Rennes (; ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

in Northwestern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

at the confluence of the rivers

Ille The Ille (; ) is a small river in Brittany, France, right tributary of the river Vilaine. It is long. It flows into the Vilaine in the city Rennes. The Ille is linked to the semi-tidal Rance river by the Canal d'Ille-et-Rance. By this canal, ...

and

Vilaine The Vilaine (; ) is a river in Brittany, in the west of France. The river's source is in the Mayenne ''Département in France, département'' (53), and it flows out into the Atlantic Ocean at Pénestin in the Morbihan ''département'' (56). It is ...

. Rennes is the prefecture of the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

and

Ille-et-Vilaine Ille-et-Vilaine (; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Ill-e-Vilaenn'', ) is a departments of France, department of France, located in the regions of France, region of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in the northwest of the country. It is named a ...

department. In 2021, its

urban area An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

had a population of 371,464 inhabitants, while the larger

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

had a population of 771,320.Comparateur de territoire Unité urbaine 2020 de Rennes (35701), Aire d'attraction des villes 2020 de Rennes (013)
INSEE. The inhabitants of Rennes are called ''Rennais'' (masculine) and ''Rennaises'' (feminine) in French. Rennes's history goes back more than 2,000 years to a time when it was a small Gallic village named Condate. Together with

Vannes Vannes (; , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, French department of Morbihan, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, northwestern mainland France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago. History Celtic ...

and

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

, it was one of the major cities of the ancient

Duchy of Brittany The Duchy of Brittany (, ; ) was a medieval feudal state that existed between approximately 939 and 1547. Its territory covered the northwestern peninsula of France, bordered by the Bay of Biscay to the west, and the English Channel to the north. ...

. From the early sixteenth century until the French Revolution, Rennes was a parliamentary, administrative and garrison city of the historic province of

in the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...

, as evidenced by its 17th-century Parliament's Palace. Rennes played an important role in the Stamped Paper Revolt ( Revolt of the papier timbré) in 1675. After the destructive fire of 1720, the medieval wooden center of the city was partially rebuilt in stone. Remaining mostly

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

until the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Rennes underwent significant development in the twentieth century. Since the 1950s, Rennes has grown in importance through

rural flight Rural flight (also known as rural-to-urban migration, rural depopulation, or rural exodus) is the Human migration, migratory pattern of people from rural areas into urban areas. It is urbanization seen from the rural perspective. In Industriali ...

and modern industrial development, partly in the automotive sector. The city developed extensive building plans to accommodate upwards of 200,000 inhabitants. During the 1980s, Rennes became one of the main centres in

telecommunications Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

and high-tech industry. It is now a significant

digital Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Businesses *Digital bank, a form of financial institution *Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) or Digital, a computer company *Digital Research (DR or DRI), a software ...

innovation centre in France. In 2002, Rennes became the smallest city in the world to have a Metro line. Labeled a city of art and history, it has preserved an important

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

and classical heritage within its historic center, with over 90 buildings protected as historic monuments. Home to more than 66,000 students in 2016, it is also the eighth-largest university campus of France. In 2018, named Rennes as "the most liveable city in France".

History

Administration

Since 2015, Rennes is divided into 6

cantons A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, th ...

(populations as of 2019): * Canton of Rennes-1 (40,588 inhabitants) * Canton of Rennes-2 (42,446 inhabitants) * Canton of Rennes-3 (43,683 inhabitants), which includes parts of Rennes but also the ''commune'' of Chantepie * Canton of Rennes-4 (36,348 inhabitants) * Canton of Rennes-5 (46,759 inhabitants), which includes parts of Rennes but also the ''commune'' of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande * Canton of Rennes-6 (46,750 inhabitants), which includes parts of Rennes but also the ''commune'' of Pacé Plan quartiers Rennes

Rennes is divided into 12 quarters: # Centre # Thabor - Saint-Hélier - Alphonse Guérin # Bourg L’Évesque - La Touche - Moulin du Comte # Saint-Martin # Maurepas - Bellangerais # Jeanne d’Arc - Longs Champs - Atalante Beaulieu # La Pommeraie # Sud Gare # Cleunay - Arsenal - Redon - La Courrouze # Villejean - Beauregard # Le Blosne # Bréquigny

Mayors

The current mayor of Rennes is Nathalie Appéré. A member of the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

, she replaced retiring

Socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

incumbent Daniel Delaveau, in office from 2008 to 2014. * Edmond Hervé (b. 1942),

mayor from 1977 to 2008; * Henri Fréville (1905–1987), mayor MRP from 1953 to 1977; * Eugène Quessot (1882–1949), interim mayor from 15 July 1947 until 26 October 1947; * Yves Milon (1897–1987), mayor RPF from 1944 to 1953. Among previous well-known mayors are: * Jean Janvier (1859–1923), from 1908 to 1923; * Edgar Le Bastard (1836–1891), from 1880 to 1891; * Toussaint-François Rallier du Baty (1665–1734) from 1695 to 1734. The ' (''city hall'') is right in the centre of Rennes.

