Nantes(pronounced [ n ɑ t ] ) is a French commune of western France , south of the Armorican Massif , which extends on the banks of the Loire , at 50 km from the Atlantic Ocean . Chief instead of the department of Loire-Atlantique and prefecture of region of Pays de la Loire , is the centerpiece of the urban community Nantes Métropole with nearly 600,000 inhabitants. Associated with the town of Saint-Nazaire , the outport on the Loire estuary , it is now the city ‘s French Grand West . Labeled city of art and history , Nantes is 2008 ‘s sixth most populous commune in France with 282,047 inhabitants, and the first municipality in terms of people, both the region Pays de la Loire that the West 1 .
From the historical point of view, having been an important port site of the Age of Metal, Nantes became the capital of the Gallo-Roman Namnètes , the seat of a bishopric in the v th century, then the capital of a county fair, illustrated by the semi-legendary figure of Roland . Fulcrum of the Frankish kingdom against the thrust of the Bretons in Nantes was conquered in 851 by Nominoe . Thus began the history of Brittany in the city, which remains the castle , the main ducal residence in the xv th century, when Nantes is truly the capital of the duchy of Brittany , where construction began on the present cathedral. Nantes lost its political prominence in Britain in favor of Rennes with the integration in the early xvi th century , the duchy in the kingdom of France. The next three centuries are marked by the important role of Nantes in international trade, that is to say, largely in the slave trade , which reached its peak in the xviii th century and provides a considerable enrichment of monumental urban landscape.
During the Revolution , the defense of Nantes is a key issue in the war of Vendée (1793 seat). After this difficult period, the city has no previous return to prosperity, but in the xix th and early xx th century, its industrial development is remarkable in western France. In the xx th century , the urban landscape is marked by the filling of many rivers that divided the city, and by bombing during the Second World War . In the years 1950-1960, the working class Nantes plays a significant role in the social movement French (1955, 1968). Since the end of the xx th century , the city has undergone deindustrialization, but became a center of tertiary sector . She is a university town since 1962. Port infrastructure in Nantes are still an important part of the autonomous port of Nantes-Saint-Nazaire , a major French ports

Nantes is located near the Atlantic Ocean, at the beginning of the estuary of the Loire and the point of confluence of the Erdre and the Loire ( 47 ° 12’50 .5073 “N 1 ° 33’19 .062 “W ). Globally, the location of Nantes coincides almost exactly with that of the pole of the continental hemisphere , located in 1945 according to the American geographer Samuel W. Boggs, near Nantes (around 47 ° 13′N 1 ° 32′W ).
Nationally, Nantes is located 342 km southwest of Paris, 340 km north of Bordeaux, 100 km south of Rennes, 255 km southeast of Brest ( great circle distance ) 2 . At the regional level, Nantes is located 157 km southwest of Le Mans and 80 km west of Angers 2 . At the departmental level, Nantes is located 51 km east of Saint-Nazaire, 62 km east of La Baule, 43 km northeast of Pornic 2 .
The neighboring towns of Nantes are Bouguenais , Carquefou , The All these common Treillières is the only rural community and the only one not to be part of the Nantes Métropole Urban Community .
According to rankings by the INSEE 3 on the geographical and economic criteria, Nantes is the common center of the urban unit of Nantes (commonly: Nantes area ) which includes 19 municipalities in the suburbs, and is also the center of the Nantes urban area (82 municipalities), part of the urban area of Nantes-Saint-Nazaire (153 municipalities).
The Nantes Métropole Urban Community consists of 24 common for an area of 523 km 2 ( 52,336 hectares ) 4 . The metropolitan area of the Nantes-Saint Nazaire covers 2 209 km 2 ( 220,900 hectares ) along the estuary of the Loire. The municipality covers 66 km 2 (13 th joint of the department for the area) or 6600 hectares , of which 1 100 hectares of parks and public gardens 5 .
Neighboring municipalities

Location of the town of Nantes in the Loire-Atlantique
Treillières
Orvault La Chapelle-sur-Erdre
Erdre Carquefou
Saint-Herblain N Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire
O Nantes E
S
Bouguenais Rezé
Sèvre Saint-Sebastien-sur-Loire
Lower Goulaine
Vertou
Enclave: Île de Nantes , Loire
Topography
Nantes 6 is located south of the Armorican Massif , part of the domain Hercynian . The city lies on both banks of the Loire, especially on the right bank (north) and the Isle of Nantes.
South Nantes

Pirmil bridge , connecting the Saint-Jacques with the rest of the city
South of the Loire, the municipality of Nantes is roughly bounded on the west by the Nantes Sevre . Between the Sevre and the Loire, there are four old districts of Nantes: donkey (or Pirmil), Saint-Jacques, Grèneraie and Sèvres.
The district Dos d’Ane is the confluence Sevre-Loire and terrain is flat.
Neighborhoods Saint-Jacques (with Clos Toreau) and Grèneraie , however, are on the edge of the plateau Nantes vineyards at an altitude slightly higher. The drop is sensitive rue Saint-Jacques, St. Sebastian Road and Foundry Street, the three streets leading to the Loire. The slope is more pronounced beyond the bridge Clemenceau, along the coast in San Sebastian .
These two districts are separated by the stream of Douet , which originates in San Sebastian. It flows in a valley quite marked in underground pipe. It is visible only in San Sebastian, in a trench masonry from the end of the street to guard the streets of Grèneraie, near the entrance to the residence of Val Joli , he then goes hospital in Saint-Jacques.
The district Sèvres (with those of the Gilarderie and Bourdonnière) is located just south near the Sevre (Bridge Morinière).
Ile de Nantes
The island of Nantes , an area of 337 hectares 7 , is connected to the north and south banks of ten road bridges (six and four on the north side south side). There are also a pedestrian bridge (north) and two rail lines crossing the island. There are plans to build an additional bridge to the west of the island of Nantes in 2025 8
The island of Nantes results from the progressive unification of several islands previously separated by arms of the Loire 9 : Beaulieu island , islands of the Prairie to the Duke of Biesse Big and Little Biesse , green (which was formerly Prairie upstream and downstream of the Prairie). The terrain is flat. It should be noted that many of the older islands were connected to the north shore during the fillings: near the center, the Feydeau Island , the Isle de la Madeleine and the Gazebo Island , a little east, the prairie purple (neighborhoods Orleans station and Malakoff).
Nantes north

The Erdre and the Quai Henri Barbusse
With the exception of the former islands, areas north of the Loire are generally hilly. The main elements of relief are the valley of the Erdre and the groove of Britain.
The Erdre crosses the city from north to south to empty into the Loire substituted by an underground canal from the years 1930 to former route (now the 50 Hostages). The historic heart, right bank, developed at the confluence of the Erdre and the Loire, first on the left bank of the Erdre (Cathedral Hill) and on the right bank (Place Royale at the river and up the hill Graslin). There remains an island on the course of Erdre: Island of Versailles. The width of the Erdre is 300 m north of the bridge of the Beaujoire (this water is used for water sports) and a further 125 m at the Houssinière.
Nantes northwest

The Butte Saint-Anne
The Furrow of Brittany , a northwest-southeast oriented fault line 10 , connected to a fold Hercynian , lies west of the Erdre. The Loire valley is cut at the Butte Sainte-Anne, the abrupt very marked (altitude 38 m against 16 m Mellinet place), at a distance of 2 km of the former confluence of the Erdre. The altitude of the path rises to the north-west 55 m to the High Moulins, 3.5 km of the Butte Sainte-Anne.
The Chézine , a small tributary of the Loire from St. Herblain , flows north and below the furrow of Brittany, in the open air until the Gigant Street, then underground, flowing into the Loire to the west end of the Quai de la Fosse . Its valley is marked by a green corridor, especially with the Proce Park .
The Cens , a tributary of the right bank (west) from the Erdre of Orvault , runs parallel 2.5 km to the north. Its valley is sometimes very deep, especially at the road from Rennes (district Cens Bridge, on the edge of Orvault ). It then passes south of the racecourse and flows into the Erdre between the hills of Tertre (Faculty of Arts and Law) and Houssinière (rector), opposite the Port-Boyer. Valley also intended to be a green corridor (including by Park Gaudinière ).
At 1.5 km north of the census, the Gesvres , another tributary of the right bank of the Erdre, marks roughly the boundary with La Chapelle-sur-Erdre . The confluence is in the northern district of the Jonelière near the bridge of the Beaujoire .
Nantes North East [ change ]
East of the Erdre (roads Sainte-Luce, Paris, Saint-Joseph-de-porters), the relief is slightly less hilly to the west. The only river is the stream of Aubinière , a tributary of the Loire from Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire , at 6 km east of the confluence of the Erdre (near the interchange of Bellevue ).
Hydrography and hydrology
The old drainage Nantes
The drainage Nantes has undergone spectacular XIX e XX and especially e centuries. Because of its position and the confluence of the many islands and channels that it contained ( Beaulieu island , Île Sainte-Anne , Feydeau , Gazebo Island , etc..) Nantes has also long been known as the Venice of the West 11 . Most of the canals and rivers of the north shore were filled or covered at the beginning of xx th century, being the most important operations, from 1929 , the filling of the north branch of the Loire 12 :
arm of the Exchange, which gives way to the current during Franklin Roosevelt;
part of the arm of the hospital, covered by the current course and John Kennedy, Inc. Headquarters;
confluent area of Erdre is filled (this is the current course of fifty hostages) and its course is deflected by an underground canal navigable to the remaining portion of the arm of the Hospital, called the Canal Saint-Félix .
The present drainage pattern

Nantes river system.
The Loire now passes through the city of Nantes by two arms that surround the island of Nantes : the arm of the “Madeleine” (north) and the “Pirmil” (south).
The town is also watered by two major rivers: the Erdre the north and the Sevre Nantes in the south, and three small rivers: the Chézine the Cens and Gesvres , all three to the north. There are also several streams, and generally channeled underground, but some of which are reclaimed as part of the development of many parks, such as the stream of Gohard in the future Bottière-quarter of the Oak Grove.
The hydrological regime of the Loire to Nantes

Nantes to the Loire.
Control River upstream flooding makes rare. The winter high water can cover the islands just upstream of Nantes, Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire , which are flooded and non-building, and the tip of the island of Nantes. More consistent the last flood of January 1995 13 (when water covered the Boulevard des Pas Enchanted in San Sebastian).
The Loire is influenced by tides throughout the estuary and beyond, until about Oudon , not far from Ancenis . The phenomenon of the tide is still very sensitive to Nantes, currents ebb showing the tidal mud notable in some places (at the confluence Loire-Sevre, for example).
The Nantes Sevre and the Erdre are each protected by a tidal lock.
Geology

