Open left menu ren. Rennes, France - all about the city with photos Where is the city of Rennes in France

What to look at: being the official capital of Brittany, Rennes is devoid of national features. Instead of traditional Breton granite houses there are completely Norman half-timbered houses, and in the central squares there are attempts at the classic splendor of Paris. And no sea (at least a 40-minute drive to it). There is only the narrow river Vilen, which in the 19th century in the city center was dressed in granite embankments.

How to get there:
- by plane: Rennes "St-Jacques airport is located 6 km southwest of the city. Bus number 57 from pl. de la Republique. http://www.rennes.aeroport.fr/
- by train: from Paris (Gare Montparnasse) TGV, travel time 2 hours, ticket price 60 euros; from Saint-Malo – 1 hour, 15 euros; from Vannes – 2 hours, 28 euros; from Brest – 2 hours 30 minutes, 33 euros; from Quimper – 2 hours 30 minutes, 36 euros. From the station to pl. de la Republique can be reached by bus no. 1, 17, 20 or by metro.
- by bus: from Nantes by bus Caraine Atlantique – 2 hours, 20 euros; from Dinan by TAE bus – 1 hour 15 minutes, 10 euros; from Dinard – 1 hour 45 minutes, 15 euros; from Pontorson by Couriers Bretons bus – 1 hour, 12 euros; from Mont Saint-Michel – 1 hour 15 minutes, 13 euros.

City landmarks

From the train station to the city center there is av. Jean Janiver, which crosses the Vilaine River, which previously divided the central part of the city into two parts. Today, the river flows through a concrete channel that goes underground at pl. de la Republique. To the square from the bridge over the river. Vilen goes quai Emile Zola. Carefully recreated quarters of the Old Town lie north of the river.

Central Tourist Office
Where is: 11, rue St-Yves
How does it work: from April to September Mon.-Sat. 9.00-19.00, Sun. 11.00-18.00, from October to March Mon.-Sat. 9.00-18.00.
Website

Urban transport
The city's ground transportation system includes the metro and bus. Metro VAL is one line with 15 stations (12 of them underground), running from northwest to southeast.

Poterie elevated station and underground viaducts were designed by Norman Foster. Until 2008, Rennes was the smallest city in the world with a full-fledged metro (the Lausanne metro took the crown). The Rennes metro has been in operation since March 15, 2002. It is based on Siemens VAL technology and is fully automatic, without drivers. The stations are closed, with sliding doors that open simultaneously with the doors of the arriving train.

The system is controlled by a minimum of 4 people at the central command post in the Chantepie depot; The metro is monitored by 120 surveillance cameras. It is planned to build a second line in the 2010s. Signs on the metro are in Breton or Gallo.

STAR buses. Tickets cost 1.5 euros (10 carnet tickets – 10 euros).

Story
The city of Rennes, at the confluence of the Ill and Vilaine rivers, was founded by the Redon tribe in the 2nd century BC. Then it was called Kondat. After the conquest by the Romans, Rennes developed as a city that stood at the intersection of important trade routes for the ancient world. Since the 5th century, Rennes has housed a bishop's see.

During the time of the independent duchy, it became the center of both ecclesiastical and secular power. New fortress walls were built, and the coronation ceremonies of the Dukes of Breton, who permanently lived in Nantes, took place in the cathedral.

On December 19, 1490, in Rennes, representatives of Maximilian of Habsburg and Anne of Brittany entered into an absentee marriage, after which Anne, as the wife of the heir to the throne of the Holy Roman Empire, began to bear the title of Queen of the Romans.

Commemorative plaque for this event:

The French perceived this marriage as a violation of the Treaty of Verges (according to which the choice of a groom for Anna had to be approved by the King of France), and, moreover, as an openly unfriendly act - the empire at that time was hostile to France. In the spring of 1491, after a series of victories, the troops of Charles VIII and his commander La Tremouille besieged Rennes; they already controlled the rest of the territory of the duchy. This time, King Charles VIII personally sought the hand of the 14-year-old duchess. Maximilian did not have time to come to the aid of his wife, and after a difficult siege, exhausted Rennes surrendered. His mistress also agreed to dissolve the absentee marriage and become the French queen.