National representation

The French Prison Service operates the '' Centre pénitentiaire de Rennes'', the largest women's prison in France.

Geography

The ancient centre of the town is built on a hill, with the north side being more elevated than the south side. It is at the confluence of two rivers: the

and the

. Rennes is located on the European atlantic arc, 50 km from the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

(near

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo language, Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. The Fortification, walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth ...

, Dinard, and

Mont Saint-Michel Mont-Saint-Michel (; Norman: ''Mont Saint Miché''; ) is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France. The island lies approximately off France's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is i ...

). Rennes has the distinction of having a significant

Green Belt A green belt or greenbelt is a policy, and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wilderness, wild, or agricultural landscape, land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts ...

around its ring road. This Green Belt is a protected area between the city proper (rather dense) and the rest of its urban area (rather rural).

Climate

Rennes features an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

. Precipitation in Rennes is considerably less abundant than in the western parts of Brittany, reaching only half of the levels of, e.g., the city of

Quimper Quimper (, ; ; or ) is a Communes of France, commune and Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Finistère Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in northwestern France. Administration Quimper is the ...

, which makes rainfall in Rennes comparable to the levels of large parts of western Germany. Sunshine hours range between 1,700 and 1,850 annually, which is about the amount of sunshine received by the city of

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

Demographics

In 2018, the inner population of the city was 221,272. The Rennes intercommunal structure connecting Rennes with 42 nearby suburbs (named

Rennes Métropole Rennes Métropole () is the ''métropole'', an intercommunal structure, centred on the city of Rennes. It is located in the Ille-et-Vilaine department, in the Brittany region, western France. It was created in January 2015, replacing the previou ...

) had 450,593 inhabitants and the

had a population of nearly 750,000. Rennes has the second fastest-growing metropolitan area in France after

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

and ahead of

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

and

Sights

Historic centre

The historic centre is located on the former plan of the ramparts. There is a difference between the northern city centre and the southern city centre due to the 1720 fire, which destroyed most of the timber-framed houses in the northern part of the city. The rebuilding was done in stone, on a grid plan. The poorer southern part was not rebuilt. Due to the presence of the ''parlement de Bretagne'', many " hôtels particuliers" were built in the northern part, the richer half of Rennes in the 18th century. Most of the city's monuments historiques can be found there. Colourful traditional

half-timbered Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy Beam (structure), timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and Woodworking joints, joined timbers with joints secure ...

houses are situated primarily along the roads of Saint-Sauveur, Saint-Georges, de Saint-Malo, Saint-Guillaume, des Dames, du Chapitre, Vasselot, Saint-Michel, de la Psallette and around the plazas of Champ-Jacquet, des Lices, Saint-Anne and Rallier-du-Baty.

The Parlement de Bretagne and city hall area

The '' Parlement de Bretagne'' (Administrative and judicial centre of Brittany, ) is the most famous 17th century building in Rennes. It was rebuilt after a terrible fire in 1994 that may have been caused by a flare fired by a protester during a demonstration. It houses the Rennes

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

. The surrounding plaza is built in the classical style. In the west, the Place de la Mairie (City Hall Plaza, Plasenn Ti Kêr): * City Hall * Opera In the east, at the end of the ''Rue Saint-Georges'' with traditional

houses: * 1920s Saint George Municipal Pool, with mosaics * Saint George Palace, and its garden In the south-east: * Saint-Germain square ** Saint-Germain Church ** Saint-Germain footbridge, 20th century wood and metal construction that links the plaza with Émile Zola Quay, across the

River. File:Rennes église Saint-Germain.jpg, Saint Germain's church File:Rennes Opéra.JPG, Opera of Rennes File:Palais Saint-Georges, Rennes.jpg, Saint Georges Palace File:Mairie de Rennes.jpg,

