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 French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

. 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 Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...

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 The canton of Rennes-1 is an administrative division of the Ille-et-Vilaine department, in northwestern France. It was created at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Rennes. The canton is entir ...

(40,588 inhabitants) *

Canton of Rennes-2 The canton of Rennes-2 is an administrative division of the Ille-et-Vilaine department, in northwestern France. It was created at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Rennes. The canton is entir ...

(42,446 inhabitants) *

Canton of Rennes-3 The canton of Rennes-3 is an administrative division of the Ille-et-Vilaine department, in northwestern France. It was created at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Rennes. It consists of the f ...

(43,683 inhabitants), which includes parts of Rennes but also the ''commune'' of

Chantepie Chantepie (; ; Gallo: ''Chauntepiy'') is a commune of Rennes Métropole located in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Chantepie are called ''Cantepiens'' in French. See also *Commun ...

Canton of Rennes-4 The canton of Rennes-4 is an administrative division of the Ille-et-Vilaine department, in northwestern France. It was created at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Rennes. The canton is entire ...

(36,348 inhabitants) *

Canton of Rennes-5 The canton of Rennes-5 is an administrative division of the Ille-et-Vilaine department, in northwestern France. It was created at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Rennes. It consists of the f ...

(46,759 inhabitants), which includes parts of Rennes but also the ''commune'' of

Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande (; ; Gallo: ''Saent-Jaq'') is a commune of Rennes Métropole in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in northwestern France. Population People from Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande are called ''jacquolandins'' in Fr ...

Canton of Rennes-6 The canton of Rennes-6 is an administrative division of the Ille-et-Vilaine department, in northwestern France. It was created at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Rennes. It consists of the f ...

(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 Nathalie Appéré (; born 8 July 1975) is a French politician who has served as the president of Rennes Métropole since 2020 and the mayor of Rennes since 2014. She is a member of the Socialist Party (PS). Appéré was born in Morbihan and move ...

. 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 Daniel Delaveau (; born 22 December 1952 in Châlette-sur-Loing, Loiret) is a French politician and former Mayor of Rennes. He is a member of the Socialist Party. He was born in a working-class family, and was active in Catholic youth organizati ...

, in office from 2008 to 2014. *

Edmond Hervé Edmond Hervé (; born 3 December 1942) is a French politician, a member of the Socialist Party and French senator from 2008 to 2014. He was the mayor of Rennes from 1977 to 2008, succeeding Henri Fréville. Biography Born in La Bouillie, C ...

(b. 1942),

mayor from 1977 to 2008; *

Henri Fréville Henri Fréville (; 4 December 1905, in Norrent-Fontes, Pas-de-Calais – 15 June 1987, in Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine) was a French history professor, writer, politician and French Resistance member. Life He was history professor at the lycée Cha ...

(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 French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

operates the ''

Centre pénitentiaire de Rennes The ''Centre pénitentiaire de Rennes'' is a women's prison of the French Prison Service in Rennes, Brittany, France. Since 2008, it has been the only women's prison in France. Its operations began in 1878.women's prison Approximately 741,000 women are incarcerated in correctional facilities, a 17% increase since 2010 and the female prison population has been increasing across all continents. 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 Dinard (; , ; Gallo: ''Dinard'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department, Brittany, northwestern France. Dinard is on the Côte d'Émeraude of Brittany. Its beaches and mild climate make it a holiday destination, and this has resul ...

, 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 () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...

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 Rennes Cathedral () is a Roman Catholic church architecture, church located in the town of Rennes, France. It has been a monument historique since 1906. The cathedral, dedicated to Saint Peter, is the seat of the Archbishops of Rennes, Archbisho ...

(cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Rennes) is the Rue du Chapitre: *

Hôtel de Blossac The ''Hôtel de Blossac'' is an 18th-century ' in the historic center of Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Renne ...

* 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

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 Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** 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 The Canal d'Ille-et-Rance (, literally ''Canal of Ille and Rance''; ) is a long canal in northwestern France connecting Dinan to the Vilaine at Rennes, thus forming part of the English Channel/Atlantic Ocean link which has long been used by yacht ...

, 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 Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

(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 Chartres-de-Bretagne (; , Gallo: ''Chartr'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in northwestern France. Inhabitants of Chartres-de-Bretagne are called ''Chartrains'' in French. Population See also *Communes of the ...