On November 15, 1491, peace was concluded, Anna was engaged to Charles in the chapel of the Jacobin Order in Rennes and, accompanied by the army of the duchy (as a sign that she was not traveling as a captive, but as an empress of her own free will), went to the castle of Langeais, where her wedding to the king was about to take place.

In 1532, Brittany lost its independence, but under the terms of Anne of Brittany, the city retained a parliament, and residents enjoyed tax benefits. Parliament existed until the 18th century.

The city, connecting the northern (Saint-Malo) and western (Brest) ports with Nantes, was built up with beautiful mansions - the architects closely followed the most fashionable trends in metropolitan architecture. In the 19th century, embankments appeared on the Vilen River. A new railway station was built in Rennes and tram lines were laid. At the same time, universities were expanded, which brought world fame and glory to the city. During World War II, Rennes suffered greatly, but was quickly restored.

Around town

Most of the ancient medieval city buildings were destroyed in a fire in 1720. The fire was so destructive that residents still call it “the great misfortune” (le grand incident). They say it started because a drunken carpenter inadvertently set fire to wood shavings in his workshop. Whether this is true or not, Ren’s half-timbered houses have survived only on the streets of the Old Town, the most picturesque of which are rue St-Michel and rue St-Georges, located north of the tourist office.

From the city fortifications of Ren, only a few gates have survived, which are associated with the coronation ceremonies of the Dukes of Breton. The dukes lived permanently in Nantes and arrived in Rennes only during the coronation. The coronation procession encamped at the city walls, and then through Portes Mordelaises Gate, which were preserved on the street of the same name, followed the cathedral. Survived and Triumphal Gate of the Future Dukes of Brittany (Porte Triomphale des futurs ducs de Bretagne).

Long Place des Lices- this is medieval Rennes. Once upon a time, knightly tournaments were held here, where the star of 17-year-old Bertrand du Guesclin rose, but now the main event is the Saturday market (the pavilions were built by the local architect Martenot, who imitated the Parisian “womb” of Victor Baltard).

The most impressive architectural ensemble is located on pl. de la Mairie, which is limited on the east by the city hall building, and on the west by the city theater (Theater de Ville) and pl. du Palais. In the northern part of the square stands Palace of the Parliament of Brittany (Palais du Parlement de Bretagne), which can be visited on a guided tour.

The building of the Parliament began to be built by the architect Glautier in 1618, but it acquired its appearance after Salomon de Brosses (author of the Luxembourg Palace in Paris) rebuilt the facade in 1655. The most famous masters of that time took part in decorating the palace. The stacked wooden ceiling of the Meeting Room (Grande Chambre) was designed and installed by Charles Erard. The decoration of the premises was completed only in 1709. Since 1804, the Court of Appeal of Rennes has been sitting in the building of the former parliament (abolished in 1790). Subsequently, the palace was rebuilt several times; Thus, under Louis Philippe I, one of the walls was dismantled so that police vans with criminals could enter the court. In 1883, the courthouse was declared a national treasure after restoration.

On February 5, 1994, during a demonstration by fishermen protesting against tax increases, one of the protesters accidentally set fire to parliament with a flare. Due to the demonstration that continued at night, firefighters were not immediately able to approach the building. Despite the fact that the roof collapsed, some of the tapestries and works of art that decorated the interior of the palace were saved. The restoration took 5 years and cost 35 (according to other sources - 54) million euros. Now the building has been completely restored, but during the restoration they deliberately left traces of this fire.

