Nantes

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Nantes
Location of
Country	France
Government
• Mayor	Jean-Marc Ayrault (PS)
Population	280,600
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	44109 /

Nantes (Template:Lang-br; Gallo: Naunnt) is a city in western France, near the Atlantic coast, with 711,120 inhabitants in its metropolitan area at the 1999 census. Nantes is the capital of the Pays de la Loire region, as well as the prefecture of the Loire-Atlantique departement. It is also the most important city of historic province of Brittany, though now a part of the current Pays de la Loire administrative region. Nantes is a green city, and is also known, according to its citizens and a French magazine Le Point, as the most pleasurable and peaceful city to live in France.

Originally founded as a town by the Celtic tribe named Namneti 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. In 1943, the city was bombed twice by British bombers. Nantes was freed by the Americans in 1944.

In recent years the city's harbour was moved to the very mouth of the Loire river, at Saint-Nazaire, and since then the city has moved to a more modern, service based, economy.

Nantes today belong to the Loire Atlantique region, though it has been the most important and largest city of Brittany. But the city remains historically the most important city of Brittany...

The dukes of Brittany settled in Nantes and built their castle, which is now one of the main points of interest of the city. They made Nantes politically and historically the center of what Bretagne (britanny) once was, until the division of the old provinces in 1789 and the creation of five departements: Loire Inferieure (today Loire Atlantique) is one of those, but at that time, Nantes was still part of Brittany. During the twentieth century, Loire Atlantique departement is not attached anymore with the other britons departement, due to economical reasons. Then, the departement does not belong anymore to the Bretagne region, and today is still part of the Pays De La Loire region.

Nantes is still cited located in Brittany in almost every English speaking travel guide, and the population of the city still consider the city and surroundings as part and historical center of Brittany, with Breton taught in a few schools, a rich culture and an identity of the city only linked to Brittany.

• Château des ducs de Bretagne (Castle of the dukes of Brittany) Castle of the Dukes of Brittany website
• Cathedrale Saint Pierre (Cathedral Saint-Peter Saint-Paul)
• Eglise Saint Nicolas (Church of Saint Nicolas)
• Eglise Sainte Croix (Church of the Holy Cross)

• Musee d'histoire de Nantes (inside the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany)
• Musee des Beaux arts de Nantes (Fine arts museum of Nantes)
• Musee Thomas Dobree (Thomas Dobree archaeological museum)
• Musee d'histoire naturelle (natural history museum)
• Musee Jules Verne (Jules Verne museum)
• Musee de l'imprimerie (museum of printing)
• Musee naval Maille Breze (naval museum)
• Musee de la machine à coudre (sewing machine museum)
• Musee des sapeurs pompiers du Pays de la Loire (the firemen museum of the Pays de la Loire)
• Musee des compagnons du devoir, also Manoir de la Hautiere (exhibition of masterpieces crafted by journeymen)
• The Pays de la Loire regional contemporary art collection
• The Planetarium

• Passage Pommeraye
• Brasserie La Cigale: reknowned as France's most beautiful brasserie.
• 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 and French famous brasserie La Cigale.
• Crebillon street and Orleans street: the two most expensive streets of the city, linked by Place Royale.
• The new Palais de Justice (court houses): built in 2000 and designed by Jean Nouvel.
• Tour LU (LU Tower): a tower soaring off the former Lefevre-Utile biscuit factory.
• Beaujoire Stadium: Nantes' largest sports stadium, home of FC Nantes Atlantique.
• Marche Talensac (Talensac market): the main and historical market of the city.
• The Isle of Nantes: a former shipyard turned into a leisure and cultural site, including the Machines of the Isle of Nantes permanent exhibition.

• Jardin des plantes de Nantes (botanical gardens of Nantes)
• Ile de Versailles (Versailles Island): Japanese gardens
• Parc de Proce (Proce park)
• Parc du Grand Blottereau (Grand Blottereau park)
• Parc de la Chantrerie (Chanterie park)
• Parc de la Beaujoire (Beaujoire park)
• Parc de la Gaudiniere (Gaudiniere park)
• Le cimetiere paysager (the landscape cemetery)
• Le jardin des cinq sens (the five senses garden)
• Vallee de l'Edre (Erdre valley)
• Prairie aux Ducs

• Nantes Zenith (concert hall): France's largest and newest Zenith, which can hold up to 8500 people.
• Theatre Graslin (Graslin Theater); Nantes' historical theatre.
• Pannonica
• Lieu Unique: located in what once was the LU biscuit factory.
• Olympique: Built in an old cinema in 1927.
• Carriere: located in the borough of Saint-Herblain.
• Trocardiere: located in the borough of Reze.
• Onyx: Located in the Atlantis commercial zone, designed by Jean Nouvel.
• Cite Des Congres
• Terrain Neutre Theater
• Bouche D'Air
• University Theater

• Gaumont Nantes: central, located at the Place du Commerce in the very heart of the city, reknowned as the first cinema of Nantes, hosting movie premieres.
• 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.
• Cinematographe: specialising in arthouse movies.