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

The Place des Lices and cathedral area

The Place des Lices is lined by hôtels particuliers. Along with the Place Rallier-du-Baty, it is the location of the weekly big market, the marché des Lices. Near the Rennes Cathedral (cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Rennes) is the Rue du Chapitre: * Hôtel de Blossac * There are 16th century polychrome wooden busts on the façade of 20, Rue du Chapitre. Also in this area are the former St. Yves chapel, which is now the tourist office and a local historical museum, and the Basilica Saint-Sauveur. File:Marche des Lices mise en place 03.JPG, Place des Lices with the roof top of Les Halles Martenot seen in on the left, and the hôtels particuliers on the right File:Bretagne Ille Rennes1 tango7174.jpg, Rue du Chapitre File:Hôtel de Blossac - Portail sur la rue du Chapitre - DSC 0811.JPG, Gate of the Hôtel de Blossac File:Rennes - Saint-Sauveur façade.jpg, Basilique Saint-Sauveur

Remains of the ramparts

Built from the 3rd to the 12th centuries, the ramparts were largely destroyed between the beginning of the 16th century and the 1860s. File:Rennes-mordelaise1.jpg, Portes mordelaises. The street crossing this gate comes from the Place des Lices and ends at the cathedral. File:Rennes remparts.jpg, Tour Duchesne File:Rennes RallierduBaty.jpg, Place Railler-du-Baty File:Rennes remparts.svg, Map of the remaining ramparts in Rennes

Place Saint-Anne area

* Place Saint-Anne (Plasenn Santez-Anna) * Saint-Aubin Church, built in the beginning of the 20th century * Location of a former 14th century hospital * Jacobite

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

, the convention centre In the south-west of the area, ''La Rue Saint-Michel'' nicknamed ''Rue de La Soif'' (''Road of Thirst''), is known for its many bars. Meanwhile, in the south-east, the Place du Champ-Jacquet features Renaissance buildings and a statue of mayor Jean Leperdit ripping up a

conscription Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...

list. File:Place Saint Anne Rennes.JPG, Place Saint-Anne File:Rennes - Couvent des Jacobins 20171216-14.jpg, Convention centre File:Rue St Michel Rennes.JPG, Saint-Michel street File:Place Champ Jacquet.JPG, Medieval houses at Champ-Jacquet

East: Thabor park area

Area of Saint-Melaine square Notre-Dame-en-Saint-Melaine basilica, * Tower and transept from the 11th century Benedictine

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

of Saint-Melaine * 14th century Gothic arcades * 17th century colonnade * Bell tower topped with a gilded Virgin Mary (19th century) * 17th century cloister Jardin botanique du Thabor (formal French garden, orangerie, rose garden, aviary) a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

on 10 hectares of land, built between 1860 and 1867. 17th century promenade "la Motte à Madame", and a monumental stairway overlooking the Rue de Paris entrance to the Thabor. File:Notre dame en saint-melaine DSC 4481.jpg, Notre-Dame-en-Saint-Melaine basilica, viewed from the parc du Thabor Portail du thabor.JPG, Main gate of the parc du Thabor File:Thabor entree rue paris.JPG, Rue de Paris Thabor entrance

South city centre

The south city centre is a mix of old buildings and 19th and 20th century constructions. File:Rennes Grande maison des Carmes escalier.JPG, Maison des Carmes File:Lycee Rennes DSC08932.JPG, Lycée Zola File:Rennes - Église Toussaints façade.jpg, Toussaints church File:Palais du Commerce (Poste) Rennes.JPG, Palais du commerce

South of the Vilaine

The Fine Arts Museum is situated on Quai Émile Zola, by the

River. Les Champs Libres is a building on Esplanade Charles de Gaulle, and was designed by the architect

Christian de Portzamparc Christian de Portzamparc (; born 5 May 1944) is a French architect and urbanist. He graduated from the École Nationale des Beaux Arts in Paris in 1970. His projects reflect a sensibility to their environment and to urbanism that is a found ...

. It houses the Brittany Museum (Musée de Bretagne), the regional library Bibliothèque de Rennes Métropole with six floors, and the Espace des Sciences science centre with a planetarium. At Place Honoré Commeurec is Les Halles Centrales, a covered market from 1922, with one part converted into contemporary art gallery. The Mercure Hotel is located in a restored building on Rue du Pré-Botté, which is the former office of Ouest-Éclair, and then of

Ouest-France ''Ouest-France'' ( ; French for "West-France") is a daily French newspaper known for its emphasis on both local and national news. The paper is produced in 47 different editions covering events in different French départements within the régi ...

, France's leading daily regional newspaper. There are large mills at Rue Duhamel, constructed on each side of the south branch of the Vilaine in 1895 and 1902.

Other sights

To the northwest of Rennes, near Rue de Saint-Malo, are the

lock Lock(s) or Locked may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainme ...

s of the Canal d'Ille-et-Rance, opened in 1843. Two locations for Oberthür Printing Works were built by Marthenot between 1870 and 1895 on Rue de Paris in the eastern part of the city. Oberthür Park is the second biggest garden in the city. The 17th century manor of Haute-Chalais, a granite château, is situated to the south of the city in Blosne Quarter (Bréquigny).