In the external and internal design of the palace, the main role is played by two themes - the power of law and the union of France and Brittany. The roof is crowned with gilded allegorical figures of Strength, Law, Eloquence and Justice. The balustrade is decorated with alternating coats of arms of Brittany (ermine) and France (fleur-de-lis). Before the fire in 1994, the supporting structures were wooden; after restoration they were made metal.

The main staircase leads to the second floor (“floor of the nobility”, according to Western European accounts - the first), the first floor in the old days served as a prison, it is not decorated, and has an entrance only from the courtyard. Among the court premises restored after the catastrophic fire are the extensive court lobbies, the hexagonal Grand Chamber, the Council chambers of the Grand Chamber, the Court of Appeal, and the jury trial. In all these halls, the ceilings are richly decorated with allegorical paintings and coats of arms, and there are tapestries on the walls of many halls.

Tourist excursions are organized around the Parliament of Brittany. In 2003, 30 thousand people visited it.

Before the revolution pl. du Palais was called Royal (pl. Royale). Then it served as a kind of “frame” for the equestrian statue of Louis XIV (destroyed during the revolution). The City Hall complex (Hotel de Ville, architect Gabriel) includes the town hall (1722), the Palace of Justice and the clock tower.

West of pl. de la Mairie goes to rue St-Georges. She goes out to Cathedral of Saint-Pierre.
How does it work: 9.00-12.00 and 14.00-19.00.
The modern cathedral was built in the 17th century. The neoclassical interior is distinguished by an abundance of gilded decor.

North of the cathedral is worth exploring Maison du Giechlin– the home of a famous Breton knight of the 14th century. It is decorated with stone carvings, which, unfortunately, have suffered greatly over time.

Museum of Brittany and Museum of Fine Arts (Musee de Bretagne, Musee des Beaux-Arts)
Where are they located?: 20, quai Emile Zola, in the University building.
How they work: 10.00-12.00 and 14.00-18.00. Closed on Tuesday.
Price issue: 4 euros and 6 euros, you can buy a single ticket to 2 museums - 8 euros.
What to look at: The Museum of Brittany displays exhibits related to the history, culture and customs of the region. In 2003, the exhibition was updated. In the “beyond the river” southern region there is a new building of the Museum of the History of Brittany (2003, architect Christian Porzampard; a huge exhibition dedicated to everything related to the region).

In the Museum of Fine Arts, the Picasso room is noteworthy, as well as Rubens' "Tiger Hunt", "Born Again" by Georges de la Tour, "Perseus Saving Andromeda" by Veronese, drawings by Leonardo da Vinci and paintings by artists of the Pontaven school.

In the eastern part of the city, city parks can be distinguished. First - Parc du Thabor, with an area of ​​10 hectares, which was landscaped in the 19th century. Interesting are the metal lace gazebos, the monumental staircase at the entrance, the rose garden, and the botanical garden.

Parc Oberthur smaller, but more comfortable. Nearby are the Saint-Georges Palace - an administrative building, which is a restored 17th-century abbey with 19 arcades, and the new Magellan residential complex on the banks of the Vilen - four snow-white seven-story buildings in the shape of ships built by Alan Sarfati.

Nature lovers can go to Bintin farm (ferme de la Bintinais). Here you will find the Eco-Museum of Brittany, where you can see traditional Breton dwellings, a garden of Breton flora, black and white roosters (a special local clucking breed) and a display of the cider making process.

The installation “Megaliths of the 21st Century” is also interesting.

Neighborhood

Becherel– the picturesque town stands on a hill 176 m high and is famous for two things: the Caradoc castle (1723, built for the royal prosecutor of Brittany with the chic corresponding to the official rank; a park with statues around the castle can well be considered the younger brother of Versailles) and the phenomenon of the “book capital” France", born recently (since 1989, a book festival has been held in Bechrel every Easter, and in the summer there is a book market on every first Sunday of the month).

Caradoc Castle.

Chateaugiron- a typical provincial town with a castle, clock tower, half-timbered buildings, parks and a lake.