Collapsing building downtown, a phenomenon caused by shaky foundations on sandy soil. Here, it is a building located on the 50-Hostage (former bed of the Erdre) at the place Ricordeau Alexis .
Nantes is located at the focal point of the Erdre, the Sevre and the Loire Valley a place where the latter is closing due to the outcrop of the Furrow of Brittany , axis granite extending over much the Armorican Massif . The city has a pedestal base for crystal whose fractures Hercynian (330 to 240 million years before present time) encourage the flow of rivers whose bed is strongly incised at the confluences .
Streams share the plateau north of the town into three areas that converge on the historic valleys is swampy and mud filling a cache connected to the plain Flandrian the Loire masking layer 25 m to 27 m consists of sands fine vases and peat . The interfluves are flat, the size of their soil is very thin. The soil more airy slopes of rivers promotes the variety of vegetation.
The basement of the historic center has the characteristic parts backfilled to create pits protecting walls to gain land on the river or divert rivers. For example, the basement of the place du Commerce is composed of 10 m thick of land displaced xiv th century through the creation of the docks 14 .
Climate [ change ]
Main article: Climate of Nantes and its suburbs .
The climate of Nantes, and more generally of the Loire-Atlantique , is like temperate ocean . The influence of this climate is greatly facilitated by the Loire estuary and the absence of significant relief 15 . Winters are mild (min – -5 ° C / max 10 ° C ) and rainy. Although relatively mild and beautiful as well (min 17 ° C / max 35 ° C ), summers are aware each year at least one episode heatwave with several days of drought. For the full year, the rains are frequent but less intense. Annual precipitation is about 820 mm 16 and can vary greatly from one year to another. As most of the French Atlantic border, Nantes have been many episodes windy, but that they are particularly violent. Falling snow are exceptional.
This climate is very favorable to vegetation as evidenced by the numerous parks and gardens Nantes. Nantes is in the dominant west winds associated with cyclonic depressions from the Atlantic. Their direction is generally north, northwest and west. Winds southwest and northeast are rare. Moreover, we note the presence of morning mist in the valleys.
The following table compares the frequency of severe weather prevailing at Nantes with those of some French cities with different climates and characteristics 17 .
City Sunshine Rain Snow Storm Fog
Brest 1749 h / year 1109 mm / year 9 days / year 11 days / year 74 days / year
Paris 1797 h / year 642 mm / year 15 days / year 19 days / year 13 days / year
Nice 2694 h / year 767 mm / year 1 day / year 31 days / year 1 day / year
Strasbourg 1637 h / year 610 mm / year 30 days / year 29 days / year 65 days / year
Nantes 1956 h / year 789 mm / year 5 days / year 14 days / year 58 days / year
National average 1973 h / year 770 mm / year 14 days / year 22 days / year 40 days / year
Lines of communication and transport
Main article: Transport in Nantes .
Motor transport
Nantes is located on the Highway of Estuaries (and Flanders in the Basque Country ).
The presence of the estuary of the Loire flows requires road pass through the Nantes ring road via the bridge Cheviré where 90,000 vehicles pass each day 18 .
The device plays an important role in the fluidity of road traffic urban and suburban. Its implementation is completed by the construction of the bridge Cheviré over the Loire. With 43 ​​km , the Nantes ring road is the second largest in France after that of Bordeaux 19 . It allows to bypass the town from the north and south, it has two names: the north is the highway A844 , for the rest, the RN844 20 .
The penetrating up the motorway A811 , connects the interchange number 22 of the A11 at junction number 42 of the device (gate of Anjou). Several highways provide access to the device Nantes: Highway A11 towards Angers and Paris , highway A83 to Niort , Bordeaux , Poitiers and Limoges , the RN165 (future highway A82 ) to Quimper and Brest and RN137 (future highway A84 ) to Rennes and Caen .
In addition, Nantes was given in 2008 a system of car sharing named Marguerite in partnership of the city of Nantes, network transit and bike sharing.
Transport
Main articles: History of transport in Nantes , Nantes tramway , Busway in Nantes and Nantes bus lines .

Tram network planned by 2015.

Tram Station Moutonnerie .
The city of Nantes has an extensive network of public transport organized and funded by the Nantes Métropole urban community , and whose operation is delegated to Semitan . This is made ​​particularly by the network of Nantes tramway (3 lines), which in 2010 , with 43.5 km , is the busiest in France (266,300 users per day on average over the year) 21 .
This network is known for being the first in France to reintroduce trams , with the creation of a Line 7 January 1985, beyond the three cities that had never abandoned ( Lille , Marseille and St Etienne ) .
In 2009, the network consists of 22 :
3 tram lines ( 42 km );
a bus at a high level of service (the BRT Busway Line 4 ) of 9 km , opened in 2006 23 ;
59 bus lines (not counting the twenty or related services), including three Chronobus lines (lines 25 , 32 and 86 ) and four bus lines “express” (to Carquefou , Couëron , Le Pellerin and Vertou ) plying also Nantes and its surroundings, and enjoy 32 km of dedicated lanes 24 . ;
service water bus transit River 25 , with two lines called river Navibus ( Loire and Ferryman ) and managed by Nantes Métropole;
a specific bus for connecting city airport;
a specific service for transporting disabled people (PMR) and on demand .
The Semitan assured in 2009 114.5 million trips (60% by tram) 22 . Its network of public transport has earned Nantes Métropole of being awarded the Civitas Award in 2009 26 .
Rail
At the national level
Main article: Gare de Nantes .
Nantes is connected by the network station to the rest of France. Nantes train station is a destination of the TGV Atlantique from Paris, but also to Lyon, Marseille, Lille and Strasbourg. The station has two entrances. The oldest is the northern access, access south has meanwhile opened in 1989 , when the arrival of the TGV in the city of the Dukes. The two are connected by two tunnels, through which you can access the fourteen tracks that make up the station.

The Nantes train station at night.
The journey from Paris to Nantes is one of the busiest railway lines in France with more than three million passengers since opening in 1989 of the TGV service on this line. The TGV serves particularly between Paris and Nantes, the cities of Le Mans and of Angers . The other two main lines leading to the south ( Vendee , Bordeaux , etc..) and west ( La Baule and the Brittany region). The latter passes under the city center, cut and cover. For this section of 3094 meters pass 800,000 tons of oil a year, posing a significant danger exacerbated by the difficulties of possible intervention, this tunnel was ranked in 1999 among the thirty-one tunnels the most dangerous France 27 .
The traffic of freight rail is concentrated mainly on the old station of the State .
Urban and peri
Articles: TER Pays de la Loire and Nantes tram-train .
The eleven railway stations in the city of Nantes 24 are served by the TER of the Nantes area and are accessible to the urban transport pricing TAN .
The tram-train routes include two lines:
electrification of a portion of the line Nantes – Saintes (about La Roche-sur-Yon and Les Sables d’Olonne ) led commissioning from June 2011 of a link between Nantes and Clisson , awaited the year 28 (see tram-train line from Nantes to Clisson );
line station towards Nantes Line – Châteaubriant will also be reopened to passenger traffic in the form of a tram-train. This connection will serve in 2012 , a new station in Nantes (The Haluchère), three new stations in La Chapelle-sur-Erdre (Babinière-south Erdre Active and Chapel Centre and La Chapelle-Aulnay) and those of sucked-on-Erdre , Nort-sur-Erdre , Abbaretz , Isse and Châteaubriant 29 . The construction of a section to the future international airport of Nantes located in Notre-Dame-des-Landes , which would be grafted to the line at La Chapelle-sur-Erdre, is also under consideration.
The maintenance shop tram-trains is located in Doulon 30 .
Gentle movements

Bicloo to the tram station “Duchesse Anne – Castle of the Dukes.”
Cyclists
The city of Nantes has a network of cycling 376 km 24 whose expansion is one of the objectives of urban mobility plan 2000-2010 to Nantes Métropole . The city is connected to the inter-regional route of the Loire by bike , which is a portion of the EuroVelo 6 (or EV6). The latter, also known as “Eurovéloroute Rivers” is a bikeway type EuroVelo linking Nantes to Bucharest , and by extension, Saint-Nazaire in Constanţa 31 . This is the most famous European cycle routes , long 3 653 km , it crosses Europe from West to East, the Atlantic Ocean to the Black Sea , through ten countries. It follows the journey of three of the largest rivers in Europe: the Loire , the Rhine and Danube .
Main article: EuroVelo 6 .
In addition, Nantes was given in May 2008 , a system of bike sharing called Bicloo and managed by JCDecaux on behalf of the Metropolitan Nantes Métropole , with over 790 bikes in 102 stations distributed 32 .
Pedestrians
The redevelopment of many public spaces downtown, whether around the Feydeau , of the 50 hostages or the Place Royale , increases the size of the pedestrian areas .
Air transport
Nantes Atlantique Airport
Main article: Nantes Atlantique Airport .

Aerial view of the Nantes Atlantique Airport at the bottom, with the foreground near the industrial area, home to the Airbus industry.
The Nantes Atlantique Airport is located southwest of the city, straddling the municipalities of Bouguenais and Saint-Aignan-Grandlieu . In 2010, traffic has increased significantly with 3,031,510 passengers 33 . In 2009 , traffic had settled at 2.561 million passengers 34 ( 2.662 million in 2008 35 ). Processing capacity of the site was estimated in 2010 to 3.5 million passengers per year 36 .
The proposed international airport Notre-Dame-des-Landes
Main article: Airport Project of the Great West .
On February 10, 2008, a decree of public utility was signed for the airport at Notre-Dame-des-Landes , provided that this airport is of high environmental quality . According to the Joint Association for the Study of the Airport of Notre-Dame-des-Landes, work could begin in 2014 for a planned opening in 2017 37 . This project raises a number of protests 38 . The tender was launched and the concession granted to the group Vinci 39 .
Urban

Main article: Urbanism in Nantes .
Nantes was presented in 2004 as “the most pleasant city in Europe” by the magazine Time for its green spaces and many rivers crossing the city 40 . According to the magazine, it has attracted new residents to its dynamism, culture and creativity. Nantes is also the European Green Capital in 2013.
Urban morphology

Boulevard Carnot, from the foot of the Tower Bridge to LU Aristide Briand. There is the seat of Nantes Métropole and the IOC headquarters.
The first urban developments still visible today date back to medieval times, the buildings dating from the Early Roman Empire had been covered by development after 41 . The medieval walled town of yesteryear is the district Bouffay . It also remains the Porte Saint-Pierre, the castle of the Dukes of Brittany , and some half-timbered houses and mansions dating mainly from the xv th century .
The first major expansion of the city was held at the xviii th century. It was then that are drawn by the architect Mathurin Crucy the Place Royale and Graslin that are built the theater and the Cours Cambronne subdivided and what the Feydeau . The current center is built around a spine which is the east-west part of the cathedral through the streets of Verdun, the Marne, of Orleans , Crebillon and ending up Graslin 42 .
An arc of wide boulevards has long defined the city limits before certain common area are linked to. In terms of historical strata, there are a few typical sets 43 .
The medieval
Stratum is the least readable, it has suffered disruption of xviii th century to the present but also the bombing of 1943 which have particularly affected the city. The streets of Jewry , St. Croix, the Baclerie are among the best preserved examples and there are also some architectural models in timbered apparent rue de Verdun Street Bossuet or place of Change 44 . The castle of the Dukes of Brittany and its immediate vicinity are all most characteristic of that time.
The City Classic xviii th century
To the east, over the St. Peter and St. Andrew, built around the Place du Maréchal-Foch , is a residential characteristic of the period. To the west around the Place Royale Graslin-Commerce-together style neoclassical , has developed the commercial city in connection with the activities of the port. The course Cambronne is for residential neighborhood. The Feydeau in turn brings the homes of the most richly decorated in the sector. Some beautiful buildings formerly located Place de la Bourse and the beginning of Quai de la Fosse beyond scheduling desired by the architect Crucy .

