Nantes
Unanswered Questions
Encyclopedia
Nantes ' onMouseout='HidePop("9241")' href="/topics/Gallo_language">Gallo
: Naunnt) is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, 50 km (31.1 mi) from the Atlantic
coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area
ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants.
Nantes is the capital city of the Pays de la Loire
region
and Loire-Atlantique
département. It is also the major city of the historic province of Brittany
, and culturally remains strongly identified with it.
In 2004, the Time
magazine described Nantes as "the most liveable city in Europe". In 2010, Nantes was named a Hub city for innovation in the Innovation Cities Index by innovation agency, 2thinknow. The city was ranked 36th globally from 289 cities and 4th overall in France, behind Paris, Lyon
and Strasbourg
for innovation across multiple sectors of the economy.
ish tribe known as the Namnetes
, who founded a town there around 70 BC. The city was called Portus Namnetum during the Roman occupation that began in 56 BC. The inhabitants of Nantes are known in French as Nantais ([nɑ̃tɛ]).
Nantes' most common nickname is the Venice of the West , a name owing to its position on the river delta
of the Loire
, the Erdre
, and the Sèvre
(whose tributaries were infilled in the early 20th century).
After having been occupied by the Gaul
s and the Romans
, Nantes was Christianised in the 3rd century. The city was successively invaded by the Saxons
(around 285), the Franks
(around 500), the Britons
(in the 6th and 7th centuries) and the Normans
, who laid waste to it in 843: "The city of Nantes remained for many years deserted, devastated and overgrown with briars and thorns." The Chronicle of Nantes
continues until the year 946, telling that Alain Barbe-Torte
, grandson of Alan the Great, the last king of Brittany
who was expelled by the Norse, drove them out and founded the Duchy of Brittany.
When the Duchy of Brittany was annexed by the kingdom of France
in 1532, Nantes kept the Parliament of Brittany
for a few years before it was moved to Rennes
. In 1598, King Henry IV of France
signed the Edict of Nantes
here, which granted Protestant
s rights to their religion.
During the 18th century, prior to abolition of slavery
, Nantes was the slave trade
capital of France. This kind of trade led Nantes to become the largest port in France and a wealthy city. When the French Revolution
broke out, Nantes chose to be part of it, although the whole surrounding region soon degenerated into an open civil war against the new republic known as the War in the Vendée. On 29 June 1793 the town was the site of a Republican victory
in this war. The Loire was the site of thousands of executions by drowning, including those using the method which came to be known as the Republican marriage
, in which a man and a woman were stripped naked, tied together, and thrown into the river.
In the 19th century, Nantes became an industrial city. The first public transport anywhere may have been the omnibus
service initiated in Nantes in 1826. It was soon imitated in Paris, London and New York. The first railways were built in 1851 and many industries were created. In 1940, the city was occupied by German
troops. In 1941, the assassination of a German officer, Lt. Col. Fritz Hotz, caused the retaliatory execution of 48 civilians. The city was twice severely bombed by British forces
, on 16 and 23 August 1943, before being liberated by the Americans in 1944.
Until the 1970s, Nantes' harbour was located on the Île de Nantes
, when it was moved to the very mouth of the Loire River, at Saint-Nazaire
. In the subsequent 20 years, many service sector organisations moved into the area, but economic difficulties forced most of these to close. In 2001, a major redevelopment scheme was launched, the goal of which is to revitalise the island as the new city centre.
In 2003, the French weekly L'Express
voted Nantes to be the "greenest city" in France, while in both 2003 and 2004 it was voted the "best place to live" by the weekly Le Point
. In August 2004, TIME designated Nantes as "the most livable city in all of Europe."
of the Erdre
and the Sèvre Nantaise
, 55 km (35 mi) from the Atlantic Ocean. The city was built in a place where many branches of the Loire river created several islands, but most of those branches were filled in at the beginning of the 20th century (and the confluence with the Erdre river diverted and covered) due to the increasing car traffic.
Nantes is the central point of the land hemisphere
(the half of the earth containing the largest possible area of land)
département and the Pays de la Loire
région
.
The Nantes metropolitan area (Nantes Métropole) is the intercommunal structure connecting the city of Nantes with nearby suburbs. It had a 1999 population of 554,478, 48.7% of which comprised the city of Nantes. The current mayor of Nantes is Jean-Marc Ayrault
(PS
), first elected in 1989 and now serving a sixth term, until 2014.
Since 1995, Nantes has been divided into 11 neighbourhoods, each resembling a historic city quarter. Each of these neighbourhoods is controlled by a Comité Consultatif (Consultative Committee), comprising directly elected officials
and a team of municipal members, similar to a New England
board of selectmen
. These neighbourhoods are:
Nine of these neighbourhoods are situated on the right bank of the Loire
, one is on the left bank, and one is on the Île de Nantes
island.
The city of Nantes, and the Loire-Atlantique département, were formerly part of the historic province of Brittany
; Nantes was one of its traditional capitals, along with Rennes
.
Historically, the country around Nantes ' onMouseout='HidePop("80693")' href="/topics/Gallo_language">Gallo
: Paeï de Nàntt) was always seen as being part of Brittany. In 1207, the Dukes of Brittany made Nantes their home, building the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany
on the banks of the Loire. Most of the dukes and duchesses were buried in either the cathedral or the nearby abbeys.
In 1789, the separation of the historical provinces of France
resulted in Brittany being split in five; the lower of the five, Loire-Inférieure (today Loire-Atlantique) was where Nantes was situated. As such, Brittany as an administrative region did not exist during the 19th and early 20th centuries, although it did still exist culturally and informally. When regional regroupments during the 20th century resulted in the reinstatement of the regions, Loire-Atlantique found itself split from the other four départements by the Vichy regime
in 1941; a new région had been created centred on Nantes, the Pays de la Loire
.
Much debate surrounding this move persists. Those against (sometimes called the Breton militants) maintain that the separation was made by a non-democratically elected government, and that Loire-Atlantique is culturally, historically and geographically united to Brittany; those in favour argue that any reunification would reopen a "quarrel of the capitals" between Nantes and Rennes, and that it would be fatal to the Pays de la Loire
région.
The issue of language is also relevant; in Upper Brittany
(locally called Bretagne Gallèse or Haute Bretagne) Romance languages
especially the local Gallo
, as well as French, have long had more influence than Breton. However, in many large cities, including Nantes and Saint-Brieuc
, the Breton language
has sometimes been spoken more widely than Gallo by the very urban and bourgeois population there (even though in Le Pays Nantais the opposite was true). In recent years, many bilingual plaques have appeared on tourist attraction
s in the city, with the help of the Ofis ar Brezhoneg
.
Most recently, on 15 May 2004, a hastily organized demonstration in Nantes calling for the reunification of Brittany attracted 6,000 participants, while in five surveys on the issue, between 62% and 75% of the population of Loire-Atlantique have come out in favour of reunification.