Langon– the local chapel of Sainte-Agathe is unique (it was converted from an ancient Roman tomb), and the church is one of the oldest in the country (IX century).

Loheac– a rural echo of the nearby city of Le Mans. Here you can visit the sports car museum. His collection contains about 250 samples of different ages and nationalities; nearby there is a workshop for the restoration of old cars.

France is an ideal country for tourists and travelers from all over the world. The developed transport and hotel infrastructure allows you to travel around the whole country and see cities and their attractions quite easily. The climate and weather in the country are mild, there is a beautiful and clean Mediterranean coast where you can have a beach holiday.

The history of the country is very rich, kings and governments have changed, and each of the links left behind masterpieces of architecture, monuments and much more that tourists are so used to admiring now. Rennes is a city in France that is one of these places. There are historical sights, original culture and traditions of local residents.

Cities of France

The main attraction of France is undoubtedly its capital - Paris. All the main architectural monuments are concentrated here; all history happened in this city. However, France is famous not only for its capital. Lyon, Nice, Marseille, Bordeaux and many other cities are also interesting to visit. For example, Nice and the rest of the coastal cities have always been very famous and popular seaside resorts with a clean coastline, many hotels, restaurants and bars. Lyon is the third largest city in the country and the most attractive for living, according to the ranking of the famous company PricewaterhouseCoopers. Marseille is the business center of the south of France due to its large port, while Bordeaux is famous for its high-quality wine production. This is not a complete list of popular tourist cities in France.

Rennes France

Information about Rennes

Rennes, or in English transcription Rennes (France) is a city in the west of the country, the center of the Brittany region. The city's population is 221 thousand inhabitants. The settlement is located at the intersection of the Vilen and Ill rivers. Language of communication is French. The current currency is the Euro.

Location of the city on the map of France

Rennes has a continental climate with hot and dry summers and relatively warm winters, when temperatures rarely drop below zero degrees Celsius. Spring is warm and precipitation is rare. Autumn is rainy and humid, with most precipitation falling at this time of year.

Average temperature and precipitation per month:

• January - 5.1 °C, 62 mm;
• February - 5.5 °C, 65 mm;
• March - 7.9 °C, 53 mm;
• April - 9.1 °C, 43 mm;
• May - 13.5 °C, 63 mm;
• June - 16.5 °C, 46 mm;
• July - 18.3 °C, 39 mm;
• August - 18.3 °C, 41 mm;
• September - 16.1 °C, 47 mm;
• October - 12.5 °C, 62 mm;
• november - 8.26 °C, 69 mm;
• December - 5.8 °C, 63 mm.

Important! The best time to visit Rennes is from the beginning of May to the end of September, when the temperature does not reach very high levels and there is not much precipitation.

How to get there

Getting to Rennes is no problem even for an inexperienced tourist or traveler. Any type of transport in France is ideally developed; high-speed railway tracks are laid in almost all cities and fast trains run. Any major city has an international airport and bus service to regions and provinces. There are several ways to get to the city:

• Airplane. All tourists and travelers arriving in Rennes by air go to Rennes-Saint-Jacques Airport. It is located six kilometers from the city and has about 25 flights on its schedule. You can get from the airport to any point in the village by taxi, transfer or by regular bus;
• High speed trains. High-speed and regular trains run from Paris and other major cities to Rennes. Their schedule is quite extensive; you can get there from Paris in a few hours;
• Bus. The bus network in France and the Brittany region is very well developed, the buses are equipped with everything necessary for a comfortable trip. From the capital the journey will take about 3.5 hours;
• Personal car. You can rent a car at one of the rental centers and go on an independent trip. This is the most convenient way of transportation; you can stop and see a sight of interest at any time;
• Metro. There is a metro in Rennes, which makes it quite convenient to move between interesting objects on your own.

Important! When traveling on the metro, it is much cheaper to buy a card for several trips than to pay for each one separately.