Porte Saint-Pierre , a remnant of the ancient city walls.

The port saw the Island Gazebo in xviii th century.

The street Crebillon , typical of the xix th century.
Click on a thumbnail to enlarge
The xix th century to World War II
Straight and wide boulevards lined with buildings appear including the rue de Strasbourg : breakthrough ” Haussmann “. This case aside, the center has expanded concentrically to the xix th century. Around the Garden plants and the Museum of Fine Arts in all forms is Saint-Clément/Dalby/Saint-Donatien around the old courthouse to the north develop neighborhoods Hauts-pavés/Viarme / Saint-Felix, the sector Dobree Museum and Notre-Dame de Bon Port in the west are the districts Canclaux Mellinet and in particular, on the Quai de la Fosse, it stretches to the hill St. Anne and the village of Chantenay . The district of Madeleine, locked up filling of the Loire in 1930, has kept its aspect of “suburb”.
The town of reconstruction

One aspect of the city at the forefront with the Kingdom Tower overlooking the road to Calvary , the Place Royale and the Church of St. Nicolas. Basically the Hotel Dieu
The historic center is dotted with modern buildings that have taken the place of buildings demolished by the bombing of World War II . Beyond the rule of Place Royale rebuilt exactly or the Church of St. Nicolas and the Stock Exchange which were restored. However the Calvary Street was widened and rebuilt according to the canons of modern post-war with the role of Civil Defence Volunteers, it is an interesting example of the planning year 1950 in the city center. North of this street Marchix former suburb was razed to make way for the district Britain, designed by architect Michel Roux-Spitz .
At Nantes it is not uncommon to see very old buildings rub shoulders with the architecture typical of the period of reconstruction, for example the Hotel Dieu , an imposing concrete building, facing the island Feydeau .
The present city

Port-Boyer on the banks of the Erdre a neighborhood type of the 1970s with its high-rise buildings
Beyond the boulevards surrounding the center are the neighborhoods and historically workers as Chantenay or Doulon and other more upscale like the edges of the Erdre , Canclaux or Mellinet . Approaching the device is found among other neighborhoods HLM the year 1960 – 70 . Sensitive urban areas have been defined in the town of Nantes: the large set of shared collective Bellevue St. Herblain receiving a status of urban free zone forms the western districts with that of Dervallières and another district formed northwest of the Hippodrome (La Boissiere, the Oak of English) and finally, the towers and bars along the Loire Malakoff. The bourgeois Nantes him range extends from the center between the Erdre and Chézine (apart from the sensitive area north), while the neighborhoods are mostly south of the Loire and west.

The tripod at the time of blasting
The urban sprawl of Nantes is quite large, and is characterized also by the development on the outskirts of residential areas with relatively low construction but also many shopping centers, neighborhood commercial and green space. Despite a low density, the city is dominated by a few high-rise buildings such as the British tour in the city center, high 144 m which is the third tallest building in the provinces.
One of the largest projects of urban planning that the city has ever seen is the creation of the district Beaulieu in the year 1970 . Only part of the initial project was completed, making the area a mainly residential area. The Tripod , one of the major office buildings in the area, was destroyed February 27, 2005, in part because of high levels of asbestos present in structure 45 .
Urban projects
In the 2000s, projects of large and developers have increased in Nantes, supported by the relocation of large companies in Paris (Bouygues Telecom, SNCF DSIV, La Poste), the épannelage decided by Nantes Métropole on major boulevards and favorable tax arrangements (Besson and Robien Robien, Borloo popular Scellier). From 2004 to 2009, 11,000 housing starts are, with the key to a doubling of the price per square meter of nine from 1999 to 2007 and large unsold stocks in 2009. Despite the 25% of social housing required by the authorities, the impact on small tenants and poor like urban sprawl are imperceptible 46 .
The island of Nantes
Main article: Isle of Nantes .

Aerial view of the island of Nantes
The island of Nantes is currently undergoing extensive urban renewal project that is spread out until 2023, with a target of 3,100 units built in 2012 and 7500 in 2023 46 . Project management is provided by the SAMOA (development company of the city west Atlantic), semi-public company , and project management is handled by the team of Alexandre Chemetoff (Workshop Île de Nantes) 47 . The gradual disappearance of brownfield sites (warehouses, factories) is used to make these neighborhoods attractive and expand the center 46 .
With the recent courthouse and school of architecture, are developed recreation areas. The Machines de l’Ile occupy the old ships of the former shipyards and the western tip of the island banana shed , bordered by the rings Buren , home to restaurants, bars and discos. The project includes the creation of a center for graphic arts 48 and the Factory , a space dedicated to contemporary music 49 . It is also envisaged the digging of a wet dock designed to accommodate recreational boats 50 .
The site of the old tripod is also required to undergo notable changes. This sector comes a mixed neighborhood including housing, shops and luxury hotels with office buildings, all built around a series of basins 51 .
Malakoff – Pre Gauchet

Neighborhood yard Euronantes
The station area is also under renovation: the Grand city project ( GPV ) Malakoff called Pre-Gauchet (housing for the side) or Euronantes (for the side business district), led by agreement with Nantes city the ANRU . Built areas span 400,000 m 2 including the location of the tripod on the island of Nantes 52 .
The housing part of the program is divided between the Old and Pre Malakoff Gauchet (300 and 1 300 units), classified as deprived urban areas . Are integrated into a neighborhood community center, college, gym and pool, all must respect the label Qualitel . In operation 140 social housing are deleted 52 .
The district Euronantes , business district European root in parts of the station and the island of Nantes (location of Tripod ). Eight thousand new jobs are expected 52 . Y is a planned luxury hotel, offices, sports and recreation. They add to the future station TGV , the headquarters of the bank CIO , the City of congress and the headquarters of the Urban Community of Nantes Métropole existing 53 .
Housing
In 1999 the INSEE counted 142,445 homes in Nantes with 964 homes , 1843 homes and 9056 casual vacancies. The number of primary residences was therefore 130 582 housing 54 .
Single dwellings accounted for 22.9% of the housing while the proportion of family housing go up between 1990 and 1999 (from 76 500 à 96 658 an increase of 20.9%) with a share of 74.9% . Furthermore, in accordance with the law on solidarity and urban renewal (SRU), which sets a target of 20% in urban agglomerations of more than 50 000 inhabitants 55 , there were approximately 22.7% of housing 54 .
Nantes in 1999 were mostly rent their homes, the distribution of tenure of primary residences as follows: 36.5% owners, tenants 61.1%, 2.4% free accommodation. Nantes was then one of five French cities with between 200,000 and 300,000 inhabitants which had the highest proportion of homeowners. The share of public housing units was above average, as well as from individual houses 54 .
Accounted Nantes in 1999, two persons per dwelling, 3.21 rooms per dwelling and 0.62 persons per room. There were 23.38% of buildings with a housing, 5.57% from 2 to 4 units, 18.62% from 5 to 9 units, 29.16% from 10 to 19 units and more than 23.26% 20 housing 54 .
The metropolis
Nantes is designated as a city of balance (1963-1982). Its role as a metropolis is increasingly thought by adding Saint-Nazaire: planning policies and are often thought not to scale municipal, metropolitan area, but the scale of this urban space by the State Department and the various developers. The SDAAM is doubled by a territorial coherence scheme (SCOT) smaller. The orientations are the control of urban sprawl and redevelopment of brownfield sites (see above) 56 . Cooperation is also expanding beyond the city with the surrounding communities of Angers, Rennes and Brest (airport Notre-Dame-des-Landes, Angers Nantes Opéra, South Bar Essonne TGV) 56 .
Toponymy

The name of Condevincum
In the antiquity , the Gauls of Namnètes installed on the north bank of the Loire , to the confluence with the river Erdre and creates a town whose original name is known only by the Geography of Claudius Ptolemy : Κονδηούινκον ( Kondēoúinkon ) variant Κονδιούινκον ( Kondioúinkon ) 57 , it may be necessary to read Κονδηούικον ( Kondēoúikon ) 58 . At the Gallo-Roman times , this name was adapted and Latinized in different forms: Condevincum (the most common form), Condevicnum 59 , 60 , Condivicnum 61 , Condivincum 62 , etc.. Several authors also cite late forms apparently evolved (and partially altered?) Cantigvine , Cantivic , Cantwic , Cantguic , etc.. 63 .
This name appears in relation (a derivative or a compound) 64 with the Gallic word Condate designating a confluence. This call is causing the frequent French place name Conde , variants Condat , Cande , etc.., we also know that there have been many other places called Condate in Gaul, which changed its name later: and , Rennes is a former Condate 64 .
The name of Nantes
At the end of the Roman Empire , the city is commonly referred to Portus Namnetum “wearing Namnètes” after the name of the people that come from its first inhabitants 65 , or civitas Namnetum “city of Namnètes” in iv e Century 64 . This phenomenon (the abandonment of the old Gallic name and adopting a new name evoking the names of people) affects to iv th century most of the old Gallic cities of the northern half of France as well, Paris Former Lutetia , comes from the name of Parisii , Vannes , former Darioritum , that of the Veneti 66 , etc.. The current name, which seems to be based on * Namnetes N 1 , the Latinized form (with the accusative case ) of a variant of the ethnonym Gallic 64 , is transcribed NameTable in medieval Latin in the Merovingian period 67 , 68 . At the Renaissance , at the time of the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterets , Nantes takes its final name.
In Gallo , the form of the toponym is Naunnt or Nantt 69 , and his name Brittany is Naoned or Naoned Year (The Nantes). The spelling Nantes is preserved in most languages ​​using the Latin alphabet, but the Celtic languages ​​like Welsh or Gaelic form Breton prefer Naoned , while the Esperanto called the Nanto .
Notes
Contrary to appearances, Nantes are not related directly to the element Gallic * ing – (“valley” and “river”, “creek”, “torrent” or “streams”) that François Falc’hun studied in a chapter of his book The Celtic Place Names 70 . * The use of radical -ing is very common names in French N 2 , sometimes not so obvious: Chateau-Landon , for example. But Nantes is not quoted by François Falc’hun among words deriving from * ing -. A link would be possible if the name of Namnetes based on * ing – as proposed dubiously Xavier Delamarre 71 , but it is an assumption on which all linguists and / or toponymists disagree. Another linguist, Eric Vial , considers it likely that the root * Nanto “valley” predates the Celts 72 .
The term nauts , which shows resemblance to Nantes or Naunnt , designated in the ancient and medieval guilds members of the rich carriers sailing on the rivers of Gaul . But the resemblance is coincidental: Web user is a loan to the Latin scholar nauta “sailor, sailor,” formed on the same root as navis N 3 “nave ship.”
History