• Nantes 7
• Télé Nantes
• France 3 (local news)

• 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

Free

• La lettre A Lulu
• Le mois Nantais
• Metro
• 20 Minutes
• Nantes Attitude
• Nantes Passion
• Pil'
• Pulsomatic
• People Nantes
• INSITU Nantes

Payable

• Le Journal Des Entreprise
• Nantes Poche
• Nouvel Ouest
• Ouest France
• Presse Ocean
• L'eclair

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.

Nantes is divided into 11 neighborhoods, nine on the right bank of the Loire, one on the left bank, and one on the Ile-de-Nantes island.

Nantes is bordered by the communes of Basse-Goulaine, Bouguenais, Carquefou, La Chapelle-sur-Erdre, Coueron, Indre, La Montagne, Orvault, Reze, Saint-Herblain, Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire, Saint-Jean-de-Boiseau, Saint-Sebastien-sur-Loire and Vertou.

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 in downtown Nantes has reached 276 200 inhabitants.

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.

Formerly the capital of Brittany, Nantes was separated from the region by the Vichy government in June 1941. Although the city has been part of the Pays de la Loire région since 1971, the feeling that Nantes belongs to Brittany is still solid nowadays. For cultural and political reasons, many people still identify with Brittany.

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 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.^[1]

• Ecole Centrale de Nantes
• Audencia Nantes: school of management
• Ecole Polytechnique de l'Universite de Nantes
• Ecole des Mines de Nantes
• Universite de Nantes: created in 1460, moved to Rennes in 1735, only to be reopened in 1962.
• Ecole d'Architecture de Nantes
• Ecole Nationale d'Ingenieurs des Techniques des Industries Agricoles et Alimentaires
• Ecole Superieure du Bois
• Ecole de design Nantes Atlantique
• Ecole Nationale Veterinaire de Nantes: one of four national schools of veterinary in France.

The omnibus, the first organized public transit system within a city, appears to have been originated in Nantes in 1826 with the tramway beginning operation in 1879. This tramway system closed in 1958 until tramways made a comeback. There has been a question about whether to build a tramway or a subway system for Nantes, but it appears that the population opted for a tramway. The first tramway line was opened in 1985, now the largest tramway network in France. Future line extensions are projected.

Nantes public transportation (TAN for transport de l'agglomeration Nantaise in French) has three tramway lines, one busway line, hundreds of bus lines, two navibus lines and four suburbian train lines. The system works efficiently with moderate ticket rates, rare delays, constant informations about the network and clean transports. TAN renewed its fleet of buses as well as the tramways and the brand new busway, in way to help to protect the environment with natural gas powered buses, and low deck for tramways, busways, buses and navibus for full accessibility to disabled people for the whole network.

• Ligne 1 (Tramway)
• Ligne 2 (Tramway)
• Ligne 3 (Tramway)
• Ligne 4 (Busway)
• Hundred of bus lines
• Two Navibus lines
• Four suburbian train lines

Projects on the network:

• Extension of the line 1
• Extension of the line 3
• Connection between the tramway lines 1 and 2
• Nantes is the first European city to have created a busway launched in November 2006 : the *Ligne 4.

TAN has made an agreement with local trains TER to allow people wishing to go in suburbian areas to use the trains, within the city limits, with a TAN ticket.. There are four lines linking major suburban areas of the city.

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. TER (regional transport) links to Saint-Nazaire, Angers, Le Mans, La Roche sur Yon, and many other regional cities.

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. Nantes airport is directly linked to the city by a shuttle bus.

The construction of a new airport is soon expected to begin at Notre Dame Des Landes, and will eventually become the main airport of western France, and the second main French airport.

• Anne of Brittany: Duchess of Britany, 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.

Nantes has town twinning agreements with several cities;

• Cardiff, Wales (1964)
• Saarbrucken, Germany (1965)
• Tbilisi, Georgia (1979)
• Seattle, United States (1980)
• Jacksonville, United States (1985)

• Land hemisphere

• Official website of the city of Nantes (French)
• (TAN) Nantes public transports official website (French)
• Nantes Atlantique International Airport website (English)
• National Trains (SNCF) And Suburban Trains (TER) In Nantes(French)
• Nantes tourist office official website (English)
• Rugby world cup 2007 in Nantes (English)
• Castle of the Dukes of Brittany website (English)
• Visiting Nantes (English)
• Photos of Nantes (English)
• Official website of the FC Nantes, the city famous football club (French)
• Nantes Weather Forecast (English)

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