Attractions, holidays and events

Rennes (France), whose sights are included in the list of the country's national heritage, is rich in architectural monuments. Among them are the following:

• Palace of the Parliament of Brittany. Built in 1655, the building is used for meetings of the region's parliament. The architect was Germain Gautier. The building was rebuilt several times, since it also houses a court. So that convicts could be brought to the hearings, one of the walls was dismantled. In 1883, the building was included in the list of national treasures of France. In 1994, the building was badly damaged by fire and was restored.

Palace of Parliament of Brittany

• Rennes Cathedral and Saint-Aubin Church. The Gothic-style buildings are iconic religious buildings throughout France. The cathedral was built in 1845 and is decorated with 80 figures of saints.
• University of Rennes in modernist style. There are two universities in the city, which will be interesting to see for lovers of modern architecture.
• Tabor Botanical Garden. Operating since 1868, it is one of the oldest in Europe. Great place for hiking in nature. The garden is planted with exotic plants. There is a shop and a hospital on site, and a school is located nearby. A great place to see the life and culture of the local people.

Among the events held in the city, one can highlight the market, which meets once a week in the central square: there you can buy many interesting goods and souvenirs.

Interesting! Every summer, the botanical garden hosts a flower festival that will be interesting to admire. For football fans, it is recommended to attend a match of the local team Rönn, which plays in the major league.

• There is a metro in Rennes. It is noteworthy that all cars are completely tire-driven and operate without drivers.
• There are several very stylish apartment hotels in the city. Among them we can highlight Aparthotel Adagio Access Rennes Centre. This is a luxurious hotel with excellent interior design and luxurious furnishings.
• Locals have a lot of respect for tourists who try to address them in French. It is recommended to have a phrasebook with you to make a translation.

Rennes is a very popular city among tourists and travelers. It is of great importance for the culture of France. The transport and tourism infrastructure is well developed, making it easy to visit this hospitable city.

Rennes is the capital of Brittany, and this is where we started our cycling trip through this French region. I’ll say right away that I expected a little more from the capital, but Rennes did not live up to my expectations. As I understand it, the main problem is that at the beginning of the 18th century the city center burned down, so not much of my favorite half-timbered timber and other antiquities have survived here. I’ll probably leave most of the antiquities for the next episode, but now I’ll tell you what else you can see in Rennes besides my favorite lopsided half-timbered houses.

Making a map with the sights of any city in France is not the most rewarding task; there are excellent tourist offices in every village, so you can always find your way around normally even without prior preparation. But still, for the sake of order, I will continue to post them, especially since I already had them ready at the stage of preparation for the trip.

A short introduction to the topic of how we got to Rennes from Moscow. Let me remind you that the trip around Brittany was planned as a bicycle trip, and with my own bicycles, which had to be brought from Moscow. To make my life as easy as possible, I bought a direct Aeroflot ticket to Paris. Further to Rennes from Charles de Gaulle Airport there was a direct high-speed TGV train, i.e. it was possible to go straight from the plane to Brittany without stopping in.

I often manage to literally jump into doors that are slamming in front of my nose, such is my slobby nature. But at the same time, I have never been late for a plane or train in my life. So, this time we handed in our bikes one (!) minute before the end of registration, but we still made it. I was a little worried that because of this they would forget to load the bikes onto the plane, but I relied entirely on Aeroflot, which never let me down.

I think you have already guessed the further course of events, right? Of course, we didn’t get any bikes in Paris. There were some other poor souls from our flight who had lost their baby stroller. In principle, there was no disaster, Aeroflot has four flights to Paris a day, ours was the first, so they should have brought us. But it was a pity for the expensive TGV tickets to Rennes, which were now disappearing.