Main article: History of Nantes .
Prehistory and Antiquity
The prehistoric times has left few traces in the country Nantes: Some bifaces and polished axes were discovered (at Grillaud and Trémissinière), but we do not find here monuments of the Neolithic (megaliths), while they are Many on the south coast of Brittany.
The settlement is probably related to the metallurgical activity and the presence of metals ( cassiterite , iron ) on the site of the present city and further north ( Abbaretz , Nozay ) there men from the installation of Iberian Peninsula around 2000 BC Several metal workshops dating from the viii th and vii th century BC. BC have been discovered on the sites of current Chantenay , Garden plants and Mauves P 1 .
For the Gallic period, the site belongs to the territory of Namnètes, defeated by Caesar in 56 BC. AD The Romans Latinized name Gallic Condevincum or Condevicnum and make it the capital of the city of Namnètes. It is then less important than the city located on the opposite bank of the Loire, Ratiatum (current Rezé ), which belongs to Pictons . It was not until ii e century Nantes overrides its neighbor P 2 .
In iii e century , the town took the name of Portus Namnetum . III to e and iv th centuries , faced with problems of invasions, the city is fortified, it is also the time when it is Christianized (the time of the martyrdom of St. Donatien and St. Rogatien ). The first bishops of Nantes appear after the conversion of Emperor Constantine I st P 3 .
Middle Ages
Frankish rule
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, the city of Nantes passes quickly under control of the Frankish kingdom of Clovis against the resistance of Breton soldiers Arborhycains and installed by the Roman Empire from about 280. During the Frankish period, the city plays a vital role in the defense against the spread in the Breton Armorican peninsula. It became the capital of the march of Britain at the time of Charlemagne , walking is initially led by Count Roland with the title of prefect of the March of Brittany 73 .
Nantes Brittany

Duchy of Brittany and 9 countries to the XIV th century
After the death of Charlemagne, Brittany expansion resumes. In 850 , the region was conquered by the Breton Nominoë . It invades including the cities of Nantes and Rennes 74 . The following year, after the battle of Jengland , the March of Brittany Nantes is the capital of which is incorporated into Britain by the Treaty of Angers . However, the eighty years are extremely difficult because of the incessant fighting between British chieftains P 4 , which favored the incursions of the Vikings, the most spectacular taking place before 24 June 843, the day the bishop Gohard was killed 75 . From 919 , the city is administered by the Vikings . They are driven in 937 by Alain Barbetorte 76 , N 4 .
The wars of succession
In the period following the Dukes of Brittany must fight against the Counts of Nantes . These succession disputes are currently going through the town in the lap of the House of Anjou . The longest such period began in 1156, and lasts 45 years are a period of stability. In 1203 Britain is placed under the domination of the Capetians (time of the dynasty of Dreux xiii th  -  xiv th century). Mauclerc Pierre causes the growth of Nantes when it became his principal residence P 5 .
The second war of succession of Brittany pitted the supporters of the half-brother of the late Duke John III , John of Montfort , which relies on the States of Brittany summoned to Nantes, and of Charles de Blois , supported by the King of France Philip VI and recognized by the Duke of Brittany peers of the realm. Dynasty Montfort ( xiv th  -  xvi th century) emerged victorious in the conflict. It makes a true ducal capital Nantes. Moreover, the xv th century , the city developed, thanks to maritime trade and river P 6 .
At the end of the xv th century, Nantes is a key issue in the war between the King of France and the Duke of Brittany, Francis II . Nantes was conquered Britain in 1488 and is therefore administered by the kings of France. The heiress, the Duchess Anne married Charles VIII in 1491, and Louis XII in 1498, becoming Queen of France. At his death in 1514, she bequeathed her heart to the city of Nantes (currently the museum Dobree). Claude de France , eldest daughter of Anne de Bretagne, donated the duchy to her husband Francis I , while the states of Britain asking themselves the meeting of Brittany to France in exchange for maintaining their privileges, opening the next period P 6 .
Modern period

Edict of Nantes .
Union of Brittany in France
In 1532, the Duchy of Brittany was united to the crown of France by the Act of Union of Britain to France , Edict perpetual and indissoluble union of Brittany to France, promulgated on August 13 in Nantes 77 . An administrative reorganization results in a little later, increasing the role of Rennes, the seat of the Parliament of Britain (1560), Nantes, however, retains the Accounts Chamber of Brittany.
The port is growing on after its annexation to the kingdom of France. The city increased from 15 000 inhabitants at the end of the xv th century to 25,000 at the end of the xvi th century . The 2000 ships that visit the port wine export, import and salt cod.
Wars of Religion
During the wars of religion , Nantes is a city Ligueux who supports the governor, the Duke de Mercosur , in his struggle against the Protestants (present at Blain , and other smaller cities). It is one of the last major cities to recognize the authority of Henry IV , so that the promulgation of the Edict of Nantes in 1598 does not reflect the views of residents 78 .
In 1685, two events to remember. The Edict of Nantes was revoked by Louis XIV and the Black Code is promulgated by the same king 79 . With that law, the port of Nantes by becoming a thriving hub of trade in sugar , tobacco , and slaves with the colonies 80 .
The triangular trade, the slave trade
Nantes is developing through its sales channels inherited from the Middle Ages, and then comes the time settlers and “white indentured servants” who will develop the colonial economy in the Caribbean P 7 . But the enrichment of Nantes will come with the development of trade in black slaves from Africa, said triangular trade . If Nantes is not the only French port to have practiced the slave trade (shipments are parts of Bordeaux , Rouen , La Rochelle , but also Brest , Lorient , Vannes , etc..), it is the pioneer: from 1707 and 1711, 75% of slave ships to leave. The principal owners are Nantes Michel, René and Jean Montaudoin, Luc Shiell, Mathurin Joubert, Jean Terrien and Sarrebouse of Audeville. In the period from 1722 to 1744, from Nantes traffic is 50% and this share is growing again until 1762, before declining to 32% between 1782 and 1792. In total, during the xviii th century the port of Nantes chartered vessels boarded 450 000 blacks, 42% of the French trade. Greatly enriching some owners, this trade is the source of buildings which still adorn the city (theater, scholarship, squares, mansions, “follies”) P 8 . Nantes is the last stronghold of the slave, it only ended in 1831: between 1814 and 1831 at least 50,000 blacks are transported by boats or commissioned from Nantes Nantes, despite the prohibitions successive P 9 .
French Revolution

Siege of Nantes in 1793.
During the French Revolution , the city held by the Republicans is the front line of the Vendée revolt and resistance is a key to Republican success: it provides a rear base for armed “blue”, and deprives the Vendee port which receive assistance from England. Indeed, 29 June 1793 , held the Battle of Nantes , the city is attacked by the Catholic and Royal Army of 30,000 men strong. To the resistance of 12,000 Republican soldiers and volunteers led by the mayor of Nantes Baco de La Chapelle , the insurgents must retreat. The general of the armies vendee, Jacques Cathelineau was mortally wounded, place Viarme 80 . In 1796, another leader Vendee is run on the same place: Lieutenant General Charette 80 .
On the October 1793 to February 1794 , Carrier leads a terror ruthless, 12 000-13 000 people, men, women and children, are trapped in prisons of Nantes 81 , among them 8000 to 11 000 die 82 by the guillotine the shootings in a quarry in Gigant , the epidemics of typhus and drowning 83 , 80 .
On 20 October 1799 , 2000 Chouans commanded by Chatillon and Andigné of a successful raid on Nantes which is occupied for several hours.
After the Revolution

The transporter bridge at Nantes , before 1914
The industrial revolution
Prefecture of the Lower Loire , Nantes continues its development in xix th century, annex the neighboring municipalities of Chantenay-sur-Loire and Doulon , s’ industrialized . Thanks to the activity of its port, regional agricultural production and its high reactivity commercial Nantes is positioned especially in the food industry – biscuit ( Lefèvre-Utile (LU)), canning (Saupiquet) – but also textile, refinery sugar (Beghin Say), phosphate fertilizers (AZF), the arms 84 . A persistent image remains from this period, with the transporter bridge (with bucket) which was opened in 1903, 85 , and running until 1958, to facilitate the crossing of the north branch of the Loire, “Madeleine,” by the public and businesses, including construction sites Dubigeon Voruz and Foundry. Then came a decline in a crisis.
Floods and fillers

Nantes in the 1890s. Confluence of Erdre and the Loire, before the diversion of this section of the course of the Erdre replaced by the 50 hostages, and the filling of this arm of the Loire.
The first half of the xx th century was punctuated by numerous floods . The most significant is probably that of 1904. In addition to the damage, the floods have economic consequences with plant closures (Lefèvre-Utile, Tobacco Factory, etc.). From 1911 to 1931, they are quasi-annual 86 . In the 1930s the fillings are undertaken, including the arms of the Exchange and the hospital around the Feydeau , and that of the portion of the Erdre between the mouth of the Loire and the Prefecture (this part since 1944 is called ” over the 50-Hostages “) 87 . This work is done on the one hand to open up such plants Lefèvre-Utile and also for flood control 86 .
World War II
During World War II , Nantes is occupied by the German army in 1940.
On October 20, 1941, Hotz was shot feltcommandant Street of King Albert, near the cathedral, a young Parisian, Gilbert Brustlein, accompanied by his accomplice Guisco Spartaco. The retaliation for the death of Karl Hotz are immediate. On October 21, the Nazis announced the execution of fifty hostages. Twenty-seven were executed on October 22 at Camp Choisel of Châteaubriant at 70 km from Nantes. Among them are Guy Mocquet 88 . The monument of the fifty hostages of Nantes, close to the prefecture evokes the memory of the forty-eight victims.
The year 1943 was marked by two bombings by the Allied forces particularly destructive and deadly. The 16 and September 23 , unleash the bombers between 1000 and 1500 bombs on the town with the main objective the destruction of infrastructure and industrial port. But civilians are heavily affected with 1463 deaths and 2500 injuries. (Every year, September 16, the municipality organized a commemorative celebration of the cemetery are buried Chauvinière where most of the victims). In addition, 700 homes were destroyed and nearly 3,000 are uninhabitable 89 . The Germans left the city Aug. 12, 1944 80 .
The role of Nantes in the resistance is honored by the Cross of the Liberation 90 .
Post-war
The reconstruction of the city is entrusted from 1945 to the architect Michel Roux-Spitz 91 . Partially destroyed, the industry also suffered from Nantes to obsolete parts intact. It was not until 1962 that the maritime activity of the Nantes region regained its 1937 level. The engine of economic reconstruction in the 1950s was shipbuilding. Since 1881 the industry benefited from state aid in one form or another. Between 1953 and 1959, one third of the cash flow of projects coming from the state P 10 . In 1955 , during periods of full employment, the shipyards of Nantes experiencing significant violent strikes 80 . The metal workers and construction claim for wage increases. On August 19, the 50 hostages, a mason of twenty-four years, Jean Rigollet is shot by a CRS N 5 .
In 1958 the Transporter Bridge was dismantled, while the time is marked by a form of rejection of the past Breton by economic and political actors. For example Abel Durand, spokesman of the economic Nantes, in 1922 appreciated the “race [...] tough [...]. She knows just modest wage. “. But in 1956, the same rejects this “impoverished and underdeveloped.” Mainly because of economic interests, Nantes became the capital of the newly formed region of Pays de la Loire P 11 .
In 1960, the share of shipyards in Nantes is 8% against 50% (for low-Loire) twenty years earlier. The State amending its subsidy policy and facing international competition, sites are beginning to decline P 12 . In 1968, Sud-Aviation in Bouguenais is the starting point for a general strike that paralyzed France, probably a symptom of social malaise that hits Nantes P 13 . After the crisis of the 1970s in the midst of restructuring, which are the main local industries taken over by large international groups, the city was that no one could have imagined twenty years ago, the end of shipbuilding in Nantes, in 1987 P 14 .
Renewal Nantes
In 1985 , Nantes is the first French city to build a network of trams modern. The TGV arrives him in 1989. The Cheviré bridge crosses the Loire in 1991. Between 1990 and 1999, Nantes is the French capital that has seen the most growth. She became the third financial center of France, after Paris and Lyon . The MIN is the second of Nantes after Rungis , while the port of Nantes-Saint-Nazaire is the fifth largest independent port after those of French Marseille , Le Havre , Dunkirk and Calais P 15 . Meanwhile, renewed since the late 1960s, the movement claiming “bretonnité” Nantes settled: in 1994 the Breton Cultural Agency was created by the mayor, in 2001 the City Council recognizes the historical and cultural affiliation of Nantes in Britain, without undermining existing regional administration P 15 . This acceptance of the past has also roll back existing outlet on the memory of the slave trade P 16 . The image of Nantes is conveyed by cultural vitality, with the Mi-Carême, now called the Carnival including two big parades in the city center, the Royal de Luxe , the Lit Festival , La Folle Journee , the Festival des 3 Continents and a planning policy combines the renovation and enhancement of heritage to create modern neighborhoods P 17 .
Policy and Administration