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 Inc., Harmonic France, STmicroelectronics, Technicolor R&D, Ubisoft, Regionsjob, Capgemini, OVH, Dassault Systèmes, Delta Dore, Canon Inc., Canon, Artefacto, Enensys Technologies, Exfo, Mitsubishi Electric, Mitsubishi Electric R&D Europe, Digitaleo, Gopili, 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 (restaurant chain), 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 (economics), Service (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 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 Les Champs Libres, 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, 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 language, 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 is taught in two Diwan (school), 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 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: * Galette, Breton galette * Galette-saucisse * Crêpe * Cider 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; ''University of Rennes, Université de Rennes'', which offers courses in science, technology, medicine, philosophy, law, management, and economics, and ''University of Rennes 2 - Upper Brittany, 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 ''Education in France#École Supérieure, 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 Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Rennes, ESC Rennes School of Business. There are also branches of the ''École Supérieure d'Électricité'' – Supélec and École nationale supérieure des télécommunications de Bretagne, Telecom Bretagne in the east of the city (Cesson-Sévigné), 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 ''INSA Rennes, Institut National des Sciences Appliquées'', a ''grande école'' 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 Hoshuko, 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 (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 at the Roazhon Park stadium.

Handball

* Cesson-Sévigné is home to Cesson-Rennes-Métropole handball, who play in LNH Division 1, 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 French women's Premier Division (rugby union), 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 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 Medium-capacity rail system, light metro line that was inaugurated in March 2002 and cost €500 million to build. The driverless Rennes Metro (Véhicule Automatique Léger, VAL) is in length and has 15 stations, including one designed by architect Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, Norman Foster (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, France, Brest in 2 hours and 30 minutes, Paris in 4 hours,

in 5 hours, and Brussels 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 high-speed train from Paris (after the extension of the High-speed rail, High Speed Rail Line). Train services are available to other major cities in France such as Lyon, Marseille, Lille, and Strasbourg. Rennes is also an important railway station for regional transport in Brittany. The TER Bretagne provides links to

, Redon, Vitré, Ille-et-Vilaine, Vitré, Saint-Brieuc,

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

Airport

Rennes is served by Rennes–Saint-Jacques Airport, Rennes Brittany Airport (Saint-Jacques), located from the centre to the south-west in the commune

. It notably operates regular or seasonal flights to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Lyon–Saint Exupéry Airport, Lyon, Marseille Provence Airport, Marseille, Nice Côte d'Azur Airport, Nice, Toulouse–Blagnac Airport, Toulouse, Barcelona–El Prat Airport, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca Airport, Palma de Mallorca, Rome-Fiumicino Airport, Rome-Fiumicino, Southampton Airport, Southampton, Dublin Airport, Dublin, Exeter Airport, Exeter, Manchester Airport, Manchester, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Amsterdam Schiphol, Barajas Airport, Madrid Barajas, Birmingham Airport, Birmingham, London City Airport, London-City, London Gatwick Airport, London-Gatwick and daily flights to London Southend Airport 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 Bruté, 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 A.F.C., Sunderland AFC * Paul Jausions (1835–1870), musicologist specialising in Gregorian chant * Hélène Jégado (1803–1852), executed serial poisoner * Louis-René de Caradeuc de La Chalotais (1701–1785), jurist, role in the so-called ''Brittany Affair''. * Matthieu Lahaye (born 1984), racing driver * Jean-Denis Lanjuinais, 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 (Mongolist), 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 (born 1962), chairman and CEO of Kering * René Pleven (1901–1993), twice Prime Minister of France, President of the Council of Ministers * Joseph-Marie Quérard (1797–1865), bibliographer. * Pierre Robiquet (1780–1840), chemist member of the Académie des Sciences, discoverer of Codeine, codein, Asparagine, asparagin and alizarin, among others * Valentina Tronel (born 2009), singer, France in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2020, winner of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2020 and former member of Kids United, Kids United Nouvelle Génération * Charles Vanel (1892–1989), actor * Marie-Victoire de Lambilly (1767–1813), lawyer, French nobility

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Rennes is Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with: * Exeter, England, UK ''(since 1956)'' * Rochester, New York, US ''(since 1958)'' * Erlangen, Germany ''(since 1964)'' * Brno, Czech Republic ''(since 1965)'' * Sendai, Miyagi, Sendai, Japan ''(since 1967)'' * Leuven, Belgium ''(since 1980)'' * Sétif, Algeria ''(since 1982)'' * Cork (city), Cork, Ireland ''(since 1982)'' * Almaty, Kazakhstan ''(since 1991)'' * Bandiagara Cercle, Mali ''(since 1995)'' * Poznań, Poland ''(since 1998)'' * Sibiu, Romania ''(since 1999)'' * Jinan, China ''(since 2002)'' * Santiago de Compostela, 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, 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 Rennes, Communes of Ille-et-Vilaine Cities in Brittany Cities in France Prefectures in France Gallia Lugdunensis