(Redirected from Nantes, France)
'Nantes' (;
Gallo: ''Naunnt'') is a city in western
France, located on the
Loire River, from the
Atlantic coast.
[1] The city is the
sixth largest in France, with 711,120 inhabitants in its
metropolitan area at the
1999 census, and 790,318 inhabitants at a
2007 estimate.
[2]
Nantes is the ''
préfecture'' of the
Pays de la Loire ''
région'', as well as the
Loire-Atlantique ''
département''. It is also the most important city of the historic province of
Brittany, and culturally still remains strongly identified with it.
[3] The city's name derives from the Nemnètes, a
Gallic tribe who had settled there before the Romans conquered
Gaul.
[4]
In
2004,
Time described Nantes as the "the most livable city in all of Europe".
[5]
History
Originally founded as a town by the
Celtic tribe named Namnèti around
70 BC, it was conquered by
Julius Caesar in
56 BC and named ''Portus Namnetus''. Christianised in the 3rd century AD, Nantes was successively invaded by the
Saxons (around 285), the
Franks (around 500), the
Britons (in the 6th and 7th centuries) and the
Normans (in 843). In 937,
Alain Barbe-Torte, grandson of the last king of
Brittany who was expelled by Norris, 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
Protestants 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 first 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. The excesses of the revolution led to thousands of summary executions, mainly by drowning in the
Loire 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 railroads were built in 1851 and many industries were created.
In 1940, the city was occupied by
German troops. In 1941, the murder 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 freed by the Americans in
1944.
[6]
Until the 1970's, 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.
[7]
Politics and administration
:''This section includes information translated from the Wikipedia article
« fr:Nantes », specifically from
this version.''
Mayor of Nantes
Main articles: List of mayors of Nantes
The current mayor of Nantes is
Jean-Marc Ayrault (
PS), first elected in
1989 and now serving a third term, until
2008.
[8]
Neighbourhoods
Since
1995, Nantes has been divided into 11 neighbourhoods, each resembling an 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:
★ Centre-ville
★ Bellevue-Chantenay
★ Dervallières-Zola
★ Hauts-Pavés-Saint-Félix |
★ Malakoff-Saint-Donatien
★ Île de Nantes
★ Breil-Barberie
★ Nantes-Nord |
★ Nantes-Erdre
★ Doulon-Bottière
★ Nantes-Sud |
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.
Metropolitan area
Main articles: Urban Community of Nantes
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.
''Région'' and ''département''
Nantes is the ''
préfacture'' (capital city) of both the
Loire-Atlantique ''
département'' and the
Pays de la Loire ''
région''.
Nantes and Brittany
The city of Nantes, and the Loire-Atlantique ''département'', were formerly part of the historic province of
Brittany; Nantes was one of its former capitals, along with
Rennes.
Historically, the country around Nantes (; ;
Gallo: ''Paeï de Nàntt'') was always seen as being part of Brittany. In
1207, the
Dukes of Brittany made Nantes their home, building the
Château des Ducs de Bretagne on the banks of the Loire. Most of the dukes and duchesses were buried in either the castle or the nearby abbey.
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.
[9] 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''.
[10]
The issue of linguistics is also relevant; in the east of Brittany (variously called ''Bretagne Gallèse'' or ''Haute Bretagne'') the French language and its derivatives, such as Gallo, have long had more influence than Breton. However, in many large cities, including Nantes and
Saint-Brieuc, the Breton language has always been spoken more widely (even though in ''Le Pays Nantais'' the opposite was true). In recent years, many bilingual plaques have appeared on tourist attractions in the city, with the help of the
Office de la Langue Bretonne.
Most recently, on 15 May 2004, a hastily organised 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.
[11]
Geography
Nantes is located on the banks of the
Loire river, at the confluence of the
Erdre and the
Sèvre Nantaise, and near the river's mouth, 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.
Demographics
As of the
1999 census, there were 270,251 inhabitants in the
commune of Nantes. The population density was 4260 persons/km². There were 711,120 inhabitants in the
metropolitan area.
As of February
2004 estimates, the population of the city of Nantes has reached 276,200 inhabitants.
Climate
About 50 kilometers 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 be freezy and summers hot, especially during the month of July.
[12]
Miscellaneous
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 "the most livable city in all of Europe".
[13][14]
The local
football team is
FC Nantes Atlantique. For the
2007 Rugby World Cup in France, Nantes will play host to 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).
On
December 31,
2006, some 600 people gathered in Nantes to facetiously protest the arrival of the New Year. They marched and held up banners that read "No to 2007" and "Now is better!" The protesters asked several governments and even the
UN to declare a moratorium on the future. When the clock ticked past midnight, indicating the arrival of 2007, the protesters happily began to cheer "No to 2008!" The organisers claimed that they would stage the same event at the end of 2007, but this time on the
Champs-Elysees avenue in
Paris.