Parks and gardens

File:Gayeulles2013 Etang02.JPG, Gayeulles parc File:Rennes Square de la Motte.JPG, Square of Motte File:Mail François Mitterrand - Rennes.JPG, Mail Mitterrand File:Thabor Dahlias.JPG, Thabor parc File:Lac du parc Oberthür.jpg, Oberthur parc File:Palais Saint-Georges, Rennes.jpg, Saint-Georges garden Parc du Thabor contains a compact but significant

, the Jardin botanique du Thabor. The

University of Rennes The University of Rennes (French: ''Université de Rennes'') is a public university, public research university located in Rennes, Upper Brittany, France. Originally founded in 1460, the university was split into two universities in 1970: Univers ...

, with a campus in the city's eastern section, also contains a

and collections (the Jardin botanique de l'Université de Rennes).

Economy

The local economy is based on car manufacturing, telecommunications, the digital sector and agrifood. The telecommunications firm Orange (ex-France Telecom) is the largest private employer in the metropolitan area of Rennes with a workforce of 4,800 people.

PSA Peugeot Citroën Peugeot S.A., trading as Groupe PSA () (formerly PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles and motorcycles under the Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhal ...

is the second largest private employer, with 3,000 employees. PSA opened a manufacturing plant at La Janais in Chartres-de-Bretagne in 1961.

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

, one of the biggest TV and cinema broadcasting firms in the world, employs over 500 people. Rennes has the second largest concentration of digital and ICT firms in France after Paris (with well-known companies and

startups A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship includes all new businesses including self-employment and businesses tha ...

Atos Atos SE is a European multinational information technology (IT) service and consulting company with headquarters in Bezons suburb of Paris, France, and offices worldwide. It specialises in hi-tech transactional services, unified communicat ...

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

, Neosoft, Orange S.A.,

Thales Thales of Miletus ( ; ; ) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek Pre-Socratic philosophy, pre-Socratic Philosophy, philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. Thales was one of the Seven Sages of Greece, Seven Sages, founding figure ...

Ericsson (), commonly known as Ericsson (), is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Ericsson has been a major contributor to the development of the telecommunications industry and is one ...

, Harmonic France,

STmicroelectronics STMicroelectronics Naamloze vennootschap, NV (commonly referred to as ST or STMicro) is a European multinational corporation, multinational semiconductor contract manufacturing and design company. It is the largest of such companies in Europe. ...

, Technicolor R&D,

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...

, Regionsjob,

Capgemini Capgemini SE is a French Multinational corporation, multinational information technology (IT) services and consulting company, headquartered in Paris, France. History Capgemini was founded by Serge Kampf in 1967 as an enterprise management and d ...

, OVH,

Dassault Systèmes Dassault Systèmes SE () (abbreviated 3DS) is a French Multinational corporation, multinational software corporation which develops software for 3D product design, simulation, manufacturing and other 3D related products. Founded in 1981, it is ...

, Delta Dore,

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

, Artefacto, Enensys Technologies, Exfo, Mitsubishi Electric R&D Europe, Digitaleo, Kelbillet, Klaxoon, Sopra Group, Niji, and Airbus Cybersecurity). Rennes was one of the first French cities to receive French Tech accreditation, in November 2014. Moreover, Rennes has the third highest public research potential in the digital and ICT sectors in France, after Paris and Grenoble, with 3,000 people working in 10 laboratories, including the well-known IRISA, IETR, IRMAR, DGA-MI (cyberdefense), and SATIE. It also has the third highest innovation potential in the French agrifood industry, with many firms in this field ( Lactalis, Triballat Sojasun, Coralis, Panavi, Bridor, Groupe Avril, Loïc Raison, Groupe Roullier, Sanders, etc.), an agro campus (Agrocampus Ouest) and a large international and professional expo, SPACE (held every September). Other large firms located in Rennes include the restaurant conglomerate Groupe Le Duff (owners of Brioche Dorée, Bruegger's, La Madeleine, Mimi's Cafe, Timothy's World Coffee), Ouest-France, the most-read French-language newspaper in the world (with a circulation of 800,000 daily copies), and Samsic

Service Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a ...

(cleanliness, industrial safety, job search, etc.).