In 2008, 1.4% of the children in Nantes attended the bilingual schools for primary.
transit system within a city appears to have originated in Nantes in 1826. The current network operated by Tan network
includes three tramway lines, one bus rapid transit
route (known as BusWay
), dozens of bus routes, an express bus between Nantes Atlantique Airport
, and the city centre (known as Tan Air), three navibuses lines and four suburban train
lines (operated by SNCF
and running on four intercity train
lines within the city's limits). Longer distance travel throughout the Loire-Atlantique département is operated by Lila network, which runs interurban buses.
The Tramway de Nantes
originally began operation in 1879, but this first generation network closed in 1958. A new generation of tram lines opened in 1985, and the tram network is now the longest in France. The tram network, also part of the Tan network, shares a common ticketing system with buses and other modes within that network.
Nantes railway station
lies on a number of rail lines. Nantes is connected by TGV
(high speed train) to Paris, Lyon
, Marseille
, Lille
, and Strasbourg
, with trains to Paris via the LGV Atlantique
taking just over 2 hours. By Corail
, Nantes is connected to Quimper, La Rochelle
, Bordeaux
, Lyon
, and Toulouse
. The regional trains and buses of the TER Pays de la Loire
provide links to Saint-Nazaire
, Angers
, Le Mans
, La Roche sur Yon
, and many other regional cities.
Nantes was formerly a major commercial port, with port facilities on the River Loire in the city centre. Much of the commercial traffic has since migrated downstream, principally to the area around Saint-Nazaire
, although the river remains navigable to ocean-going ships as far as Nantes. River cruises operate on both the Loire and its tributary the Erdre
. The Tan network also includes three urban water bus
routes on both rivers (known as Navibus
).
Nantes Atlantique Airport
, located 8 km to the south-west of the city centre, serves the city and surrounding areas. It is the biggest airport in western France, linking with several French and European cities, as well as Montreal
in Canada and some northern Africa
cities. It is currently planned that this airport will be replaced by the Aéroport du Grand Ouest
, that will be situated 30 km to the north-west of Nantes in the commune of Notre-Dame-des-Landes
. The €580 million project was approved in February 2008, with construction expected to start in 2012 and an opening date in 2015.
The Château des ducs de Bretagne
(Castle of the Dukes of Brittany) is the most important castle and hosts the History Museum of the City of Nantes.
Nantes has many churches, amongst which the most famous are:
Nantes has two mosques:
A third (Mosquée Assalam) is under construction.
for 2011-12 season but previously French champions
on eight occasions and Coupe de France
winners three times. Former players include: Didier Deschamps
, Marcel Desailly
and Fabien Barthez
who were members of the France team that won the 1998 World Cup whilst other notable players are Maxime Bossis
, Philippe Gondet
, Henri Michel
and Mickaël Landreau
.
Gregory Tade
, who played for Scottish
club Raith Rovers, was born in Nantes.
During the 2007 Rugby World Cup
in France, Nantes hosted a number of matches including England against Samoa
and Wales
against Fiji
.
The Celtic band Tri Yann
was originally known as Tri Yann an Naoned (the three Johns from Nantes).
The DJ group C2C
, champion of the Disco Mix Club
World Team DJ Championship four years in a row (2003–2006) is native of Nantes.
The DJ Madeon is a native of Nantes, and produces many remixes and original mixes.
To see a list of Bands from Nantes, see :fr:Rock à Nantes (French).
Royal de Luxe
street theater company, famous for its performance featuring giant puppets, is based in Nantes.
Local television channels
Radio stations
Local newspapers
Newspapers for sale:
Free newspapers:
Site Internet Locaux:
{|
|-
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and cooperation agreements with:
{| cellpadding="10"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Cardiff
, Wales
, UK since 1964. Saarbrücken
, Germany, since 1965. Tbilisi
, Georgia, since 1979.
Washington Seattle, Washington, U.S., since 1980. 
Florida Jacksonville
, Florida, U.S., since 1985.
|| Cluj-Napoca
, Romania, since 1991. Rufisque
, Senegal, since 1992. Agadir
, Morocco, since 1993. Niigata
, Japan, since 1999. Cochabamba
, Bolivia, since 1999.
|| Dschang
, Cameroon, since 2002. Recife
, Brazil, since 2003. Durban
, South Africa, since 2004. Qingdao
, China, since 2005. Suncheon, South Korea, since 2007.
|}
, Louisiana, U.S., since 1993. Jericho
, West Bank
, since 2001. Desdunes
and Petionville
, Haiti, since 2005. Nantes, Quebec
, Canada, since 2009.
Gallo language
Gallo is a regional language of France. Gallo is a Romance language, one of the Oïl languages. It is the historic language of the region of Upper Brittany and some neighboring portions of Normandy, but today is spoken by only a small minority of the population, having been largely superseded by...
: Naunnt) is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, 50 km (31.1 mi) from the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area
Aire urbaine
The aire urbaine is a statistical region created by the INSEE that comprises a commuter belt surrounding a contiguous urban core...
ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants.
Nantes is the capital city of the Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire is one of the 27 regions of France. It is one of the regions created in the late 20th century to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful so-called "balancing metropolises" ¹...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
and Loire-Atlantique
Loire-Atlantique
Loire-Atlantique is a department on the west coast of France named after the Loire River and the Atlantic Ocean.-History:...
département. It is also the major city of the historic province of Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, and culturally remains strongly identified with it.
In 2004, the Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine described Nantes as "the most liveable city in Europe". In 2010, Nantes was named a Hub city for innovation in the Innovation Cities Index by innovation agency, 2thinknow. The city was ranked 36th globally from 289 cities and 4th overall in France, behind Paris, Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
and Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
for innovation across multiple sectors of the economy.
Etymology
The name Nantes, pronounced nɑ̃t in French, derives from that of its pre-Roman-era inhabitants, the GaulGaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
ish tribe known as the Namnetes
Namnetes
The Namnetes were a tribe of ancient Gaul, living in the area of the modern city of Nantes near the river Liger .They were neighbours to the Veneti people , the Redones , the Andecavi and the Pictones ....
, who founded a town there around 70 BC. The city was called Portus Namnetum during the Roman occupation that began in 56 BC. The inhabitants of Nantes are known in French as Nantais ([nɑ̃tɛ]).
Nantes' most common nickname is the Venice of the West , a name owing to its position on the river delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
of the Loire
Loire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
, the Erdre
Erdre
The Erdre is a river in western France, right tributary to the river Loire. Its source is in the Maine-et-Loire département, near La Pouëze. It flows through the départements Maine-et-Loire and Loire-Atlantique. It flows into the river Loire in the city Nantes...