The Hotel de Derval is one of the historic buildings of the city hall of Nantes
Territorial Administration
Districts
Main article: Districts of Nantes .
Since 1995 , the city of Nantes has divided the city into eleven districts , in turn divided into “micro-neighborhoods”, each with an “advisory committee” elected and referents, and a team of municipal technicians 92 . These areas are:
Neighborhood Number of district Population Map
Downtown Nantes 1
25 621

Bellevue – Chantenay Nantes 2
24 163
Dervallières Zola- Nantes 3
33 567
High-Paving-Saint-Félix Nantes 4
32 216
Malakoff-Saint-Donatien Nantes 5
31 635
Isle of Nantes Nantes 6
13 110
Breil-Barberie Nantes 7
22 292
Nantes Nord Nantes 8
23 696
Nantes Erdre Nantes 9
24 146
Doulon – Bottière Nantes 10
29 475
Nantes-South Nantes 11
10 422
Data Sources: INSEE 93 2003 for a total population of 270 343 inhabitants
Intercommunal
Nantes form, with 23 neighboring municipalities, the Metropolitan Nantes Métropole .
The joint scheme of territorial coherence of the Nantes-Saint-Nazaire, headquartered in Nantes, consists of five inter-municipal Nantes Métropole, the urban community in the region Nazaire and estuary (HULL) The association of local Loire and Furrow , the community of communes of Heart Estuary and the community and common Erdre Gesvres , totaling 61 municipalities and 792,318 inhabitants in 2006. The Metropolitan Nantes means 49 of the 113 officials administering the institution 94 . These elected officials have developed a pattern of territorial coherence (SCOT), document of planning that will guide the development of the metropolis in 2020 95 .
Townships
Main article: Townships of the Loire-Atlantique .
Nantes is divided into eleven townships 96 . All are composed exclusively of part of Nantes, except the 10 th district, which includes the town of Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire . The 11 districts of the city of Nantes do not correspond to the cantonal division 97 . The cantons are indicated on street signs by number of cantonal district.
Region and department

The hotel prefecture Loire-Atlantique and the region Pays de la Loire .
Nantes is the prefecture of both the department of Loire-Atlantique and the region Pays de la Loire . The hotel prefecture occupies the building including the Accounting Chamber of Brittany, located up Roger Salengro . The city houses the headquarters of the General Council of Loire-Atlantique and the Regional Council of Pays de la Loire , located on the Isle of Nantes.
Nantes and Brittany
Articles: Question of linking the Loire-Atlantique in the Brittany Region and History of Britain .
The question of membership of administrative Nantes – and more generally of the Loire-Atlantique – the Brittany region is regularly debated, corresponding with a marked revival of “bretonnité 98 “since the late 1960s 99 .
Nantes is the largest city in what was once the kingdom, the duchy, then province of Britain , membership of which is always an element of its identity. Historically, the relationship of the country Nantes ( EDP of Nàntt by Gallo , Bro Naoned in Brittany ) and Britain are numerous: the Dukes of Brittany made ​​Nantes often their place of residence (up to the xv th century, as still shows the presence of the castle of the Dukes of Brittany in the heart of the city and the memory of the castle Bouffay ).
In 1790 , the removal of the old provinces and the establishment of departments cut into five departments of Brittany, the Lower Loire (Loire-Atlantique today) is one of the latter. In 1848 , Britain is briefly reconstructed by the mandate of the Commissioner General of Britain obtains the Nantais Michel Rocher, with authority over the Commissioners-General (term that came to replace that of prefect) of four Breton departments 100 .
In the xx th century , successive departmental groupings (economic regions “Clémentel” and in 1919 established tourist areas, economic regions created in 1941 by the Vichy regime , regional program for 1955 later transformed into administrative regions) separated each time the Loire Atlantic other Breton departments. Nantes is now administratively in the region Pays de la Loire , but the debate continues.
Some divisions correspond to the historical and cultural Britain in five departments such as legal, depending on the Nantes Court of Appeal of Rennes, and religious, the Diocese of Nantes suffragan of the Archdiocese of Rennes, and many others, administrative or commercial.
The language issue is also complex. Didier Guyvarc’h 99 says that the city “has never been Brittany. “In the east of Brittany, called Britain or High Gallese Britain, Languages ​​d’oil, the Gallo and French, were largely in the majority. The Gallo was used primarily in the countryside, the French in the big cities.
In them, especially in Nantes and Rennes, the Breton language was very present and essentially spoken by immigrants from Lower Brittany as evidenced by travelers from the Middle Ages, or Jules Verne (Paris from father and Breton mother as he wrote in a description of the department of Loire-Atlantique). In the district of Chantenay, where immigration Breton was important, there was a procession where they sang hymns in Breton until the 1950s.
Today, the Breton language is still based in Nantes through , inter alia, school Diwan since 1978 offering instruction entirely in Breton, a public school (the Marsauderies) and a private school (St. Madeleine) welcome children since 1998 within a bilingual framework. The Gallo is threatened with extinction.
Municipal government and political trends
The first traces related to the administration of Nantes are in an archive dating back to the year 1333 with the organization of board meetings of the citizens of the city. The board consists of five or six middle-class , it is intended to stop, with the captain of the city, several measures for the city. In 1411 , the Duke of Brittany V Jean Nantais gives the power to elect a prosecutor of the bourgeois, and in 1420 , extends the communal liberties 101 . In 1559 , the King of France Francis II created by letters patent mayor of Nantes P 18 . But will a real mayor of Nantes, with the mayor and aldermen , in 1564 one hundred and one , the initial number of Aldermen from ten in 1559 to six in 1582 P 18 . The town hall has been central in 1574. It is located between the streets of the town hall, St. Leonard, Keep God and Strasbourg 101 .
In Nantes, the council consists of 65 members (including the mayor), 25 deputies and 39 councilors 102 . Since 1989, the municipality is located to the left politically.
Composition of council of Nantes 103 :
Group President Effective Status
PS Jean Marc Ayrault 53 majority
UMP Sophie Jozan 9 opposition
Modem Benoit Blineau 3 opposition

List of mayors since 1944
Main article: List of mayors of Nantes .

The current mayor of Nantes Jean-Marc Ayrault
The 133 th and current mayor of Nantes is the Socialist Jean-Marc Ayrault . Elected for the first time in 1989 , he was reelected in 1995 , 2001 and 2008 .
Since 1945, six mayors have succeeded in Nantes:
List of successive mayors
Period Identity Label Quality
1945 1947 John Philippot PCF …
1947 1965 Henry ORRION CNI Deputy
1965 1977 André Morice CR Senator
1977 1983 Alain Chenard PS Deputy
1983 1989 Michel Chauty RPR Senator
1989 in progress Jean-Marc Ayrault PS Deputy
Judicial and administrative bodies
Security
Nantes has a police station in central National Police , Waldeck-Rousseau place and a police sub-divisional located over Olivier de Clisson . Five police stations complete the system (Beaujoire Nantes Erdre, Bellamy, Bellevue, Chantenay, Nantes Nord). The city also has a municipal police 104 .
The last units of the gendarmerie have them, left them in 2011 Nantes 105 , 106 .
Regarding the figures of crime in 2008, according to INSEE , the riding public safety Nantes a rate of crime acts of 90.16 per 1 000 107 . This rate is well above the national average ( 57.51 ‰ ) positions Nantes sixth districts of more than 250 000 inhabitants behind Lyon ( 93.13 ‰ ) and at Bordeaux ( 89.02 ‰ ).
Justice
Nantes depends Judicial Court of Appeal of Rennes for the judiciary (Nantes is home to the Administrative Court of Appeal).
The courts are courts of Nantes instance and Instance with jurisdiction is the east of the Loire-Atlantique, sitting in a new courthouse built in 2000 by Jean Nouvel , a building which also houses the Commercial Court .
The tribunal based in the island gazebo and the Administrative Court of Appeal instead of the Edict Nantes , while the industrial tribunal is boulevard Vincent Strike on the island of Nantes 108 , 109 .
The central prison of Nantes is organized into four schools on three sites:
a prison for men was built in 1865 is located downtown near the old courthouse , rue Descartes. Its closure has been scheduled for 2012 , its occupants to the new integrated prison with the Bele 510 seats (including 40 reserved for women) located northeast of the city, on the edge of the town of Carquefou 110 , which construction began in 2010 and must be delivered late in 2011 111 ;
a detention center for men and women, built in 1981 , with 448 seats, is located on the northern outskirts of the city, boulevard Albert Einstein . The prison for women it is also available with 28 seats;
a district parole is located downtown 112 .
Since 1966, the management of the National Criminal Records (Department of Criminal Affairs and Pardons) is centralized in Nantes, rue du Landreau 113 . There are also the same place the operations center statistics from the Department of Justice (CES) 114 .
Environmental Policy
In 2006, one sixth of the area of Nantes is managed by the parks and environment service (SEVE) of the municipality. The city has one hundred parks and gardens that cover a total of 215 hectares . The gardens are in addition to plant heritage Nantes: 850 active plots are spread over 15 sites. In total, in 2006, adding private gardens, 5% of the land is green space. In 1993 the land use plan was initiated action to preserve the trees. In 2006, 100,000 trees have been identified in the territory of the municipality, including 20 000 alignment on public roads and 422 labeled trees remarkable 115 .
One of the areas of environmental policy of the municipality is the preservation of rivers. Three successive plans baptized Neptune 1, 2 and 3 aimed to restore the banks , maintain and improve the funds Wastewater 116 .
In 2008 the City published a list of recommendations aimed at environmental services of the city and those involved in urban planning 116 .
Consideration of disability
In the ranking number one in terms of accessibility , the Association of paralyzed France in 2010 found that the French city Nantes is making the better account of disability . Taking a succession of extra-municipal committee, the Council of Nantes Disability (NCPD) works since 2009. It brings together elected officials, technicians, managers and citizens association. Emblematic achievement, the castle of the Dukes of Brittany , dating in its present form the xv th century, was equipped with three elevators , one of them leading to the ramparts . In addition, the museum interactive castle houses the equipment has sensory . These advances can not hide the difficulties that remain: the concert halls still inaccessible, the local shops is not suitable, the stations are not announced for the visually impaired in the bus etc.. One of the projects in development in 2010 is the home for disabled children in the nursery 117 .
Twinning
At September 13, 2010, Nantes is twinned with seven cities 118 :
Cardiff ( United Kingdom ) from 1964 119 , No. 6 ;
Saarbrücken ( Germany ) from 27 April 1965 120 , No. 7 ;
Tbilisi ( Georgia ) from 1979 121 ;
Seattle ( USA ) from 1980 122 ;
Jacksonville ( USA ) from 1985 123 ;
Qingdao ( China ) from 2005 124 ;
Niigata ( Japan ) since 31 January 2009 125 .
It also maintains regular contact with twelve other cities.
Population and Society

Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Nantes .
According to the census INSEE 2009, Nantes has 282,047 ( municipal population ) 126 inhabitants (an increase of 4% compared to 1999 ). The town ranks sixth nationally, the same as in 1999, and 1 st at the departmental level of 221 ​​municipalities. In 2008 the city reached its peak population 283 288 inhabitants 127 .
According to the 2008 census, the population of the town is relatively young. The rate of people age over 60 years (17.6%) is actually below the national rate (22.1%) and the county rate (20.4%). Like the national and departmental allocations, the female population of the town is larger than the male population. Rate (52.6%) is of the same order of magnitude than the national rate (51.6%) 127 , 128 .

Extent of the urban community of Nantes.
Nantes is the most common urban community Nantes Métropole , populated by 580 839 inhabitants in 2008 according to the census conducted by INSEE 129 , and, according to the “Planning Agency in the city of Nantes” (AURAN) exceeded 590 000 inhabitants in 2010 and is expected to reach 600 000 inhabitants in 2012 130 . It is also the center of an urban area of 854 807 inhabitants 131 , the eighth of France. The urban area of 114 communes in 2010 132 , whereas it was composed of 44 municipalities in 1982. It focuses on an urban (or urban unit , that is to say, the town within the meaning of INSEE) of 584 683 inhabitants in 2008 133 . Designated in 1964 as a city of balance, the metropolitan area Nantes-Saint-Nazaire, whose perimeter is defined since 1970 by the master plan of the metropolitan area (SDAAM) is estimated in 2008 to 925 000 inhabitants and its population grew by 8.9% between 1990 and 1999 an increase of 69 360 inhabitants 134 , 135 . Positioning and all Nantes-Saint Nazaire fifth National after Paris, Lyon, Aix-Marseille and Lille, and the thirty-sixth largest in Europe, with strong growth prospects 134 .
The population of the urban area of Nantes-Saint Nazaire spread over the Departments of Ille-et-Vilaine, Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Morbihan, and Vendée, was estimated in 1999 to 1,006,246 people. It is the ninth urban French 136 .
Education
Main articles: Education in Nantes and Higher Education and Research in Nantes .
Educational institutions of the city of Nantes within the Academy of Nantes and it houses the rectory . The city has over 200 schools, 141 primary schools, 32 colleges, 26 grammar schools, 16 vocational schools, a university , and public institutions of higher education and research organizations . The number of public schools is significantly higher in primary education, while private institutions are quantitatively dominate teaching secondary and higher (this does not take into account the number of students).
Among the most famous schools of Nantes, there are the Lycée Georges Clemenceau , which opened in 1808, which were established the first preparatory classes in 1824 137 . Many individuals have completed part of their education at this establishment: Jules Verne , Gracq , René Guy Cadou , Georges Clemenceau , Briand , Edouard Herriot or Robert Badinter 138 .
Health
The University Hospital of Nantes is the principal place of medical city, it is spread over several sites, five of them are on the territory of the commune 139 :
the Hotel-Dieu , which houses the general direction is the most important, it is located in the city center and is adjacent to the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy and the Faculty of Dentistry;
Mother-Child Hospital (on the same site as the Hotel-Dieu);
home Beauséjour;
the hospital Bellier (specializing in gerontology );
the Hospital Saint-Jacques ( South Nantes ).
Two sites are located in other municipalities:
the Laennec Hospital Northeast in St. Herblain ;
Hospital Seilleraye to Carquefou .
An implementation project on the island of Nantes is being considered for a new site in 2025 140 .
In the field it identifies private clinics with a clinical Jules Verne- east of Nantes and the New Clinical Nantes , a clinic located in the towns of Nantes and Rezé south.
Sports
Main article: Sport in Nantes .

FC Nantes has been using since 1984 the Beaujoire stadium .
Sport in Nantes is represented by 370 sports clubs (30 clubs top-level) covering 80 disciplines practiced by 60,000 licensees (of which 16 000 schools and universities) 141 .
The football is a team sport that has had the most success in Nantes, with the club’s Football Club de Nantes (FCN), which has eight titles in the championship of France and three cups of France , one of the best track record of French football 142 . Have evolved in this club Gondet Philippe , Henri Michel , Maxime Bossis , Didier Deschamps , Marcel Desailly , Claude Makelele , Mickael Landreau or Fabien Barthez and Christian Karembeu .
The hockey club is represented by the Corsairs of Nantes , which operates in the championship of France Division 2 . There are several teams at different levels and age, men and women. The Little Ice Rink Port serves as a training and competitions to hockey.
The basketball is present in professional sports with the women’s team Nantes Basket 44-Rezé , who plays in League women’s basketball , men’s team of Hermine Nantes Atlantique dispute the Pro B . Since 2008, the handball Nantes is in the elite with the Handball Club de Nantes in Division 1 .
The volleyball is represented in two professional divisions for men and women following the joint mounted to the rest of the season 2,009 – 2.01 thousand of UGS Nantes Rezé (men) and the EMU Nantes (women).
In other disciplines, athletes shine Nantes, home or adoption. Cycling Nantes is represented by Jean-Cyril Robin , Patrice Halgand and Jerome Pineau . The veil has some skippers including renowned Tabarly and Loïck Peyron .
The city regularly hosts international events: the games of the European Football Championship 1984 , the World Cup Soccer 1998 , the World Championship Men’s Handball 2001 , the World Championship Women’s Handball Championship 2007 or the Cup World Rugby 2007 . Nantes was several times a stage town of the Tour de France 141 .
Media
Local newspapers
The local press is mainly dominated by the group Ouest-France and Editions Ouest-France and Press-Ocean . Local newspapers whose circulation is smaller are also published. These include the free weekly Wik , Pulsomatic (Events), The Letter to Lulu (satirical Nantes) and the monthly magazine Terra Eco distributed throughout France, which is published in Nantes. 20 minutes and Metro also has their editions local.
Local television stations
Nantes has a local TV channel: Telene who originally shared the same broadcast channel with Nantes 7 . Following the bankruptcy of the latter in 2009, their merger in September 2011 created a single string.
For local information, the channel France 3 emits a stall with local France 3 Ouest , which offers three regional emissions France Pays de la Loire (12/13 and 19/20 TV news, shows like The Voice is free , etc.). Estuary and editing.
Local radio
There are several local radio stations based in Nantes and its region 143 :
Local public radio stations are represented by subsidiaries of Radio France : France Bleu Loire Ocean (101.8 FM) and FIP Nantes (95.7 FM);
local radio associative category A are Jet FM (91.2 FM), Prune ‘ (student radio station, 92 FM), SUN FM (93 FM), alternating FM (98.1 FM), Eur @ dioNantes (101.3 FM), NTI (93.4 FM) and Fidelity (Christian radio station, 103.8 FM);
local radio commercial category B are Hit West (ex-Nantes Radio, 100.9 FM), Alouette (89.5 FM) and Radio Côte d’Amour (99.9 FM).
Cults
Main article: Places of worship in Nantes .
The Nantais have places of worship of major religions: Christianity , Islam , Judaism , Buddhism .
Christianity

The former bishop of Nantes.
Catholic
As for the Catholic , the Diocese of Nantes is part of the ecclesiastical province of Rennes . The territory of the town of Nantes is divided into nineteen parishes divided into five pastoral areas 144 . This religion is present in the city for a long time, its first bishop , St. Clair had officiated as early as 290 145 . The churches built before the separation of church and state (1905), belong to the city of Nantes. Those after that date belong to the diocese, with the exception of Saint-Médard de Doulon and the Madeleine church, rebuilt in the wake of disasters that destroyed buildings dating from before 1905 146 .
For the traditionalist Catholics , brotherhood sacredotale Saint Pius X and the Fraternity of St. Peter are based in Nantes, the latter particularly in the context of the parish of St. Clement. A community sedevacantist installed since 1980 Allonville street.
Mormon
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is present in Nantes with a parish.
Orthodox
Worship Orthodox practiced at Saint-Basile and Saint-Alexis built of wood in the style of religious buildings that are found in Russia 147 .
Protestant
The Protestant religion is practiced in Nantes in several places where communities are found connected with the Reformed Church of France (Nantes Temple 148 ), many other Protestant churches 149 such as the Seventh-day Adventist Church , the Church Evangelical Christian , the Baptist Church , the Malagasy Lutheran Church , etc..
Islam
The city of Nantes and the various communities Muslims have started in 2009 a policy of building mosques . The mayor makes the construction of long-term leases with low rents 150 . Two large mosques have been built: the mosque Arrahma 151 and the mosque known as “Turks” in the traditional architecture with a minaret top of 18 meters . End of 2010, a third, the Assalam Mosque 152 is under construction. Covering an area of about 3100 m 2 , it shall adopt a modern style, with a minaret lit.
Other religions
Since 1870, the Jewish community celebrates the Jewish worship in the synagogue of Nantes located rue Copernic 153 .
Community Buddhist Nantes is at the center of study and meditation of Tibetan Buddhism 154 .
Garrison
Until June 2010, military units were stationed at Nantes the 9 th Marine Light Armored Brigade and the 22 th battalion of Marines from the 1 st July 1999. At that time was created the Senior force 2 (EMF2) based in the area Richemont 155 . Following a reorganization of the French Army, 22 th Infantry Battalion of marine dissolved June 30, 2010 156 , while the 9 th Marine light armored brigade was moved to Poitiers in July 2010 157 . It is a hundred soldiers based in Nantes, housed in the barracks Richemont (Mitre area). Buildings set free on that date may be sold: the hotel’s 11 th Army Corps and the place Foch Circle of visitation rue Gambetta (the latter being the center of a hotel project of luxury). Nantes city hall plans to acquire the barracks Lamoriciere (rue du General Buat) for a proposed eco-district 156 .
The gendarmerie is distributed in the county Legion Pays de la Loire, the Gendarmerie Group of Loire-Atlantique département (the command of the gendarmerie is in St. Herblain, the company is based in Nantes gendarmerie barracks in Lafayette) and the legion of gendarmerie of Pays de la Loire (which is the area west of Rennes gendarmerie) called group III / 3 of the gendarmerie in Loire-Atlantique (before the recent reorganization of the army command was based Lamoriciere barracks where was the police mobile squad 31 / 3, the Squadron 31 / 5 located Bourgeois Headquarters) 155 .
This is complemented by departmental military delegation of the Loire-Atlantique, and specialized services: Centre telecommunications and computing n o 2, Postal Bureau of hosts, the Medical Service, the National Service Centre, the Centre supply of gasoline and the Directorate General for Armaments 155 .
Economy

Main article: Economy of Nantes .

