VANNES

'Vannes' (Breton: ''Gwened'') is a town and commune located in the Morbihan ''département'', in Brittany, in the west of France. It was founded more than 2000 years ago.

Contents

Geography

History

In fiction

Miscellaneous

Births

Sister cities

See also

External links

Geography

Vannes is located along the Gulf of Morbihan, at the confluence of the Vannes River. It is a market town and often linked to the sea.

History

In ancient times, the people of Vannes resisted the Roman invasion under Julius Caesar quite successfully. In fact, these Armoricans were a model for the fractious tribe of the Astérix comic book series. They were great sailors, and whenever they were threatened, they took to the sea.
Caesar saw that he would have to dominate the water if he was ever to subdue them. He allied himself with the neighboring Namnete tribe (which gives its name to the city of Nantes) in order to gain the advantage. Under Roman rule, Vannes was known as Darioritum.
The diocese of Vannes was erected in the 5th century. The Council of Vannes was held here in 461.
The first historical ruler of Vannes was Waroch.

In fiction

In the novels of Alexandre Dumas, the musketeer Aramis appears at one point as bishop of Vannes.

Miscellaneous

Births

Vannes was the birthplace of:

★ Francis I (1414-1450), duke of Brittany

★ Paul César Helleu (1859-1927), artist

★ Yves Rocard (1903-1992), physicist

★ Alain Resnais (born 1922), film director

★ Yves Coppens (born 1934), anthropologist

★ Bernard Poignant (born 1945), French politician

★ Mathieu Berson (born 1980), footballer

Sister cities

Vannes is paired with:

★ Mons, Belgium since 1952

★ Cuxhaven, Germany since 1963

★ Fareham, United Kingdom since 1967
It has partnerships (''partenariats'') with:

★ Barouéli, Mali

★ Wałbrzych, Poland

See also

★ Veneti (Gaul)

★ Saint Meriasek

★ Operation Dingson

External links

★ Official web site of the city

★

★ Visiting Vannes - in English

★ Photos of Vannes in 3d (Anaglyphs)

★ Diocese of Vannes

★ Animal Refuge of Vannes