, and the Sèvre
Sèvre Nantaise
The Sèvre Nantaise is a river in western France, left tributary to the river Loire. Its source is in the Deux-Sèvres département, near Secondigny.It flows through the following départements and towns:*Deux-Sèvres: Moncoutant, La Forêt-sur-Sèvre...
(whose tributaries were infilled in the early 20th century).
History
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
s and the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, Nantes was Christianised in the 3rd century. The city was successively invaded by the Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
(around 285), the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
(around 500), the Britons
Britons (historical)
The Britons were the Celtic people culturally dominating Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. They spoke the Insular Celtic language known as British or Brythonic...
(in the 6th and 7th centuries) and the Normans
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
, who laid waste to it in 843: "The city of Nantes remained for many years deserted, devastated and overgrown with briars and thorns." The Chronicle of Nantes
Chronicle of Nantes
Chronicle of Nantes is an eleventh-century Latin chronicle of history extending from 570 to about 1049 AD...
continues until the year 946, telling that Alain Barbe-Torte
Alan II, Duke of Brittany
Alan II , nicknamed Wrybeard and also known as Le Renard "The Fox", was Count of Vannes, Poher, and Nantes, and Duke of Brittany from 938 to his death...
, grandson of Alan the Great, the last king of Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
who was expelled by the Norse, drove them out and founded the Duchy of Brittany.
When the Duchy of Brittany was annexed by the kingdom of France
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France was one of the most powerful states to exist in Europe during the second millennium.It originated from the Western portion of the Frankish empire, and consolidated significant power and influence over the next thousand years. Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, developed a...
in 1532, Nantes kept the Parliament of Brittany
Parliament of Brittany
The Parlement of Brittany was a court of justice, under France’s Ancien Régime, with its seat at Rennes. The last building to house the parlement still stands and is now the Rennes Court of Appeal, the natural successor of the parlement.-Parlements under the Ancien Régime:As with all the...
for a few years before it was moved to Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
. In 1598, King Henry IV of France
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
signed the Edict of Nantes
Edict of Nantes
The Edict of Nantes, issued on 13 April 1598, by Henry IV of France, granted the Calvinist Protestants of France substantial rights in a nation still considered essentially Catholic. In the Edict, Henry aimed primarily to promote civil unity...
here, which granted Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
s rights to their religion.
During the 18th century, prior to abolition of slavery
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
, Nantes was the slave trade
History of slavery
The history of slavery covers slave systems in historical perspective in which one human being is legally the property of another, can be bought or sold, is not allowed to escape and must work for the owner without any choice involved...
capital of France. This kind of trade led Nantes to become the largest port in France and a wealthy city. When the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
broke out, Nantes chose to be part of it, although the whole surrounding region soon degenerated into an open civil war against the new republic known as the War in the Vendée. On 29 June 1793 the town was the site of a Republican victory
Battle of Nantes
The Battle of Nantes was a battle between Royalist and Republican French forces at Nantes on 29 June 1793 during the War in the Vendée. It consisted of the siege of that town, and was a Republican victory...
in this war. The Loire was the site of thousands of executions by drowning, including those using the method which came to be known as the Republican marriage
Republican marriage
Republican marriage was a form of execution that allegedly occurred in Nantes during the Reign of Terror in Revolutionary France and "involved tying a naked man and woman together and drowning them"...
, in which a man and a woman were stripped naked, tied together, and thrown into the river.
In the 19th century, Nantes became an industrial city. The first public transport anywhere may have been the omnibus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
service initiated in Nantes in 1826. It was soon imitated in Paris, London and New York. The first railways were built in 1851 and many industries were created. In 1940, the city was occupied by German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
troops. In 1941, the assassination of a German officer, Lt. Col. Fritz Hotz, caused the retaliatory execution of 48 civilians. The city was twice severely bombed by British forces
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
, on 16 and 23 August 1943, before being liberated by the Americans in 1944.
Until the 1970s, Nantes' harbour was located on the Île de Nantes
Île de Nantes
The "île de Nantes" is an island located in the center of the city of Nantes and surrounded by two branches of the Loire River, the "bras de la Madeleine" at the north and the "bras de Pirmil" at the south...
, when it was moved to the very mouth of the Loire River, at Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...
. In the subsequent 20 years, many service sector organisations moved into the area, but economic difficulties forced most of these to close. In 2001, a major redevelopment scheme was launched, the goal of which is to revitalise the island as the new city centre.
L'Express (France)
L'Express is a French weekly news magazine. When founded in 1953 during the First Indochina War, it was modelled on the US magazine TIME.-History:...
voted Nantes to be the "greenest city" in France, while in both 2003 and 2004 it was voted the "best place to live" by the weekly Le Point
Le Point
Le Point is a French weekly news magazine. It was founded in 1972 by a group of journalists who had, one year earlier, left the editorial team of L'Express, which was then owned by Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, a député of the Parti Radical...
. In August 2004, TIME designated Nantes as "the most livable city in all of Europe."
Geography
Nantes is located on the banks of the Loire River, at the confluenceConfluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the Erdre
Erdre
The Erdre is a river in western France, right tributary to the river Loire. Its source is in the Maine-et-Loire département, near La Pouëze. It flows through the départements Maine-et-Loire and Loire-Atlantique. It flows into the river Loire in the city Nantes...
and the Sèvre Nantaise
Sèvre Nantaise
The Sèvre Nantaise is a river in western France, left tributary to the river Loire. Its source is in the Deux-Sèvres département, near Secondigny.It flows through the following départements and towns:*Deux-Sèvres: Moncoutant, La Forêt-sur-Sèvre...
, 55 km (35 mi) from the Atlantic Ocean. The city was built in a place where many branches of the Loire river created several islands, but most of those branches were filled in at the beginning of the 20th century (and the confluence with the Erdre river diverted and covered) due to the increasing car traffic.
Nantes is the central point of the land hemisphere
Land hemisphere
The land hemisphere, sometimes capitalised as the Land Hemisphere, is the hemisphere on the Earth containing the largest possible area of land. It is centered on or on ....
(the half of the earth containing the largest possible area of land)
Climate
About 50 kilometres away from the coast, Nantes has generally cool winters and mild summers, with rainfalls at least every week, which makes Nantes a temperate city, though winters can bring freezing temperatures and occasional hot spells in summer, especially during the month of July.Politics
Nantes is the préfecture (capital city) of both the Loire-AtlantiqueLoire-Atlantique
Loire-Atlantique is a department on the west coast of France named after the Loire River and the Atlantic Ocean.-History:...
département and the Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire is one of the 27 regions of France. It is one of the regions created in the late 20th century to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful so-called "balancing metropolises" ¹...
région
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
.
The Nantes metropolitan area (Nantes Métropole) is the intercommunal structure connecting the city of Nantes with nearby suburbs. It had a 1999 population of 554,478, 48.7% of which comprised the city of Nantes. The current mayor of Nantes is Jean-Marc Ayrault
Jean-Marc Ayrault
Jean-Marc Ayrault is a French politician and a member of the French Socialist Party. He is currently Mayor of Nantes and President of the Socialist Party group in the French National Assembly....
