The Jardin Insolit(h)e is a geological garden located at the Maison des Minéraux in Crozon, Brittany. It showcases 26 original installations featuring 26 Breton rocks sourced from quarries. This garden offers an overview of the region’s geodiversity while introducing visitors to the world of quarries. It is both educational and fun, helping people better understand rocks and local geology.

It is the result of a collaboration between various partners: the Armorique Regional Natural Park (project owner), UNICEM Brittany, the Maison des Minéraux, the town of Crozon, the Community of Communes of the Crozon Peninsula – Aulne Maritime, the Finistère department, the Brittany region, with financial support from the European Union.

The design and realization of the garden were entrusted to Elise Auffray (scenographer and designer) and Isabelle Nivez (landscape architect). The construction was carried out by the company Jo Simon, UNICEM Brittany member companies, and the “Clermont” team. Land art volunteers, as well as students from Jean-Jaurès school and Alain middle school in Crozon, contributed by creating the Cairn (see installation 15) and the River (see installation 17).

This guide recalls some fundamentals about rock formation, before discussing the regional geology and quarrying activity in Brittany. It then details all the garden’s installations through short texts. The content is sometimes geological, sometimes technical (uses of rocks, extraction, exploitation, etc.) or more anecdotal… but always educational and fun!