Having registered the loss of luggage with the sweet girl Irina, whom Aeroflot delegated to the hellish Parisian airport to solve such problems, we calmly went to drink coffee and wander around Charles de Gaulle. By the way, she offered to deliver the bikes to us at our place of residence in France, to which we laughed and showed a plan according to which the place of residence changed every day. The only option is to wait all the way at the airport, and you will be kind enough to notify us when the luggage shows up. And Irina turned out to be kind within literally 15 minutes; we only had time to pour ourselves some coffee. She called me, met me and escorted me back through customs to the arrivals area. On the way, I scolded very much the lazy and stupid Parisian porters, who, it turns out, simply left the luggage somewhere below and did not lift it to the arrivals area. She herself went down to this basement and found our bikes and stroller. In general, Aeroflot did a great job, they worked efficiently, and the French are fools, however, when I saw these loaders, I was also glad that they didn’t take the bikes home, they had such gangster faces.

Thanks to Irina’s efficiency, we still caught the scheduled train to Rennes, with about five to ten minutes left. But out of habit, I was stuck for a very long time in the slow-moving French machine for buying train tickets. A characteristic detail is that no one from the queue behind me tried to help me, they just muttered something and were indignant. Yes, I love the French, you understand. Somewhere in Germany, half a station would have come running to help me even without asking.

The slight deviation from the plan due to this incident did not affect the first day of the trip. We made it safely to Rennes on the next train, fortunately they run every two hours, and checked into a hotel that I wisely chose right opposite the station. Already at six in the evening we managed to go for a walk. And by and large, by eight in the evening we had walked around the main attractions of Rennes. The next morning we rode around Rennes on a bike for a couple more hours and returned to the capital of Brittany on the very last day of our trip, so we still managed to walk around one evening, but we preferred to spend it on local bars. What I mean is that you shouldn’t spend a lot of time on Rennes, half a day here is easy, you can also pop into a couple of museums.

I just read that Rennes turns out to be not such a hole as I thought. The tenth city in France by population for a moment. There is even a metro here; at one time it was the smallest city in Europe with its own metro line. But still, if I had very little time for Brittany, I would have thought a hundred times whether to include Rennes in the route; there are much more interesting places here.

Okay, enough ranting, it's time to start walking. The closest interesting place to our hotel was the modern Champs Libres complex, consisting of the Museum of Brittany, by the way, a very worthy place, judging by the descriptions, a library and a scientific center.

All this modern beauty is located around such a lonely and deserted huge square (Charles de Gaulle Esplanade).

Well, you never expect much beauty from the areas near the station, so we didn’t linger here and went towards the historical center.

On the way we came across strange naked women, or rather the madams themselves were made in a completely classical style, but their coloring, hmm-hmm.

So far typical France. You might think that you are in or in , for example.

The very center of Rennes begins immediately after crossing the Vilaine River.

Much of the center of Rennes is a minicopy. The same grid of identical faceless cream buildings.

Here is also a typical example. Honestly, I’m not a fan of such correct city landscapes.

The petit basilica of Saint-Sever is of interest in this area. Unfortunately, it was closed when we were there, but this is perhaps the most interesting temple in Rennes. At least four miracles happened here. Allow me a little copy-paste.

Inside is a statue of Our Lady of Miracles and Virtue. It was installed in 1876 to replace one that had been revered since the 14th century and destroyed during the French Revolution. Popular rumor associates four miraculous events with the statue. The first occurred during the War of the Breton Succession, when Rennes was besieged by British troops. According to legend, on the night of February 8, 1357, the candles in the temple suddenly lit themselves and the bells began to ring. The defenders of the city drew attention to the statue of the Mother of God, which pointed to the ground with a finger. Thus, an underground gallery was discovered through which British troops planned to enter the city. The invasion was prevented.

The second miracle happened in 1720, when during a fire, despite extensive damage and the collapse of the roof, the statue survived. Residents of Rennes were sure that it was she who stopped the fire. The saved residents of the Lis quarter completed a watercolor depiction of the Mother of God as a vow. The original from 1721 is kept in Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle. In the southern side nave of the Basilica of the Holy Savior there is an enlarged version of it.