(PS
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
), first elected in 1989 and now serving a sixth term, until 2014.
Neighbourhoods
Official
An official is someone who holds an office in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority .A government official or functionary is an official who is involved in public...
and a team of municipal members, similar to a New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
board of selectmen
Board of selectmen
The board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...
. These neighbourhoods are:
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Nine of these neighbourhoods are situated on the right bank of the Loire
Loire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
, one is on the left bank, and one is on the Île de Nantes
Île de Nantes
The "île de Nantes" is an island located in the center of the city of Nantes and surrounded by two branches of the Loire River, the "bras de la Madeleine" at the north and the "bras de Pirmil" at the south...
island.
Nantes and Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
; Nantes was one of its traditional capitals, along with Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
.
Historically, the country around Nantes ' onMouseout='HidePop("80693")' href="/topics/Gallo_language">Gallo
Gallo language
Gallo is a regional language of France. Gallo is a Romance language, one of the Oïl languages. It is the historic language of the region of Upper Brittany and some neighboring portions of Normandy, but today is spoken by only a small minority of the population, having been largely superseded by...
: Paeï de Nàntt) was always seen as being part of Brittany. In 1207, the Dukes of Brittany made Nantes their home, building the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany
Château des ducs de Bretagne
The Château des ducs de Bretagne is a large fortified château located in the city of Nantes in the Loire-Atlantique département of France; it served as the centre of the historical province of Brittany until its separation in 1941. It is located on the right bank of the Loire, which formerly fed...
on the banks of the Loire. Most of the dukes and duchesses were buried in either the cathedral or the nearby abbeys.
In 1789, the separation of the historical provinces of France
Provinces of France
The Kingdom of France was organised into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the département system superseded provinces. The provinces of France were roughly equivalent to the historic counties of England...
resulted in Brittany being split in five; the lower of the five, Loire-Inférieure (today Loire-Atlantique) was where Nantes was situated. As such, Brittany as an administrative region did not exist during the 19th and early 20th centuries, although it did still exist culturally and informally. When regional regroupments during the 20th century resulted in the reinstatement of the regions, Loire-Atlantique found itself split from the other four départements by the Vichy regime
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
in 1941; a new région had been created centred on Nantes, the Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire is one of the 27 regions of France. It is one of the regions created in the late 20th century to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful so-called "balancing metropolises" ¹...
.
Much debate surrounding this move persists. Those against (sometimes called the Breton militants) maintain that the separation was made by a non-democratically elected government, and that Loire-Atlantique is culturally, historically and geographically united to Brittany; those in favour argue that any reunification would reopen a "quarrel of the capitals" between Nantes and Rennes, and that it would be fatal to the Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire is one of the 27 regions of France. It is one of the regions created in the late 20th century to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful so-called "balancing metropolises" ¹...
région.
The issue of language is also relevant; in Upper Brittany
Upper Brittany
Upper Brittany is a term used to describe the eastern part of Brittany which is predominantly of a Romance culture and is associated with the Gallo language. The name is in counterpoint to Lower Brittany, the western part of the ancient province and present-day region, where the Breton language...
(locally called Bretagne Gallèse or Haute Bretagne) Romance languages
Romance languages
The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, more precisely of the Italic languages subfamily, comprising all the languages that descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome...
especially the local Gallo
Gallo language
Gallo is a regional language of France. Gallo is a Romance language, one of the Oïl languages. It is the historic language of the region of Upper Brittany and some neighboring portions of Normandy, but today is spoken by only a small minority of the population, having been largely superseded by...
, as well as French, have long had more influence than Breton. However, in many large cities, including Nantes and Saint-Brieuc
Saint-Brieuc
Saint-Brieuc is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France.-History:Saint-Brieuc is named after a Welsh monk Brioc, who evangelized the region in the 6th century and established an oratory there...
, the Breton language
Breton language
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
has sometimes been spoken more widely than Gallo by the very urban and bourgeois population there (even though in Le Pays Nantais the opposite was true). In recent years, many bilingual plaques have appeared on tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
s in the city, with the help of the Ofis ar Brezhoneg
Ofis ar Brezhoneg
The Public Office for the Breton Language was established on 15 October 2010, in place on the Ofis ar Brezhoneg/Office de la langue bretonne created on 1 May 1999 by the Region of Brittany in France for the promotion and development of the Breton language....
.
Most recently, on 15 May 2004, a hastily organized demonstration in Nantes calling for the reunification of Brittany attracted 6,000 participants, while in five surveys on the issue, between 62% and 75% of the population of Loire-Atlantique have come out in favour of reunification.
In 2008, 1.4% of the children in Nantes attended the bilingual schools for primary.
Colleges and universities
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École des Mines de Nantes The École des Mines de Nantes, or EMN, ENSTIMN, EMNAntes, is a French engineering school based in Nantes, in the west of France... Veterinary medicine Veterinary Medicine is the branch of science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in non-human animals... in France École Polytechnique de l'Université de Nantes École polytechnique de l'université de Nantes is a French Grande École which provides curricula and run research programmes in a variety of scientific and technological fields:* electrical engineering... University of Nantes The University of Nantes is a well-known French university, located in the city of Nantes. Currently, it is attended by approximately 34,000 students. 10% of them are international students coming from 110 countries.-History:... ; founded in 1460, reestablished in Nantes in 1962 |
Transport
The first organized omnibusBus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
transit system within a city appears to have originated in Nantes in 1826. The current network operated by Tan network
Semitan
Semitan is the company responsible for the comprehensive public transport network of the Nantes Métropole, the urban community of the French city of Nantes. The network operated by Semitan is marketed under the name and logo of tan, and this abbreviated form is also sometimes used to refer to the...
includes three tramway lines, one bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
route (known as BusWay
BusWay
The BusWay is a bus rapid transit line operating in the city of Nantes, France. The service was inaugurated on 6 November 2006. The line runs from Place Foch to Porte de Vertou, and interconnects with line one of the Tramway de Nantes....
), dozens of bus routes, an express bus between Nantes Atlantique Airport
Nantes Atlantique Airport
Nantes Atlantique Airport is an international airport serving Nantes, France. It is located southwest of the city, in Bouguenais.The airport is operated by the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Nantes...
, and the city centre (known as Tan Air), three navibuses lines and four suburban train
Regional rail
Commuter rail, also called suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates between a city center, and the middle to outer suburbs beyond 15km and commuter towns or other locations that draw large numbers of commuters—people who travel on a daily basis...
lines (operated by SNCF
SNCF
The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
and running on four intercity train
Inter-city rail
Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that cover longer distances than commuter or regional trains.There is no precise definition of inter-city rail. Its meaning may vary from country to country...
lines within the city's limits). Longer distance travel throughout the Loire-Atlantique département is operated by Lila network, which runs interurban buses.