IOC Headquarters
The economy of Nantes was originally linked to the Loire , and then to the Atlantic Ocean . After the economic boom related to maritime traffic – mainly the slave trade – the xvii th century, Nantes has experienced significant industrialization in the xix th century. The expansion of settlements and the general de-industrialization in the territory of France led to the predominance of the tertiary sector in the economy of the town, even if the industry is by no means neglected, since the city is at 1 st level French for the food processing 158 , the two e pole Aviation National 159 and the two e financial center in the region 160 . Moreover it is a strategic location for the timber and materials 161 .
Four clusters directly involving the Nantes Saint-Nazaire were approved by the state, creating synergies between industrial laboratories and schools:
EMC2 Sets complex metallic and composite;
Atlantic Biotherapies;
Civil engineering;
Images and Networks.
The objective is to develop their competitiveness and international visibility by promoting their respective strengths, including innovation and research.
Tourism is an important activity of Nantes, the seventh French tourist city with two million visitors who spend at least one day each year 162 .
Terminals Nantes Cheviré (forest products, sugar, fertilizers, scrap metal, sand) and Roche-Maurice (grain, fertilizer, iron), represent 10% of the total traffic of Port of Nantes Saint-Nazaire- 163 .
Companies
The INSEE counted 19,340 active establishments in the territory of the town of Nantes on 31 December 2008 127 .
Active establishments by industry in the December 31, 2008 127 , 164
Industry Nantes France
Administration, education, health, social 14.9% 12.6%
Trade, transport, services 74.4% 66.7%
Industry 4.8% 7.0%
Construction 6.0% 13.6%
Population and income tax
In 2008, the median household income tax was 18 € 856.50, which placed Nantes in 9447 th place among 31 604 municipalities with more than 50 households in the metropolis 165 .
Local culture and heritage

Architectural Heritage

The current St. Peter and St. Andrew.
Main article: Architectural heritage of Nantes .
Nantes is the network of cities and countries of art and history , led by the Ministry of Culture and local authorities , bringing together the cities and keen to preserve and promote their heritage. As early as 1972 , the city has defined a protected area between the Quai de la Fosse and over St. Peter and St. Andrew and including in particular the castle , the cathedral , the district Bouffay , the Feydeau , the place Royal and Graslin district 166 . With 126 hectares , it is one of the most important conservation areas in France 167 . In addition, Nantes has a rich heritage statuary important spread in the city and four fountains Wallace 168 . The mayor, Jean-Marc Ayrault, wishes to enter the city and the Loire estuary in the World Heritage of UNESCO 169 .
Castle of the Dukes of Brittany

Entrance between the towers of the Castle of Pied de Biche and Bakery.
Main article: Castle of the Dukes of Brittany .
The castle of the Dukes of Brittany is on the right bank of the Loire in the center of Nantes. He was the principal residence of the Dukes of Brittany the xiii th in xv th century. It is a fortress made ​​up of seven towers connected by curtains. The court has several buildings dating from the xv th , xvi th and xviii th centuries whose ducal residence built of limestone 170 .
Historic Districts
The medieval quarter of Bouffay , near the castle and cathedral, within the limits of the old wall, when the xv th century. It houses a collection of houses with half-timbered, half-timbered and corbelled, or rebuilt in stone in the xviii th century in the medieval plot 171 .

The fountain in the Place Royale .
Buildings dating from the xviii th century, whose architects are Jean-Baptiste Ceineray and Crucy Mathurin , are in the areas of the heart of the city. There are several places like the place Graslin with the theater , the Place Royale , of which the fountain represents the Loire and its tributaries, floors, walls and lighting were renovated in 2007, the Commerce Square , the busiest of downtown and the place of Marshal Foch, with his column serving as a pedestal for one of the few statues of Louis XVI existing in France. These places are connected by broad prospects as being Cambronne or the Cours Saint-Pierre and Saint-André . These neighborhoods include also the former courthouse , located on the Place Aristide Briand and designed by Chenantais , the Prefecture of the Loire-Atlantique (formerly the Chamber of Accounts of Brittany), the Stock Exchange Palace that houses the Tourist Office and Today the Fnac and finally the Feydeau ( Kervégan Street , Temple of Taste, court Oval), urbanized into a single set, comparable to the Ile Saint-Louis in Paris . The Quai de la Fosse and the streets down there, where were the homes of girls to sailors, is the ancient port of Nantes.
Inaugurated in 1976, the tour Britain dominates the city from a height of 144 meters . The house of the Companions of Duty south of the station is equipped with a crooked spire . The CGA building dates from 1930 , and received the label “Heritage of the twentieth century” , while the Blockhouse DY10 reflects the period of German occupation during World War II . Jean Nouvel is the architect of the Palace Justice of Nantes on the island of Nantes.
Filling from 1929 arms north of the Loire and Erdre channeled (now the 50-Hostages ) has greatly changed the character of the ancient city. The castle of the Dukes, the Place du Commerce, the facades of Feydeau and the Quai de la Fosse were originally behind the docks at the water’s edge. Figuration dock was rebuilt along the south side of the island Feydeau (designed by urban planner Bruno Fortier ).
Religious heritage
Main article: Places of worship in Nantes .

Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul in Nantes .
The Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul , in Gothic style , is located on the Place Saint-Pierre. The building was created at the instigation of the Duke of Brittany Jean V and Bishop John of Malestroit in 1434. Its construction lasted until 1891 (457 years) 172 . This cathedral is the subject of a classification as historical monuments since 1862 173 .
The Basilica of Saint-Nicolas is one of the first projects neo-Gothic in France dating from the xix th century. The building is located in the center of Nantes. This church was built by Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Lassus . Built in basilica October 28, 1882, is the subject of a classification as a historic monument since 1862 174 .
The Notre-Dame de Bon Port was built in 1852 by architects Seheult St. Felix and Joseph Fleury Chenantais . She wears a dome that refers to that of the Invalides in Paris . It is the subject of a classification as a historic monument since 1975 175 .

The mosque of the Turks .
Two large mosques were built in 2009. The mosque Arrahma of Nantes 151 is located in the north of the city. The mosque called Mosque of the Turks is located boulevard Bâtonnier Cholet 152 .
The temple of Nantes, place of Protestant worship -place Edward Norman, opened in 1958, is designed by Victoire Durand-Gasselin. It replaces an older building, built in 1855 and destroyed by bombing during the Second World War .
The church Orthodox which is Boulevard Beaujoire is called Saint-Basile and Saint-Alexis.
Industrial heritage

The old Tobacco Factory .
The city’s industrial past has left an important heritage, including biscuit LU became the unique place 176 . The old Tobacco Factory of Nantes was restored in the 1980s to house municipal services and housing and so to shape a small area near the center 177 . The refinery sugar Beghin-Say on the island of St. Anne, built in 1936, received a renovation in 1993, revealing the blue and white 177 .
The Tobacco Factory was designed by Chenantais in 1861 after a prototype of Strasbourg. It consists of five buildings with two interior 177 . The Mill at Batignolles was founded in 1919 by a company specializing in mechanical rail 178 .
The former offices of Workshops and Nantes sites are remnants of establishments shipbuilding in Nantes. Nearby stand two Titan crane . The first measure 34 meters high and was mounted by the workshops Joseph Paris in 1954 179 . The second crane monumental historical monument, is a model Titan 01. This crane was commissioned in 1966-1967 and operated until 2002 180 .
Commercial buildings

The transition Pommeraye .
The transition Pommeraye is a shopping mall downtown. Built from 1841 to 1843, this passage consists of mixed commercial and habitats is built on three levels. It is organized around a monumental central staircase and is decorated with medallions and statues, works of William Grootaers and Jean Debay 181 . The passage was a historical monument in 1976 182 .
Created by Julius Caesar Decré the late 1860s, the bazaar of the same name is the first step in what later became the Empire Decré 183 . Affected by the bombings of 1943, the property is rebuilt 183 .
The Brasserie La Cigale opened its doors on 1 st April 1895. It’s a brewery Belle Epoque -inspired Art Nouveau 184 . It was classified a historic monument in 1964 185 .
Major parks and gardens
Main article: Parks and gardens of Nantes .

The Garden plants
Nantes won four flowers with distinction Grand Prix in 2006 and 2007 winners of the competition of cities and villages in bloom 186 . The Department of green spaces and the environment of the city of Nantes (SEVE) lists 95 parks, gardens, courtyards, plazas and squares under the responsibility of 187 .
Founded in 1807 and opened to the public in 1865 188 , the Jardin des Plantes at Nantes is designed according to the criteria in vogue in the xix th century. The tradition of mosaiculture is maintained, the floral decoration is embellished with a large number of waterfalls and ponds. Found in the park of 73 280 m 2 , officially known botanical garden , a collection of epiphytes , another of cacti and succulents , a presentation of the flora of the Armorican Massif , a collection of camellias , and finally the oldest tree in the garden, the magnolia of Hectot, planted in 1807 at the age of sixteen 189 .