Culture

Rennes is known as one of the most festive cities in France. It invests heavily in arts and culture and a number of its festivals such as the music festival ''Les Transmusicales'', ''Les Tombées de la Nuit'', ''Mythos'', Stunfest (

fighting game The fighting game video game genre, genre involves combat between multiple characters, often (but not limited to) one-on-one battles. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappling, counter- ...

competition) and ''Travelling'' (a film festival) are well known throughout the country. During the 1980s, Rennes was often cited as a hub of rock and new wave music in France. Les Champs Libres is the largest cultural institution in Brittany. They welcome more than a million visitors each year. Organized in a six-story pyramid with views over the city, the library offers 120,000 documents for loan, and there we can find as well the Museum of Brittany, Espace des Sciences and Planetarium.

Concert halls

Rennes is well-equipped with musical facilities: * The ''MusikHall'', for large shows (near the airport). (7,000 seats) * ''Le Liberté'', dedicated to major cultural events and touring shows. (5,300 seats) * ''La Cité'', dedicated to contemporary music & local artists. (1,150 seats) * ''L'Étage'' (Le Liberté), dedicated to contemporary music & local artists. (900 seats) * Rennes Opera House (650 seats) and National Theatre of Brittany, TNB in French (Vilar room, 950 seats) for the Brittany orchestra. * The ''Ubu'', an associative concert hall. (500 seats) * ''L'Antipode MJC'', also an art centre. (500 seats) * ''Le MeM/Magic'' Mirrors, concert hall with dining facilities. (2000 seats)

Museums and exhibition places

There are also five museums in Rennes: * Musée des Beaux Arts ( Museum of Fine Arts of Rennes). This art museum holds many works by the sculptor Pierre Charles Lenoir * Musée de Bretagne Museum of Brittany at the Champs Libres, together with the 'espace de sciences' and a planetarium. * Museum of Farming and Rennes Countryside at Bintinais, south of Rennes. * Musée des Transmissions (Museum of Broadcasting) at

Cesson-Sévigné Cesson-Sévigné (; in Gallo: ''Séson'' or ''Seczon-Sevinyaé'', Breton: ''Saozon-Sevigneg'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. It is a suburb directly to the east of Rennes, bordered on its ...

, east of Rennes city centre. * FRAC Bretagne Fond Régional d'Art contemporain (Regional Fund for Contemporary Art). In addition, there are art facilities such as ''40mcube'' exhibition space or the centre for contemporary art ''La Criée''. There are also miscellaneous cultural venues, including the dance-dedicated ''Triange'' and two "Art et Essai" (arthouse) cinemas, ''l'Arvor'' and ''Cine TNB''. Surrounding cities house many other cultural sites.

Media

Rennes was one of the first cities in France to have its own local television channel, 'TV Rennes', created in 1987. Rennes has also local radio stations (Hit West, Radio Campus, Canal B, Radio Caroline, Radio Rennes, Radio Laser) and local newspapers and magazines (Ouest-France, Le Mensuel de Rennes, Place Publique, 20 Minutes Rennes).

Local culture

Local languages

In Brittany, two regional languages are spoken: Breton and Gallo. In Rennes, as part of Upper Brittany, Gallo was predominantly spoken as the local language, although Breton has always been spoken by migrants from the west of the region ( Lower Brittany). Nowadays, the

Breton language Breton (, , ; or in Morbihan) is a Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic languages, Celtic language group spoken in Brittany, part of modern-day France. It is the only Celtic language still widely in use on the European mainland, albei ...

is taught in two Diwan schools, some bilingual public and Catholic schools, in evening courses, and in university. The municipality launched a linguistic plan through

Ya d'ar brezhoneg (, ) is a campaign started in the 21st century by the () to promote and stimulate the use of the Breton language in daily life in Brittany, northwestern France. Breton is a Brythonic Celtic language which has fallen out of general use since the ...

on 24 January 2008. In 2008, 2.87% of primary school children were enrolled in bilingual primary schools, and the number of pupils enrolled in these schools is steadily growing.

Local food

Specialties from Rennes include: * Breton galette * Galette-saucisse *

Crêpe A crêpe or crepe ( or , , ) is a dish made from unleavened batter or dough that is cooked on a frying pan or a griddle. Crêpes are usually one of two varieties: ''sweet crêpes'' () or ''savoury galettes'' (). They are often served ...

Cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the Fermented drink, fermented Apple juice, juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and Ireland. The United Kingdom has the world's highest ...

Many other Breton specialties (seafood, milk, vegetables, cheese, meat) are seen at the Marché des Lices, a weekly market held every Saturday morning (one of the largest markets in France).