The Tramway de Nantes
Tramway de Nantes
The Nantes tramway is a tramway system located around the city of Nantes, France. The first tramway in Nantes opened in 1879 and closed in 1958 due to bombing damage during World War II, while the present tramway was re-introduced to the city in 1985....
originally began operation in 1879, but this first generation network closed in 1958. A new generation of tram lines opened in 1985, and the tram network is now the longest in France. The tram network, also part of the Tan network, shares a common ticketing system with buses and other modes within that network.
Nantes railway station
Gare de Nantes
The Gare de Nantes is the principal passenger railway station serving the French city of Nantes. It is a through station aligned east-west, with entrances and station facilities on both north and south sides...
lies on a number of rail lines. Nantes is connected by TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
(high speed train) to Paris, Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
, and Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, with trains to Paris via the LGV Atlantique
LGV Atlantique
The LGV Atlantique is a high-speed railway line running from Paris to Western France. It opened in 1989-1990. It divides into two parts at Courtalain, one going westward to Le Mans , the second one going southwestward to Tours .-Route:The line leaves Gare Montparnasse to cross Paris's southern...
taking just over 2 hours. By Corail
Corail (train)
Corail is the name given to a class of passenger rail cars of the SNCF that first entered commercial service in 1975. When introduced, Corail carriages featured air-conditioning, and superior levels of comfort, suspension and sound-proofing than previous InterCity carriages and gave arguably the...
, Nantes is connected to Quimper, La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
, Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, and Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
. The regional trains and buses of the TER Pays de la Loire
TER Pays de la Loire
TER Pays de la Loire is the regional rail network serving Pays de la Loire, France.- Train :- Bus :*Redon-Saint-Nazaire*Nantes-Poitiers*Nantes-Challans-Saint-Jean-de-Monts*Nantes-Noirmoutier*Nantes-Saint-Jean-de-Monts*Fontenay-le-Comte-Niort...
provide links to Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...
, Angers
Angers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
, Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
, La Roche sur Yon
La Roche-sur-Yon
La Roche-sur-Yon is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.It is the capital of the department. Its inhabitants are called Yonnais.-History:...
, and many other regional cities.
Nantes was formerly a major commercial port, with port facilities on the River Loire in the city centre. Much of the commercial traffic has since migrated downstream, principally to the area around Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...
, although the river remains navigable to ocean-going ships as far as Nantes. River cruises operate on both the Loire and its tributary the Erdre
Erdre
The Erdre is a river in western France, right tributary to the river Loire. Its source is in the Maine-et-Loire département, near La Pouëze. It flows through the départements Maine-et-Loire and Loire-Atlantique. It flows into the river Loire in the city Nantes...
. The Tan network also includes three urban water bus
Water taxi
A water taxi or water bus, also known as a commuter boat, is a watercraft used to provide public transport, usually but not always in an urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a similar manner to a bus, or on demand to many locations, operating in a similar...
routes on both rivers (known as Navibus
Navibus
Navibus is a group of water bus routes in the French city of Nantes, operated as part of the Tan urban transit network that also includes buses and trams. Routes operate on both the River Loire and the River Erdre, and accept the full range of standard Tan tickets.The current services date back to...
).
Nantes Atlantique Airport
Nantes Atlantique Airport
Nantes Atlantique Airport is an international airport serving Nantes, France. It is located southwest of the city, in Bouguenais.The airport is operated by the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Nantes...
, located 8 km to the south-west of the city centre, serves the city and surrounding areas. It is the biggest airport in western France, linking with several French and European cities, as well as Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in Canada and some northern Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
cities. It is currently planned that this airport will be replaced by the Aéroport du Grand Ouest
Aéroport du Grand Ouest
The Aéroport du Grand Ouest is a planned new airport, to be situated to the north-west of the French city of Nantes in the commune of Notre-Dame-des-Landes...
, that will be situated 30 km to the north-west of Nantes in the commune of Notre-Dame-des-Landes
Notre-Dame-des-Landes
Notre-Dame-des-Landes is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The commune is the planned site of the new Aéroport du Grand Ouest, intended to replace Nantes Atlantique Airport. The €580 million project was approved in February 2008, with construction expected to start in...
. The €580 million project was approved in February 2008, with construction expected to start in 2012 and an opening date in 2015.
Castles, churches and mosques
The Château des ducs de Bretagne
Château des ducs de Bretagne
The Château des ducs de Bretagne is a large fortified château located in the city of Nantes in the Loire-Atlantique département of France; it served as the centre of the historical province of Brittany until its separation in 1941. It is located on the right bank of the Loire, which formerly fed...
(Castle of the Dukes of Brittany) is the most important castle and hosts the History Museum of the City of Nantes.
Nantes has many churches, amongst which the most famous are:
- Cathedral of Saints Peter and PaulNantes CathedralNantes Cathedral or the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, Nantes , is a Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Nantes, Pays de la Loire, France...
. - Église Notre-Dame de Bon-Port (Basilica of Saint-Louis).
- Église Saint-Nicolas (Basilica of Saint Nicolas, 1844).
- Église Sainte-Croix (Church of the Holy Cross).
- Église Saint-Clément.
- Église Saint-Similien.
- Église Saint-Donatien et Saint-Rogatien.
- Église Saint-Félix (former bishop of Nantes).
- Église Sainte-Thérèse.
- Église Saint-Pasquier.
Nantes has two mosques:
- Mosquée Arrahma
- Mosquée des Turcs
A third (Mosquée Assalam) is under construction.
Museums
- Musée d'histoire de Nantes (Nantes History Museum); located inside the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany.
- Musée des Beaux-Arts de NantesMusée des Beaux-Arts de NantesThe Fine arts Museum of Nantes is an art museum in Nantes, France.The museum was created in 1801 with the purchase of the Cacault collection and was located in is actual Palais des Beaux-Arts since 1900....
(Fine Arts Museum of Nantes). - Muséum d'histoire naturelleNatural history museum of NantesThe Natural History Museum of Nantes is a French natural history museum located in the city of Nantes.-Gallery:...
(Natural History museum). - Musée Thomas Dobrée (Thomas Dobrée archaeological museum).
- Musée Jules VerneJules Verne MuseumThe Musée Jules Verne is a museum dedicated to the French writer Jules Verne. It is located in the city of Nantes, France.- Description :The museum is housed in a beautiful late 19th century building, which overlooks the Loire River...
(Jules VerneJules VerneJules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
museum). - Musée naval Maillé-BrézéMaillé-Brézé (D627)Maillé-Brézé is a of the French Navy. She was built by Arsenal de Lorient in Lorient, commissioned on 4 May 1957 and named after the French admiral Jean Armand de Maillé-Brézé ....
