position. In 1960, it fused with the towns of Ergue Armel, Kerfeunteun and Penhars to form a new district borough, the "Great Quimper".

 In October 1987, an extreme storm   knocked down all the trees which adorned the city of Quimper; some were centuries old. An active tree planting scheme is working to replant trees and restore Quimper to its former glory.

Modern Quimper is very relaxed, active enough to have the bars – and the atmosphere – to make it worth going out café-crawling. Still "the charming little place" known to Flaubert, it takes at most half an hour to cross it on foot. The word "kemper" denotes the junction of the two rivers, the Steir and the Odet, around which are the cobbled streets (now mainly pedestrianised) of the medieval quarter, dominated by the cathedral towering nearby.

As the Odet curves from east to southwest, it is crossed by numerous low, flat bridges, bedecked with geraniums, and chrysanthemums in the autumn. You can stroll along the boulevards on both banks of the river, where several ultramodern buildings blend in a surprisingly harmonious way with their ancient – and attractive – surroundings. Overlooking all are the wooded slopes of Mont Frugy. There is no great pressure in Quimper to rush around monuments or museums, and the most enjoyable option may be to take a boat and drift down "the prettiest river in France" to the open sea at Bénodet.

Stretching along the banks of the river Odet, Quimper is the ancient capital of la Cornouaille, the name given to this region by the ancient Celts who fled here from Cornwall.

There are plenty of references to King Arthur and his knights too, as much part of folklore here as in Britain. Much to see in Quimper is around the cathedral, with its distinctive twin spires, started in 1239. Next door is the Breton Museum, recently renovated, and the Musée des Beaux Arts is opposite

Quimper’s particular fame is its pottery: the H.B. Henriot workshops, now run by an American couple, can be visited (except at weekends) and there is, of course, a shop. Behind the workshops is the pottery museum, showing three and a half centuries of the art.