Another miracle involved the instant healing of a young woman, Marie Richeleau, who had suffered from unbearable pain in her knee for several years. She was miraculously delivered from it during mass on February 18, 1742. A painting depicting these events has been preserved.

A certain Magdalena Maurice was also healed of gangrene on her leg during Easter Mass in 1761, as there is a corresponding entry in the parish register.

The basilica has a special interior decoration. The canopy over the main altar and the wrought iron pulpit look especially impressive.

My companion Olka became interested in more mundane matters.

However, more humane streets are starting to come across.

City Hall of Rennes. It was built after the fire of 1720, which destroyed the historical center of the city. The City Hall building immediately set an example for the rest of the city's development.

Interesting structure. Yes, the symmetrical buildings are connected by the Clock Tower. Please note that at the bottom of the tower there is an empty niche. First, a statue of Louis XV was installed there, then after the revolution it was destroyed. At the beginning of the 20th century, a monument was erected here, symbolizing the unification of Brittany and France. The sculptor depicted Brittany as Anne of Brittany... kneeling before a symbolic image of France. It is clear that the local separatists did not like the sculpture at all. And on the 400th anniversary of the unification, right during the holiday, they demonstratively destroyed the monument, which ultimately stood for only twenty years.

At the end of the street, the pretentious Exchange building peeks out.

And right there in the yard you can see such beauty. No matter how Rennes puffs himself up, one still feels his provincialism.

My biggest disappointment was that the Rennes Cathedral is not ancient and Gothic at all, but just so neoclassical.

I wasn't too impressed inside the cathedral either. The most offensive thing is that its main value - the 16th century Flemish altar with 80 figures of saints - was under restoration, and I did not see it.

View of the towers of St. Petra.

The Square of the Stadiums, now instead of knightly tournaments there is a market and cafes.

Rennes has its own bike rental network.

It is very significant that this part of the city is dying out in the evening. Locals prefer to sit in bars and restaurants in the half-timbered part of Rennes, it is much more cozy there.

The next attraction of Rennes is the building of the Parliament of Brittany. It was one of the only ones that survived the fire of 1720, but it burned down today. During a demonstration of fishermen (fishermen, Charles!), one of the protesters launched a firecracker, it hit the window of the building and burned it, although not completely, but thoroughly. So the cheap firecracker cost local taxpayers 50 million euros.

On the square in front of the Parliament, I saw the familiar inscription Lumieres. And in France it means that there are light shows in the evening. And sure enough, at ten in the evening they began to project pictures on the Parliament buildings accompanied by music, a fair crowd gathered, in general, it was interesting, but I was too lazy to take pictures.

In Rennes, at the beginning of the century, an amazing public swimming pool was built in the Art Nouveau style.

Square de la Motte.

Palace Saint-Georges.

The historical center is dominated by the modern residential complex Scarlet Sails.

RENINE (city in France) RENINE (city in France)

RENNE (Rennes) (Rennes), a city in western France, the administrative center of the department of Ile-et-Vilaine and the main city of the historical region of Brittany (cm. BRITTANY (historical region)). Population 214.2 thousand people (2004).
A major transport hub: connected by a canal to the English Channel. Mechanical engineering (automotive, agricultural), electrical engineering, chemical, textile, clothing, food, printing industries. Two universities. The Rennes Ecomuseum consists of a museum of the history of the development of farming (since the 16th century) and a museum of fine arts, archeology and history of Brittany (with a collection of paintings of the 17th and 18th centuries of the French and Italian schools, as well as works of the Impressionists and Surrealists).
In the 10th-16th centuries. Rennes was the capital of the Duchy of Brittany and an episcopal center. Here is an architectural miracle - the building of the ancient Breton parliament - the Palace of Justice (15th century), decorated with the works of many famous artists and craftsmen (panels, paintings, tapestries). After a severe fire in 1994, the building was restored with the efforts and resources of all Bretons. The building is as beautiful as ever. The Place Royale in front of the Houses of Parliament once served as a precious setting for the equestrian statue of Louis XIV (cm. LOUIS XIV Bourbon)(depicted as a Roman emperor) by the architect Gabriel (cm. GABRIELLE (Jacques Ange)(the statue was demolished during the revolution).
The medieval city was surrounded by a thick fortress wall with passage gates. Among the surviving gates, one of the most powerful and impressive is the Triumphal Gate of the future Dukes of Brittany, through which the Dukes and Bishops of Breton passed along with the procession. Living permanently in Nantes, on the eve of the coronation they camped at the gates of Rennes, where they took a sacred oath to defend the privileges and rights of the Bretons. Then they passed through the Mordelez gate to St. Peter's Cathedral, where the solemn ceremony took place. At the site of knightly tournaments and festivities, located outside the city wall, the Square of the Stadiums was formed, surrounded by wooden houses of the 17th century. In the old town, buildings and structures from the 16th and 17th centuries have been preserved.