(naval museum). - The Pays de la Loire regional contemporary artContemporary artContemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
collection. - The PlanetariumPlanetarium of NantesThe Planetarium of Nantes is located on the right bank of the Loire, near the Jules Verne Museum....
.
Historical places
- The Isle of Nantes; a former shipyard turned into a leisure and cultural site, including the Machines of the Isle of NantesMachines of the Isle of NantesThe Machines of the Isle of Nantes is an artistic, touristic and cultural project based in Nantes, France.-Background:...
permanent exhibition. - Passage PommerayePassage PommerayeThe Passage Pommeraye is a small shopping mall in central Nantes, France, named after its property developer, Louis Pommeraye. Construction started at the end of 1840 and was completed on 4 July 1843....
; 19th century galleria with shopping. - Brasserie La Cigale; described by Jean-Louis TrintignantJean-Louis TrintignantJean-Louis Trintignant is a French actor who has enjoyed an international acclaim. He won the Best Actor Award at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival.-Career:...
as "perhaps the most beautiful brasserie in the world." - Place du Commerce; the city's main square.
- Place Royale; a historic square located in the heart of the city, recently renewed.
- Place Graslin; a historic place featuring the Theatre of Nantes and famous brasserie La Cigale.
- Crebillon street and Orleans street lined with luxury boutiques linked by the Place Royale.
- The new Palais de Justice (court house); built in 2000 and designed by Jean NouvelJean NouvelJean Nouvel is a French architect. Nouvel studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was a founding member of Mars 1976 and Syndicat de l'Architecture...
. - La Tour LU (the LU Tower); a tower standing the entrance of the former Lefèvre-Utile biscuit factory.
- Beaujoire StadiumStade de la BeaujoireThe Stade de la Beaujoire - Louis Fonteneau, or "Stade de la Beaujoire", is a stadium in Nantes, France. It is the home of the FC Nantes football club....
; Nantes' largest sports stadium, home of FC Nantes football club. - Le Marché de Talensac (Talensac Market); the main and historical public market.
Leisure
Nantes has several cinemas including:- Katorza
- Le Cinématographe ; the oldest cinema in nantes
- Gaumont Nantes; centrally located at Place du CommerceCommerce (Paris Metro)Commerce is a station on line 8 of the Paris Métro in the Rue du Commerce, at the intersection with the Place du Commerce in the 15th arrondissement....
in the heart of the city. - Concorde; a historic cinema in central Nantes.
- Pathé Atlantis; Nantes' biggest cinema, also located in the borough of Saint-Herblain, in the Atlantis commercial zoneCommercial ZoneCommercial Zone is an album of studio recordings by Public Image Ltd., recorded in 1982-1983 and released in 1984 by PiL founding guitarist Keith Levene. Following his departure from the band, Levene fled with the master tapes to America, where he sold the rights for the material and had several...
.
Concert halls
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Culture
Cultural events
Nantes hosts quite a few cultural events of note, of which these are just a few:- EstuaireEstuaire (biennale)Estuaire is a contemporary art exhibition that takes place every two years between Nantes and Saint-Nazaire , France.The first edition is held in 2007 .- External links :*...
, a contemporary art exhibition that takes place every two years between Nantes and Saint-Nazaire (along the Loire estuary). - Les Rendez-vous de l'Erdre, a jazz festival centered around the ErdreErdreThe Erdre is a river in western France, right tributary to the river Loire. Its source is in the Maine-et-Loire département, near La Pouëze. It flows through the départements Maine-et-Loire and Loire-Atlantique. It flows into the river Loire in the city Nantes...
river. - Les rencontres du fleuve, a festival centered around ships and the river.
- Le Festival Eidos du film d'environnement et de développement durable, a cinema festival themed around the environment and sustainability.
- The Festival des trois continentsThree Continents FestivalThe Festival of the Three Continents is an annual film festival held since 1979 in Nantes, France, and is devoted to the cinemas of Asia, and Africa and Latin America. It was founded by Philippe and Alain Jalladeau. The top award in the festival's competition is the balloon shaped Golden...
, dedicated to African, Asian and South American cinema. - La Folle JournéeLa Folle JournéeLa Folle Journée is a French annual classical music festival held in Nantes. It is the largest classical music festival in France. The festival's name refers to the Pierre Beaumarchais play The Marriage of Figaro, whose alternative title is La Folle Journée .René Martin founded the La Folle...
, a classical music festival, - Les UtopialesUtopialesUtopiales is an annual international science fiction festival held in Nantes, France, probably the largest European event for the field. It covers science fiction and fantasy literature, film, fine arts, comics, role-playing games, and animation, from a distinctly European point of view...
, international science fiction conventionScience fiction conventionScience fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of various forms of speculative fiction including science fiction and fantasy. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expression as movies and...
, - The Festival Voisinages, various theatre performances (Théâtre du Grand T, Théâtre universitaire de Nantes, salle Onyx de Saint-Herblain).
Sport
The local football team is FC Nantes, members of the Championnat Ligue 2Ligue 2
Ligue 2 , formerly known as Division 2, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel , the other being Ligue 1, the country's top football division...
for 2011-12 season but previously French champions
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
on eight occasions and Coupe de France
Coupe de France
The Coupe Charles Simon, commonly known as the Coupe de France , is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation...
winners three times. Former players include: Didier Deschamps
Didier Deschamps
Didier Claude Deschamps is a retired French footballer and current manager of Marseille. He played as a defensive midfielder. As an international, he assisted France with victories in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000...
, Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly is a retired Ghanaian born French footballer and star of the France national football team squad, with whom he won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000...
and Fabien Barthez
Fabien Barthez
Fabien Alain Barthez is a former French footballer goalkeeper who won honours with Manchester United and the French national team, with whom he won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000 and reached the final of the 2006 World Cup. He shares the record for the most World Cup finals clean sheets...
who were members of the France team that won the 1998 World Cup whilst other notable players are Maxime Bossis
Maxime Bossis
Maxime Bossis is a retired football defender from France, who obtained 76 caps for the French national team. He is mostly remembered for missing the last penalty in 1982 World Cup semifinal between Germany and France...
, Philippe Gondet
Philippe Gondet
Philippe Gondet Philippe Gondet Philippe Gondet (born 17 May 1942 is a French former football striker.He played for France during FIFA World Cup 1966 in England.-External links:**...
, Henri Michel
Henri Michel
-External links:...
and Mickaël Landreau
Mickaël Landreau
Mickaël Vincent André-Marie Landreau is a French professional football goalkeeper, who currently plays for French Ligue 1 side Lille OSC. He has 11 caps for the French national team.-Club career:...
.