Education

The Rennes agglomeration has a large student population (around 63,000). The city has two main universities; '' Université de Rennes'', which offers courses in science, technology, medicine, philosophy, law, management, and economics, and '' Université Rennes 2'', which has courses in the arts, literature, languages, communication, human and social sciences, and sport. The official website of Université Rennes 2 identifies the facility as "the largest research and higher learning institution in Arts, Literature, Languages, Social Sciences and Humanities in the West of France." There are a few '' École Supérieures'' in Rennes, such as the '' École Normale Supérieure de Rennes'' on the Ker Lann campus just outside Rennes, the '' Institut d'études politiques de Rennes'', and the ESC Rennes School of Business. There are also branches of the '' École Supérieure d'Électricité'' – Supélec and Telecom Bretagne in the east of the city (

), a campus of the '' École pour l'informatique et les nouvelles technologies'', a campus of the '' École pour l'informatique et les techniques avancées'', and the '' Institut National des Sciences Appliquées'', a ''

grande école A (; ) is a specialized top-level educational institution in France and some other countries such as Morocco and Tunisia. are part of an alternative educational system that operates alongside the mainstream List of public universities in Franc ...

'' which is next to the '' École nationale supérieure de chimie de Rennes''. The computer science and applied mathematics research institute, IRISA, is located on the campus of the Université des Sciences, near Cesson-Sévigné. The '' Délégation Générale pour l'Armement'' (defence procurement agency) operates the CELAR research centre, dedicated to electronics and computing, in the neighbouring town of Bruz. The Catholic University of Rennes (''Institut Catholique de Rennes'') is a Catholic university founded in 1989. The city is also home to an American study abroad program for high school students, School Year Abroad, in which students are immersed in French culture through five classes in the language and a nine-month home stay. The ''École Compleméntaire Japonaise de Rennes'' (レンヌ補習授業校 ''Rennu Hoshū Jugyō Kō''), a part-time Japanese supplementary school, is based in the ''Collège Anne de Bretagne'' in Rennes.欧州の補習授業校一覧（平成25年4月15日現在）

.

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology The , also known as MEXT, is one of the eleven ministries of Japan that compose part of the executive branch of the government of Japan. History The Meiji period, Meiji government created the first Ministry of Education in 1871. In January 2001 ...

(MEXT). Retrieved 10 May 2014. "College Anne de Bretagne 15, rue de Martenot, 35000 RENNES"

Sport

Football club

* Rennes is home to Stade Rennais F.C., who play in

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

at the Roazhon Park stadium.

Handball

is home to Cesson-Rennes-Métropole handball, who play in division 1.

Road bicycle

* Rennes is home to Fortuneo-Vital Concept (UCI Team Code: BSE), a professional cycling team.

Rugby

* Rennes is home to Stade Rennais Rugby, a women's rugby team who play in Championnat de France de rugby à XV féminin, the top national club competition for women's rugby union in France. Rennes is also home t
REC Rugby
a men's team competing in

Fédérale 1 The championnat de France de rugby à XV de 1re division fédérale (), a.k.a. Fédérale 1 (), is a French rugby union club competition, it is the elite of amateur rugby in France. The competition has been organised by the Fédération Français ...

, the fourth tier of the Men's Rugby Union championship.

Transport

Rennes has well-developed national road, rail and air links.

Public transport

Local transport is based primarily on an extensive bus network (65 lines) and a

light metro A medium-capacity system (MCS), also known as light rapid transit or light metro, is a rail transport system with a capacity greater than light rail, but less than typical heavy-rail rapid transit. MCS trains are usually 1 to 4 cars. Most medi ...

line that was inaugurated in March 2002 and cost €500 million to build. The driverless

Rennes Metro The Rennes Metro () () is a Medium-capacity rail system, light metro system serving the city of Rennes in Brittany, France. Opened on 19 March 2002, it made Rennes the smallest city in the world to have a metro system from 2002 to 2008. Current ...

( VAL) is in length and has 15 stations, including one designed by architect

Norman Foster Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank (born 1 June 1935) is an English architect. Closely associated with the development of high-tech architecture, Lord Foster is recognised as a key figure in British modernist architecture. Hi ...

(La Poterie station). A second light metro line known as Line B was opened on 20 September 2022, after 8 years of construction.

Cycling

Rennes provides another mode of local transport: a bike sharing system with 900 bicycles (named ). Rennes created the first system of modern French bike sharing in 1998.

Roads

The city is an important hub of Brittany's motorway network and is surrounded by a ring road, the Rocade (national road 136). The construction of the bypass was started in 1968 and completed in 1999. It is 31 km (18.5 mi) long, has 2 lanes each way (sometimes 3 lanes) and is toll-free. Many other expressways are connected to the Rennes ring road for local and regional service. By road,

can be reached in 45 minutes,

in 1 hour, Brest in 2 hours and 30 minutes,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 4 hours,

in 5 hours, and

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

in 6 hours and 30 minutes.