[15]
Colleges and universities
★ Ecole Centrale de Nantes
★ Audencia Nantes; school of management
★ Ecole Polytechnique de l'Université de Nantes
★ Ecole des Mines de Nantes
★ Ecole d'Architecture de Nantes |
★ Université de Nantes; founded in 1460, reestablished in Nantes in 1962
★ Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs des Techniques des Industries Agricoles et Alimentaires
★ Ecole Supérieure du Bois
★ Ecole de design Nantes Atlantique
★ Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Nantes; one of four national schools of veterinary in France |
Transport
Public transport
The
omnibus, the first organized public transit system within a city, appears to have originated in Nantes in
1826.
[16] The
Tramway de Nantes began operation in
1879, but would close in
1958. The system was reopened in
1985, and is now the largest tramway network in France.
[17]
The tramway of Nantes
''Transport de l'Agglomération Nantaise'' (TAN) now operate three tramway lines, one busway line, hundreds of bus routes, two navibus lines and four suburban train lines. Current expansion projects on the tram network include the extension of lines one and three.
Intercity trains
Nantes lies on a number of rail lines, including several
TGV lines. Nantes is connected via TGV to
Paris,
Lyon,
Marseille,
Lille, and
Strasbourg. By
Corail (classical train), Nantes is connected to
Quimper,
La Rochelle,
Bordeaux,
Lyon, and
Toulouse.
Transport express régional (TER, regional transport) links to
Saint-Nazaire,
Angers,
Le Mans,
La Roche sur Yon, and many other regional cities.
Airports
Nantes Atlantique Airport, located to the south west, serves the city and surrounding areas, with daily flights linking main French airports as well as several European cities and further destinations.
The construction of
L’Aéroport du Grand Ouest is soon expected to begin at
Notre-Dame-des-Landes, just north of Nantes. The €580 million project is expected to come into operational use by
2012, and will become the main airport of western France.
[18]
Leisure and sights
Castles and churches
★
Château des Ducs de Bretagne (Castle of the
Dukes of Brittany)
★
Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul
★
Église Notre-Dame de Bon-Port (Basilica of Saint-Louis)
★ Église Saint-Nicolas (Church of Saint Nicolas)
★ Église Sainte-Croix (Church of the Holy Cross)
Museums
★ Musée d'histoire de Nantes (inside the Château des ducs de Bretagne )
★ Musée des Beaux arts de Nantes (Fine arts museum of Nantes)
★ Musée
Thomas Dobrée (Thomas Dobrée archaeological museum)
★ Muséum d'histoire naturelle (Natural History museum)
★ Musée
Jules Verne (Jules Verne museum)
★ Musée de l'imprimerie (museum of printing)
★ Musée naval Maille Breze (naval museum)
★ Musée de la machine à coudre (sewing machine museum)
★ Musée des sapeurs pompiers du Pays de la Loire; the firefighting museum of the Pays de la Loire
★ Musée des compagnons du devoir, also Manoir de la Hautière; an exhibition of masterpieces crafted by journeymen
★ The Pays de la Loire regional contemporary art collection
★ The
Planetarium
Historical places
★
Passage Pommeraye; 19th century galleria with shopping
★ Brasserie La Cigale; renowned as one of France's most beautiful brasseries
★ Place du Commerce; the city's main square
★ Place Royale; an historic quarter located in the heart of the city, recently renewed
★ Place Graslin; an historic quarter featuring the
Theatre of Nantes
★ 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 Nouvel
★ ''La Tour LU'' (the LU Tower); a tower standing the entrance of the former
Lefèvre-Utile Biscuit Co. factory
★
Beaujoire Stadium; Nantes' largest sports stadium, home of
FC Nantes Atlantique soccer club
★ ''Le Marché de Talensac'' (Talensac Market); the main and historical public market
★ The
Isle of Nantes; a former shipyard turned into a leisure and cultural site, including the
Machines of the Isle of Nantes permanent exhibition.
Parks and gardens
★ Jardin des plantes de Nantes (botanical gardens of Nantes)
★ Ile de Versailles (Versailles Island); Japanese gardens
★ Parc de Procé (Procé park)
★ Parc du Grand Blottereau (Grand Blottereau park)
★ Parc de la Chantrerie (Chanterie park) |
★ Parc de la Beaujoire (Beaujoire park)
★ Parc de la Gaudinière (Gaudiniere park)
★ Le cimetière paysager (the landscape cemetery)
★ Le jardin des cinq sens (the five senses garden)
★ Vallée de l'Edre (Erdre valley)
★ Prairie aux Ducs |
Concert halls
★ Nantes Zénith (concert hall); France's largest and newest, which can hold 8,500 people
★ Théatre Graslin (Graslin Theatre); Nantes' opera house & historical theatre.