Gregory Tade
Grégory Tadé
Grégory Tadé is a French footballer who plays for Scottish Premier League club Inverness Caledonian Thistle.-Career:Tadé began his career with Orvault Sports Football in his native France, but moved to Scotland in 2006 to join Forfar Athletic. He was not given a new contract at Forfar, and joined...
, who played for Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
club Raith Rovers, was born in Nantes.
During the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
in France, Nantes hosted a number of matches including England against Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
against Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
.
Music and artistic creation
There are quite a few bands from Nantes who play different genres but are not well known outside of France.The Celtic band Tri Yann
Tri Yann
Tri Yann is a French band from Nantes , who play folk rock music drawing on traditional Breton folk ballads.The band was founded in 1970 by Jean Chocun, Jean-Paul Corbineau and Jean-Louis Jossic – all of whom remain members – hence the suggested name of Tri Yann an Naoned , Jean and Yann being...
was originally known as Tri Yann an Naoned (the three Johns from Nantes).
The DJ group C2C
C2C (group)
C2C is a French turntable group that has won the Disco Mix Club World Team DJ Championship four years in a row .It also won the ITF team championship in 2005...
, champion of the Disco Mix Club
Disco Mix Club
Disco Mix Club is a DJ remix service founded by Tony Prince which began as a radio show in 1981 on Radio Luxembourg in the UK. Prince helped popularise a new style of DJ mixes using the turntable as an instrument. DMC started operating as a remix service in 1983. They started producing remix...
World Team DJ Championship four years in a row (2003–2006) is native of Nantes.
The DJ Madeon is a native of Nantes, and produces many remixes and original mixes.
To see a list of Bands from Nantes, see :fr:Rock à Nantes (French).
Royal de Luxe
Royal de luxe
Royal de Luxe is a French mechanical marionette street theatre company. They were founded in 1979 by Jean Luc Courcoult. Based in Nantes, the company has performed in France, Belgium, England, Germany, Iceland, Chile, Australia and Mexico.- Gigantic puppets :...
street theater company, famous for its performance featuring giant puppets, is based in Nantes.
Food
Galettes, which are a heavier, less sweet version of the crepe, are traditional fare in Bretagne, the region in which Nantes historically resides. Galettes can be eaten at any time of the day, feature buckwheat flour, and are usually filled with meat, eggs, cheese, or a variety of other things. However, they are much less of a dessert food than the traditional crepes.Media
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Radio stations
- Nova @ 87.8
- Rires Et Chansons @ 88.4
- MFM Sud Loire @ 88.8
- Alouette @ 89.5
- RFM @ 90.1
- France-Inter @ 90.6
- JET FM @ 91.2
- Radio Prun' @ 92.0
- Radio SUN @ 93.0
- Virgin Radio @ 94.7
- FIP Nantes @ 95.7
- AlterNantesFM @ 98.1
- Hit West @ 100.9
- Radio France Bleu Loire-Ocean @ 101.8
- NRJ @ 102.4
- Fidélité @ 103.8
- RTL @ 104.3
- Europe 1 @ 104.7
- France Infos @ 105.5
- Cherie FM @ 106.2
- Radio Classique @ 106.7
- BFM @ 107.2
Local newspapers
Newspapers for sale:
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Free newspapers:
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Site Internet Locaux:
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- Nantes Metropole
- Nantes Métropole Développement
- La ville de Nantes
- Garde d'enfants à Nantes
- L'office de tourisme
- L'aéroport de Nantes
- Université de Nantes
Famous Nantais
- Anne of BrittanyAnne of BrittanyAnne, Duchess of Brittany , also known as Anna of Brittany , was a Breton ruler, who was to become queen to two successive French kings. She was born in Nantes, Brittany, and was the daughter of Francis II, Duke of Brittany and Margaret of Foix. Her maternal grandparents were Queen Eleanor of...
, Duchess of Brittany and Queen of France (the only woman to have married two kings of France, Charles VIIICharles VIII of FranceCharles VIII, called the Affable, , was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. Charles was a member of the House of Valois...
and Louis XIILouis XII of FranceLouis proved to be a popular king. At the end of his reign the crown deficit was no greater than it had been when he succeeded Charles VIII in 1498, despite several expensive military campaigns in Italy. His fiscal reforms of 1504 and 1508 tightened and improved procedures for the collection of taxes...
) - Louis-Albert Bourgault-DucoudrayLouis-Albert Bourgault-DucoudrayLouis-Albert Bourgault-Ducoudray was a French Breton composer, pianist, and professor of music history/theory at the Conservatoire de Paris as well as a Prix de Rome laureate. He was born at Nantes and died at Vernouillet, near Dreux...
, composer and professor (Prix de RomePrix de RomeThe Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture, and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists having proved their talents by...
laureate) - Claire BretécherClaire BretécherClaire Bretécher is a French cartoonist, known particularly for her portrayals of women and gender issues. Her creations include the Frustrés, and the unimpressed teenager Agrippine.-Biography:...
, cartoonist - Aristide BriandAristide BriandAristide Briand was a French statesman who served eleven terms as Prime Minister of France during the French Third Republic and received the 1926 Nobel Peace Prize.- Early life :...
, French statesman (1926 Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace PrizeThe Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
laureate) - Claude CahunClaude CahunClaude Cahun was a French artist, photographer and writer. Her work was both political and personal, and often played with the concepts of gender and sexuality.-Early life:...
(born Lucy Schwob), photographer and author - Olivier ElimaOlivier ElimaOlivier Elima is a French professional rugby league footballer for English Super League club Bradford Bulls. A France international representative forward, he played previously for English clubs Castleford and Wakefield Trinity.Olivier Elima has previously played in the back-line during the...
, France national rugby league teamFrance national rugby league teamThe France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
captain. - Pierre Cambronne, general (commander of the Old Guard at WaterlooWaterloo, BelgiumWaterloo is a Walloon municipality located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium. On December 31, 2009, Waterloo had a total population of 29,573. The total area is 21.03 km² which gives a population density of 1,407 inhabitants per km²...
) - Jacques CassardJacques CassardJacques Cassard was a French naval officer and privateer.- Biography :Born on 30 September 1679 to a family of merchants of Nantes, Cassard began a career as a sailor at age 14 on the merchantmen owned by his family. In January 1697, he joined the French Navy on bombship Éclatante.In 1700,...
, corsair - Jeanne CherhalJeanne CherhalJeanne Cherhal is a French singer-songwriter.-Biography:After spending her younger years in Erbray near Châteaubriant, Cherhal studied philosophy before moving to Paris. She started her singing career playing piano – solo, or accompanied by her guitarist Éric Löhrer in small concert venues. At the...
, singer and songwriter - Jacques DemyJacques DemyJacques Demy was one of the most approachable filmmakers to appear in the wake of the French New Wave. Uninterested in the formal experimentation of Alain Resnais, or the political agitation of Jean-Luc Godard, Demy instead created a self-contained fantasy world closer to that of François...