Railway

Rennes has a major French railway station, the Gare de Rennes, opened in 1857. Since 2 July 2017, it is now one hour and twenty-seven minutes by

TGV The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...

high-speed train from Paris (after the extension of the High Speed Rail Line). Train services are available to other major cities in France such as

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

, and

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

. Rennes is also an important railway station for regional transport in Brittany. The TER Bretagne provides links to

, Redon, Vitré,

Saint-Brieuc Saint-Brieuc (, Breton language, Breton: ''Sant-Brieg'' , Gallo language, Gallo: ''Saent-Berioec'') is a city in the Côtes-d'Armor Departments of France, department in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in northwestern France. History ...

, Laval, Brest and many other regional cities. It is served by Gares station on the VAL

Airport

Rennes is served by Rennes Brittany Airport (Saint-Jacques), located from the centre to the south-west in the commune Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande. It notably operates regular or seasonal flights to

Paris-Charles de Gaulle Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport , also known as Roissy Airport, is the primary international airport serving Paris, the capital city of France. The airport opened in 1974 and is located in Roissy-en-France, northeast of Paris. It is named for ...

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Palma de Mallorca Palma (, ; ), also known as Palma de Mallorca (officially between 1983 and 1988, 2006–2008, and 2012–2016), is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is ...

, Rome-Fiumicino,

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, Amsterdam Schiphol, Madrid Barajas,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, London-City, London-Gatwick and daily flights to

London Southend Airport London Southend Airport is an international airport situated on the outskirts of Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England, approximately from the Charing Cross#Official use as central point, centre of London. The airport straddles the boundaries b ...

with Flybe.

Notable people

* Soazig Aaron (born 1949), writer * Bertrand d'Argentré (1519–1590), jurist and historian, seneschal of Rennes in 1547, and later head of the presidial court * Emmanuel-Marie Blain de Saint-Aubin (1833–1883), educator, songwriter, story-teller and translator * Georges Ernest Boulanger (1837–1891), general and politician, born in Rennes. * Jean-Claude Bourlès (born 1937), writer and traveler * Simon William Gabriel Bruté de Rémur (1779–1839), a French missionary in the US. * Thomas Conecte (died 1434), a Carmelite friar and preacher. * Nicolas Courjal (born 1973), operatic bass * Maxime Daniel (born 1991), professional cyclist * Madeleine Desroseaux (1873–1939), poet and novelist * Yvonne Dubel (1881–1958), soprano opera singer * Félix Dujardin (1801–1860), professor and dean of the

, famous parasitologist * Joseph Marie Élisabeth Durocher (1817–1860), geologist. * Alexandre-Vincent Pineux Duval (1767–1842), dramatist, sailor, architect, actor and theatre manager. * Viviane Elder (1904–1960), racing driver, aviator and actress * Julien Louis Geoffroy (1743–1814), a literary critic. * René Guillou (1903–1958), composer and organist * Auguste Hilarion, comte de Kératry (1769–1859), poet, novelist, literary critic, historian and politician. * Wilson Isidor (born 2000), professional footballer for

Sunderland AFC Sunderland Association Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Formed in 187 ...

* Paul Jausions (1835–1870), musicologist specialising in Gregorian chant * Hélène Jégado (1803–1852), executed serial poisoner *

Louis-René de Caradeuc de La Chalotais Louis-René de Caradeuc de La Chalotais (March 6, 1701 – July 12, 1785) was a French people, French jurist who is primarily remembered for his role on the so-called "Brittany Affair", in which the Breton Parlement resisted the authority of ...

(1701–1785), jurist, role in the so-called '' Brittany Affair''. * Matthieu Lahaye (born 1984), racing driver * Jean Denis, comte Lanjuinais (1753–1827), politician, lawyer, jurist, journalist and historian. * Pierre-Emmanuel Le Goff (born 1979), film director, producer and distributor * Isaac René Guy le Chapelier (1754–1794), jurist and politician during the time of the French Revolution. * Jacques Legrand (born 1946), linguist and anthropologist, specialising in Mongolian literature, language and history * Malika Ménard (born 1987), Miss France 2010 * Sylvaine Neveu (born 1968), chemist and scientific director of the Solvay group * Louis Pérouas (1923–2011), priest and historian *

François-Henri Pinault François-Henri Pinault (; born 28 May 1962) is a French businessman, the son of billionaire François Pinault. François-Henri took the reins of his father's retail conglomerate Pinault-Printemps-Redoute in 2005, and turned it into the luxury ...

