DINAN, a town of north-western France, capital of an arrondissement in the department of Cotes-du-Nord, 37 m. E. of St. Brieuc on the Ouest-Etat railway. Pop. Dinan, a stronghold of the dukes of Brittany, was besieged by the English under the duke of Lancaster in 1359, during which siege Du Guesclin and an English knight called Thomas of Can terbury engaged in single combat.
Dinan stands on a height on the left bank of the Rance (here canalized), some 17 m. above St. Malo, with which it com municates by means of small steamers. It is united to the village of Lanvallay on the right bank of the river by a granite viaduct 13o ft. in height. The town is almost entirely encircled by the mediaeval ramparts, strengthened with towers and, on the south, a castle of the late 14th century, now a prison. Three old gate ways also remain. The church of St. Malo is late Gothic, that of St. Sauveur, Romanesque and Gothic intermingled. In the latter church a granite monument contains the heart of Bertrand Du Guesclin. The quaint winding streets of Dinan are often bordered by mediaeval houses. It is a tourist centre. Near the town are the ruins of the chateau and the Benedictine abbey at Lehon ; and not far off is the now dismantled chateau of La Garaye. Dinan is the seat of a sub-prefect. There is trade in grain, cider, wax, honey, butter and other agricultural products. Leather is manufactured.