, movie director - Jean GratonJean GratonJean Graton is a comic book author and cartoonist of French nationality. Graton created the famous character Michel Vaillant and the eponymous series in 1957.-Biography:...
, cartoonist (creator of "Michel Vaillant") - Linda HardyLinda HardyLinda Hardy is a French actress and model.-Biography:Hardy won the title of Miss France in 1992 and represented her country at Miss Universe and Miss World.-Movie career:...
, actress and top model (Miss FranceMiss FranceMiss France is the trademark of an annual beauty pageant. Rights to the trademark were obtained in 2002 by the Dutch television production company Endemol through its subsidiary Miss France SAS, whose director general is Sylvie Tellier, Miss France 2002. Endemol also holds the rights in France to...
1992) - Paul LadmiraultPaul LadmiraultPaul Ladmirault was a French composer whose music expressed his devotion to Brittany.-Life:Ladmirault was born in Nantes. A child prodigy, he learned piano, organ and violin from an early age. At the age of 8, he composed a sonata for violin and piano. At the age of fifteen, when still a student...
, composer - Julien de Lallande PoydrasJulien de Lallande PoydrasJulien de Lallande Poydras was a French-American politician who served as Delegate from the Territory of Orleans to the United States House of Representatives....
, New Orleans member of the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution... - Christophe-Léon-Louis Juchault de Lamoricière, general and politician (commander of the Papal armyPapal StatesThe Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
) - Joseph MalègueJoseph MalègueJoseph Malègue , was a French catholic novelist, principally author of Augustin ou le Maître est là and Pierres noires. Les classes moyennes du Salut....
, Catholic novelist. - Suzanne MalherbeSuzanne MalherbeSuzanne Malherbe , also known by the alias Marcel Moore, was a French illustrator and designer. She was the partner of Claude Cahun, surrealist writer and photographer....
(aka Marcel Moore), illustrator and designer - Patrice MartinPatrice MartinPatrice Martin is a Quebec politician in Gatineau, Quebec. He is the councillor of the district of Wrightville-Parc de la Montagne located in the Hull sector of the city....
, water skier (12-time world champion) - Anna MouglalisAnna Mouglalis-Biography:Anna Mouglalis was born in Nantes, Loire-Atlantique, to her Greek father and French mother. She spent her youth in the Var département, before moving back to Nantes with her family. Her father is a doctor and her mother is a masseuse. Until 2001 she studied at the Conservatoire National...
, actress - Benoit RegentBenoît RégentBenoît Régent was a French motion-picture actor.He was born in Nantes. He died in Zürich, Switzerland.-Filmography:*Noir comme le souvenir *...à la campagne *En mai, fais ce qu'il te plaît...
, actor - Claude Sérillon, journalist
- Éric TabarlyÉric TabarlyÉric Tabarly was a notable French yachtsman.A former officer in the French navy who is often considered the father of French yachting....
, sailor - Jérémy ToulalanJérémy ToulalanJérémy Toulalan is a French footballer who currently plays for Málaga CF in La Liga. His usual position is as a defensive midfielder, but he can also be utilized as a central defender. He is best known for his shy and humble demeanor, simple distribution, good technique, and effective...
, footballer - Jules VerneJules VerneJules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
, author - Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau, politician
- Paul de la GironièrePaul de la GironièrePaul Proust de la Gironière was a traveler fromNantes who lived in the Philippines and wrote about hisexperiences there. He arrived in the Philippines in 1820 andestablished the Jala Jala hacienda in Morong ....
, king of Jalajala - Jean-Luc Courcoult, founder and director of Royal de LuxeRoyal de luxeRoyal de Luxe is a French mechanical marionette street theatre company. They were founded in 1979 by Jean Luc Courcoult. Based in Nantes, the company has performed in France, Belgium, England, Germany, Iceland, Chile, Australia and Mexico.- Gigantic puppets :...
street theater company
Twin towns
Nantes has town twinningTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
and cooperation agreements with:
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| Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, UK since 1964. Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
, Germany, since 1965. Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, Georgia, since 1979.
Washington Seattle, Washington, U.S., since 1980. Florida JacksonvilleJacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Florida, U.S., since 1985.
|| Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
, Romania, since 1991. Rufisque
Rufisque
Rufisque is a city in the Dakar region of western Senegal, at the base of the Cap-Vert Peninsula. It has a population of 179,797 . In the past it was an important port city in its own right, but is now a suburb of Dakar....
, Senegal, since 1992. Agadir
Agadir
Agadir is a major city in southwest Morocco, capital of the Agadir province and the Sous-Massa-Draa economic region .-Etymology:...
, Morocco, since 1993. Niigata
Niigata, Niigata
is the capital and the most populous city of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It lies on the northwest coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, and faces the Sea of Japan and Sado Island....
, Japan, since 1999. Cochabamba
Cochabamba
Cochabamba is a city in central Bolivia, located in a valley bearing the same name in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and is the fourth largest city in Bolivia with an urban population of 608,276 and a metropolitan population of more than 1,000,000 people...
, Bolivia, since 1999.
|| Dschang
Dschang
Dschang is a city located in the West Province of Cameroon, with an estimated population of 87,000 in 2001, growing dramatically from 21,705 recorded in 1981. The 2006 Population is estimated to be 200,000 inhabitants....
, Cameroon, since 2002. Recife
Recife
Recife is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil with 4,136,506 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the North/Northeast Regions, the 5th-largest metropolitan influence area in Brazil, and the capital and largest city of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city proper...
, Brazil, since 2003. Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, South Africa, since 2004. Qingdao
Qingdao
' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the...
, China, since 2005. Suncheon, South Korea, since 2007.
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Friendship relations
The city has friendship relations with: Guinea, since 1992. St. MartinvilleSt. Martinville, Louisiana
St. Martinville is a city in and the parish seat of St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on Bayou Teche, sixteen miles south of Breaux Bridge, eighteen miles southeast of Lafayette, and nine miles north of New Iberia. The population was 6,989 at the 2000 census. It is part of the...
, Louisiana, U.S., since 1993. Jericho
Jericho
Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
, West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, since 2001. Desdunes
Desdunes
Desdunes is a town in the Artibonite Department of Haiti. It is located in the Artibonite Valley, roughly 93 miles north of Port-au-Prince....
and Petionville
Pétionville
Pétion-Ville is a commune and a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in the hills east and separate of the city itself on the northern hills of the Massif de la Selle. It was named after Alexandre Sabès Pétion , the Haitian general and president later recognized as one of the country's four founding...
, Haiti, since 2005. Nantes, Quebec
Nantes, Quebec
Nantes is a village of 1,443 people in Le Granit Regional County Municipality in Quebec, Canada. Situated between Stornoway and Lac-Mégantic, where the railroad use to cross, is the village of Nantes.-History:...
, Canada, since 2009.