(born 1962), chairman and CEO of Kering *

René Pleven René Jean Pleven (; 15 April 190113 January 1993) was a notable political figure of the French Resistance and Fourth Republic. An early associate of Jean Monnet then member of the Free French led by Charles de Gaulle, he took a leading role i ...

(1901–1993), twice

President of the Council of Ministers The president of the Council of Ministers (sometimes titled chairman of the Council of Ministers) is the most senior member of the cabinet in the executive branch of government in some countries. Some presidents of the Council of Ministers are ...

* Joseph-Marie Quérard (1797–1865), bibliographer. * Pierre Robiquet (1780–1840), chemist member of the Académie des Sciences, discoverer of codein, asparagin and

alizarin Alizarin (also known as 1,2-dihydroxyanthraquinone, Mordant Red 11, C.I. 58000, and Turkey Red) is an organic compound with formula that has been used throughout history as a red dye, principally for dyeing textile fabrics. Historically it wa ...

, among others * Valentina Tronel (born 2009), singer, winner of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2020 and former member of Kids United Nouvelle Génération *

Charles Vanel Charles-Marie Vanel (21 August 1892 – 15 April 1989) was a French actor and director. During his 65-year film career, which began in 1923, he appeared in more than 200 films and worked with many prominent directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, ...

(1892–1989), actor * Marie-Victoire de Lambilly (1767–1813), lawyer, French nobility

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Rennes is twinned with: *

, England, UK ''(since 1956)'' *

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

, US ''(since 1958)'' *

Erlangen Erlangen (; , ) is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the administrative district Erlangen-Höchstadt (former administrative district Erlangen), and with 119,810 inhabitants (as of 30 September 2024), it is the smalle ...

, Germany ''(since 1964)'' *

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

, Czech Republic ''(since 1965)'' *

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,098,335 in 539,698 households, making it the List of cities in Japan, twelfth most populated city in Japan. ...

, Japan ''(since 1967)'' *

Leuven Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipalit ...

, Belgium ''(since 1980)'' * Sétif, Algeria ''(since 1982)'' * Cork, Ireland ''(since 1982)'' *

Almaty Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains ...

, Kazakhstan ''(since 1991)'' *

Bandiagara Cercle Bandiagara Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Mopti Region of Mali. The administrative center (''chef-lieu'') is the town of Bandiagara. The Cercles of Mali, cercle is divided into these Communes of Mali, communes:. *Bandiagara *Bar ...

, Mali ''(since 1995)'' *

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

, Poland ''(since 1998)'' *

Sibiu Sibiu ( , , , Hungarian: ''Nagyszeben'', , Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'' or ''Hermestatt'') is a city in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles th ...

, Romania ''(since 1999)'' *

Jinan Jinan is the capital of the province of Shandong in East China. With a population of 9.2 million, it is one of the largest cities in Shandong in terms of population. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of ...

, China ''(since 2002)'' *

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...

, Spain ''(since 2010)''

Other forms of cooperation

Friendly towns within France * Saint-Gilles-du-Mené, France ''(since 1978)'' * Rennes-les-Bains, France ''(since 1985)'' Pacts of cooperation *

Huế Huế (formerly Thừa Thiên Huế province) is the southernmost coastal Municipalities of Vietnam, city in the North Central Coast region, the Central Vietnam, Central of Vietnam, approximately in the center of the country. It borders Quảng ...

, Vietnam ''(since 1992)'' Sponsorship * Vouziers, France Rennes also has the only Institut Franco-Américain in France.

Broadcasting facilities

* Transmitter Rennes-Thourie

Cityscape

File:Opera-rennes-nuit.jpg, Opera of Rennes File:Palais Saint-Georges, Rennes, Aug 2010.jpg, Saint George Palace File:Tour des Horizons.JPG, Horizons tower (100 metres/328 ft) File:Historic downtown of Rennes, France.jpg, New style city centre File:EgliseSaintMelaineXIRennesFrance.jpg, ''Notre-Dame en Saint-Mélaine'' church File:Ouest France Rennes.jpg,

building File:Rennes Place Rallier du Baty.JPG, Place Rallier du Baty File:Rennes 28placedesLices-03.jpg, Windows of the ''Hôtel Racape de La Feuillée'' at Place des Lices File:Marche des Lices etals.JPG, ''Marché des Lices'', a market on weekly basis for local producers at Place des Lices

References

External links

Official site

City council website

Parlement of Brittany
{{Authority control Communes of Ille-et-Vilaine Cities in Brittany Cities in France Prefectures in France Gallia Lugdunensis