encyclopedic Dictionary. 2009 .

See what "REN (city in France)" is in other dictionaries:

Rennes: Rennes (French Rennes) a city in France, the capital of Brittany Ren (Wren) English surname Ren, Christopher (English Christopher Wren, 1632 1723) English mathematician and architect. Ren (Rehn) Scandinavian surname Ren, Ollie ... ... Wikipedia

RENNE (Rennes) (Rennes) is a city in western France, the administrative center of the department of Ille-et-Vilaine and the main city of the historical region. Brittany. Transport hub: connected by a canal to the Strait. La Manche. 203 thousand inhabitants (1990). Mechanical engineering, chemical,... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Rennes), Rennes, the main city of the historical region. Brittany (NW France). 206 thousand inhabitants (1999). Ancient Gallic city, architect. monuments of the 11th–18th centuries. Two unta. Museums. Large transport node, connected to the hall by a channel. Saint Malo in the Strait. La Manche. Sat... ... Geographical encyclopedia

Rennes, a city in western France, the administrative center of the department of Ille-et-Vilaine and the main city of the historical region of Brittany. Transport hub: connected by a canal to the English Channel. 204 thousand inhabitants (1990). Mechanical engineering, chemical,... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

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general information

After the construction of a railway line in 1857, industry developed rapidly in Rennes. The city suffered greatly from destruction (alternately by both warring parties) during the Second World War. Significant reconstruction and redevelopment have given Rennes a new, very successful look. The city is interesting not only for tourists. Today there are many students in it, life is in full swing at night, and the compact ancient city has preserved beautiful architecture (many buildings were restored after the war).

The city's Republic Square is built in accordance with the majestic French traditions. Although the Breton parliament has functioned since the 17th century, the monumental character of Rennes only emerged after an ambitious rebuilding that followed a fire in 1720, during which almost the entire city burned down.

The picturesque area of ​​Jle Lys, fortunately, survived and became the heart of the old city. Roman defensive structures of the 3rd century have been preserved. with sections from the 15th century. The half-timbered houses along the stone-paved streets are an integral part of the city's appearance.

Best time to visit

At the beginning of July to attend the fun festival De Tombe de la Nuits with free street entertainment.

What to see

• Calm, wonderfully planned Tabor Park with a large collection of interesting plants and a colorful display of birds in cages.
• Colorful wooden busts of the 16th century. on the façade of house no. 20 Rue du Chapitre.
• The third largest daily market in France takes place on Saturdays in imposing Victorian pavilions designed by the architect Martenot.
• A street lined with nothing but an endless string of bars, Rue Saint Michel, nicknamed the “path of thirst,” comes alive on Thursday evenings when students arrive.
• The extraordinary Baths of Saint-Georges, an Art Deco masterpiece, erected on the site of a former Benedictine abbey church in 1925.

The infamous trial of Alfred Dreyfus, an officer who was unjustly accused of treason in 1894 and exiled to Devil's Island, took place in Rennes.