★ Lieu Unique; located in the former LU biscuit factory.
★ Olympique; Built in an old cinema in 1927
★ Carrière; located in the borough of Saint-Herblain
★ Trocardière; located in the borough of Rezé
★ Onyx; located in the Atlantis commercial zone, designed by Jean Nouvel |
★ Pannonica
★ Cité Des Congrès
★ Terrain Neutre Théatre
★ Bouche D'Air
★ University Theatre |
Cinemas
★ Gaumont Nantes; centrally located at the
Place du Commerce in the heart of the city
★ UGC Atlantis, located in the borough of Saint-Herblain, in the Atlantis commercial zone
★ Pathé Atlantis; also located in the borough of Saint-Herblain, in the Atlantis commercial zone
★ Cinématographe, specialising in
arthouse movies
Media
Local television channels
★ Nantes 7 |
★ Télénantes |
★ France 3 Pays de la Loire |
Radio
★ NRJ (pop rock)
★ Fun Radio (dance and soul)
★ Le Mouv' (rock)
★ Hit West (pop rock) |
★ FIP (public broadcasting)
★ Alternantes
★ France Bleu Loire Ocean (public broading)
★ Jet FM |
★ Prun' (student radio)
★ Sun FM
★ NTI
★ Radio Classic |
Newspapers
Newspapers for sale:
★ ''Ouest France''
★ ''Nouvel Ouest'' |
★ ''Le Journal Des Entreprise''
★ ''Nantes Poche'' |
★ ''Presse Ocean''
★ ''L'éclair'' |
Free newspapers:
★ ''La lettre A Lulu''
★ ''Le mois Nantais''
★ ''Métro'' |
★ ''20 Minutes''
★ ''Nantes Attitude''
★ ''Nantes Passion'' |
★ ''Pil'
★ ''Pulsomatic''
★ ''People Nantes'' |
★ ''INSITU Nantes'' |
Famous people born in Nantes
★
Anne of Brittany;
Duchess of Brittany,
Queen of France, and wife of
Louis XII
★ Pierre Jacques Etienne
Cambronne; commander of the Old Guard at
Waterloo
★
Claire Bretecher; cartoonist
★
Aristide Briand; French statesman, awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize
★
Claude Cahun (born
Lucy Schwob); photographer and writer
★
Jean Graton; cartoonist
★
Rene Pauvert; chef
★
Julien de Lallande Poydras; former
New Orleans member of the
United States House of Representatives
★
Suzanne Malherbe; artist
★
Benoit Regent; actor
★
Jules Verne; writer
★
Eric Tabarly; sailor
★
Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau; French statesman
★
Louis de la Moriciere; commander of the
Papal Army
Twinnings
Nantes has
town twinning agreements with several cities;
See also
★
Land hemisphere
References
1. Nantes Hutchinson Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 14 August 2007.
2. Population des villes de France au dernier recensement PopulationData.net. Retrieved on 14 August 2007.
3. A New Luster in the Ancient Heart of Brittany The New York Times, 5 August 2007. Retrieved on 7 August 2007.
4. Nantes Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 14 August 2007.
5. The Last Best Place In Europe Time Europe, 22 August 2004. Retrieved on 4 August 2007.
6. http://www.reception.com/US/nantes/histoire.htm
7. Revit Metropolitan Development
8. http://www.nantes.fr/mairie/municipalite/delegations-d-elus/jean-marc-ayrault.html
9. http://www2.phys.canterbury.ac.nz/~wjt23/Horn.html
10. Loire-Atlantique guide
11. Does the Breton language have a future? Breizh.net, May 2004. Retrieved 7 August 2007.
12. Climate information for Nantes Retrieved on 08-09-07.
13. As above
14. A recognized quality of life Business in Western France. Retrieved on 4 August 2007.
15. French marchers say 'non' to 2007 BBC News, 1 January 2007. Retrieved on 12 February 2007.
16. Omnibus, Paris Late 19th Century Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue, Dept. of Economics & Geography, Hofstra University. Retrieved 9 August 2007.
17. City tram now a mature network Tramways & Urban Transit, January 2001. Retrieved 9 August 2007.
18. http://www.airports.org/aci/aci/file/ADN%20-%20Momberger/ACI-ADN_Dec06.pdf
External links
★
Official website of the city of Nantes
★
(TAN) Nantes public transport official website
★
Nantes Atlantique International Airport website
★
Nantes tourist office official website
★
Rugby World Cup 2007 in Nantes
★
Official website of the FC Nantes-Atlantique
★
Independent website of the FC Nantes
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