Overview of the Japanese Garden of the Island of Versailles
The Japanese Garden of the Island of Versailles is a landscape of rocks, waterfalls, lakes, surrounded by bamboo , Japanese cherry trees , rhododendrons , camellias and cypresses bald 190 .
More classical, Proce Park was originally the area surrounding a mansion built in 1789. The plant heritage of the park has gradually enriched with rhododendrons, magnolias , fuchsias , dahlias and heather . The park hosts one of the oldest tulip trees ( Liriodendron tulipifera ) of France 191 .
The Parc Floral de la Beaujoire , created during the Flower Show in 1971, contains one of the greatest monumental fountain in Europe. The northern part is dedicated to the horticulture , mainly focused on the rose , to which thirty-one sites are dedicated and allow the exposure of 25,000 rose bushes of 1500 different species 192 .
The Little Amazon , only classified site Natura 2000 in urban areas, is a swamp wilderness area north of Malakoff and south of the station . The site is closed to the public but guided tours are organized by the League for the Protection of Birds 193 .
Marinas and reception of ships

The British liner Black Prince in transit in Nantes April 30, 2009.
Currently, semi-public company Nantes Management Facilities under the badge The three ports , manages three main areas for the reception of pleasure boats, including one in Nantes. This area includes two sites in the city center: the Erdre ( Ceineray basin and basin Malakoff ) and the Loire ( pontoon Anne-de-Bretagne and pontoon construction sites ).
The pontoon construction sites , installed in 2007 on the Ile de Nantes in Quai Wilson , is reserved primarily for passenger ships. It can accommodate ships with a draft of less than 8 feet and not exceeding 180 meters . However, “exceptions” are obtained up to 200 meters . As part of the great urban project of the Isle of Nantes , it is planned from the beginning the digging of a wet dock of 600 meters long by 65 meters wide at the location of the tract existing station the State . Connected to the Loire with a double lock just north of Hangar bananas , this pool should accommodate 300 berths within a new district.
The pontoon Anne-de-Bretagne , installed in 2009 along the Quai de la Fosse (at the foot of the bridge Anne-de-Bretagne ) is adjacent to the new pontoon barque Belem .
Cemeteries

The location of cemeteries in Nantes
Main article: Cemetery Nantes .
The city has fifteen cemeteries , which are open every day. Their names Bouteillerie, Chauvinière, landscaped cemetery, Mercy, Pont-du-Cens, former St. Anne, St. Anne again, Saint Clair, Saint-Alphonse Saint-Jacques, Saint-Joseph de Porterie, St. New Martin, St. Maarten old All-Aids and Old Doulon 194 .
The oldest of these is the cemetery of St. Donatien, which adjoins the eastern side of the church of the same name. It houses the Saint-Etienne (formerly chapel of St. George or St. Agapit), the oldest religious building in the diocese of Nantes 195 .
Mercy is the cemetery called “the Pere-Lachaise Nantes. ” Along a path lined with cypress and lime trees are lined up sixty mausoleums of neo-Gothic style , home of the deceased “large families” Nantes. The most ancient cemeteries welcomes Jewish and Protestant 196 . Until the 1870s, the square was surrounded by the Jewish section for Protestants 197 .
Cultural heritage
Museums
Main article: Museums in Nantes .

Overview Dobree museum .
Several museums dedicated to various fields are located in Nantes. Among them the History Museum , inside the castle of the Dukes of Brittany, offers the public a retrospective activities Nantes over the centuries and a wide opening to the modern world. It is home to the shrine of the heart of Anne of Brittany. The Museum of Fine Arts in Nantes has a large reserve of mainly art paintings, which enables it to offer a complete panorama of Western painting from the xiii th century to the present 198 . The museum Dobrée houses a rich collection of works from Middle Ages to the xx th century. It also brings together a wide range of objects archaeological ranging from the Ice Age to the period Carolingian 199 .
The Jules Verne Museum is entirely devoted to the life and work of the writer born in Nantes in 1828 200 . In a different register, the Natural History Museum of Nantes presents natural science collections and houses various collections of zoology generally, wildlife regional, mineralogy , and a vivarium with reptiles and amphibians from all sources 201 . In the field of astronomy , the planetarium Nantes offers under a dome of 8 meters in diameter, representing projections of the solar system and the different constellations. It is also equipped with a global digital 202 .
Finally, the first memorial to the abolition of slavery to Europe should be released in summer 2011 along the Quai de la Fosse , between the bridge Anne-de-Bretagne and Victor Schoelcher gateway 203 .
Facilities and venues
Nantes has several facilities dedicated to culture and leisure. The city, Nantes Events Center (known until 2010 International Convention Center), business center, conference, convention and entertainment, was built in 1986 to 1992 from plans by architect Yves Lion . Dedicated to trade fairs and exhibitions event , the Parc des Expositions de la Beaujoire is a complex situated on the banks of the Erdre . It welcomes in particular the Nantes International Flower . The Graslin theater is a room of opera . It was designed by architect Mathurin Crucy in 1788 and is located on the square of the same name . The unique location is a former building of the LU biscuit factory located Baco dock, by the architect Auguste Bluysen . A portion was converted by architect Patrick Bouchain into a cultural center. The other important cultural sites are the Pannonica , Stéréolux / La Fabrique , the vent or the room Paul Fort in music, and the company of Comedy, drama of the Sphinx, the TNT (Neutral ground theater), theater Beaulieu-Semaphore, the UT (University Theatre), the Theatre de Poche Graslin , the Grand T (formerly House of Culture de Loire-Atlantique), the theater of the Cyclops and the room Vasse (the artistic direction was entrusted to the Company Science 89 ) for comedy and drama 204 . The hall of the Olympic has been closed since June 2011.

The theater Graslin due to Crucy Mathurin , built in the xviii th century .

The City, Nantes Events Center to the edges of the canal Saint-Félix .
For equipment dedicated to the cinema, four rooms are classified arthouse cinema in Nantes: the guard ( Saint-Jacques ), The Cinematograph near the castle of the Dukes of Brittany , the Concorde in the neighborhood and Zola Katorza near the theater Graslin 205 , 206 . Nantes also has movie complexes . One is located in the city, the Gaumont in the Place du Commerce .
City Library
The municipal library of Nantes consists of seven libraries and media centers spread throughout the country. Media libraries Jacques Demy (downtown), Luce Courville (north) and Floresca Guépin (east). Libraries Breil (northwest), the Halvêque (north east), the Manufacture (southeast) and Chantenay (southwest). A fourth library is planned in 2013 with opening to the south-west of Nantes. The main library, Jacques Demy, is home to several funds: heritage and special funds (Jules Verne, Labouchere, Paul-Louis Rossi, Bermond-Boquer, René-Guy Cadou, …).
The Jules Verne Museum is a cultural institution also managed by the network of the public library. Rich is a very important collection of manuscripts and original works, he presents the public with a permanent exhibition, temporary events, hospitality groups and classes of assets.
Music
Main article: Bands and musicians from Nantes .

The group of Breton music Nantes Tri Yann .
In Nantes, the classical music is represented by different orchestras . These include the National Orchestra of Pays de la Loire , conducted by John Axelrod 207 which provides a symphonic season in Nantes and Angers (head office and logistics since its inception in 1971 ). The musicians are divided equally between the two cities. Angers-Nantes Opéra officiating at the Nantes Theatre Graslin and Angers in the Grand Theatre . The Philhar, wind band from Nantes, is composed of amateur musicians (70%) and professionals (30%) under the musical direction of Frédéric Oster 208 . The Bagad of Nantes 209 represents the traditional Breton music.
The rock Nantes is also important. It is growing in the year 1980 including Elmer Food Beat it in 1990 and then a second wave rock arrives first with Dominique A then groups like Dolly . The group most emblematic of the city remains Tri Yann , still in business over 40 years after its founding.
Several songs have the theme or frame the city of Nantes. In traditional songs stands the famous in the prisons of Nantes discount up to date by Tri Yann in the 1970s. The song of sailors Jean-François de Nantes is also known. The singer Barbara wrote and performed one of his greatest songs Nantes 210 .
Nantes and literature
Nantes appears in several literary works. We often quote the phrase very supportive of André Breton in Nadja , where he writes: “Nantes: perhaps Paris, the only city in France where I feel like something that can happen is worth it where some eyes burn themselves with too much traffic for me [...], where the pace of life is not the same as elsewhere, where a spirit of adventure beyond all adventures some people still living in Nantes, where I can still come and friends. ” 211
However, Jules Verne, who spent his childhood and adolescence in Nantes, did not keep a good memory, as shown by a poem he wrote later, the sixth largest city in France . This is a sonnet that begins: A new district and presentable / Between many hideous / fools building on the sand / unscrupulous in business … . The full text is available at: [1] .
In Antoine Bloye (1933), Paul Nizan located in Nantes the last years of the central character: the installation after retirement in 1924, he died in 1927 and his funeral at the cemetery of Mercy. He speaks of Nantes in a tone much duller André Breton: “Nantes is a city where the sea trade, banks, factories, white faces of devout women, death and anxiety are the mysterious elements of a life that no other French city imposes on its inhabitants. The people of Nantes, accustomed from childhood to the ways of their city, no longer take care of the air we breathe on both banks of the Loire. This city was perhaps the one where Anthony could least easily find the rest he sought, the lack of concern that need to call a man after his task the moral atmosphere of old age. [...] Nantes could be to him that the city is settled to wait for death, the city where no one will move more. ” 212 . Nantes is also mentioned in his novel The Conspiracy (1938) through the character of Andrew Simon, Chartist , son of a silk merchant in the Rue Crebillon.
Paul Guimard is a good part of his novel The Irony (1961) in Nantes: “It was raining when the truck brakes Mercoeur street before the door of Anthony, one of these grains from the Bay of Biscay, which date back as by mistake the Loire estuary but, far inland, marine and still die of the city and on a ship. ” 213 .
Gracq in turn personifies Nantes in The Shape of a City (1985) “City of Wine, cider and not nearly as much as Vendée Breton, but firmly attached and retained in the final slopes of the Furrow of Brittany, that n’aventurant a foot shy to strike southern already on the left bank, it seems to look the shores of San Sebastian and Trentemoult edges as a land of plenty, countries from which it draws its sap popular countries the seduces and draws, but a difficult river has poorly measured access. ” 214
Nantes and film
A number of films are set in the city of Nantes. In 1946, Maurice Gleize it turns in part the boat soup in which a three-masted, the Duchesse Anne , serves as a backdrop to the plot. In 1961, Jacques Demy , Nantes of origin, which makes Lola , the story of a cabaret dancer who finds a childhood friend to pass Pommeraye 215 . Another Nantais, Denys de La Patellière , the city takes part in 1965 with his film The God of Thunder .
In the early 1980s, Michel Leviant Nantes turns the lion’s den , featuring the port city. It is also the case of Jacques Demy who returns to his hometown to make a room in town in 1982 216 . It depicts the shipyard strikes of 1955. In 1991 and 1993, the director Jean-Loup Hubert movies released The White Queen , and Because of her , the first part with the Trentemoult , the village of Cape Horners Nantes 217 , 218 . In 1991 that Agnes Varda , Jacques Demy’s companion, who directed the film traces the childhood of Nantes Demy, Jacquot de Nantes 219 .
In 2001, Pascal Thomas will run Wednesday crazy day! … 220 . In 2004, Claude Chabrol, which makes The Bridesmaid on the outskirts of Nantes. A Kiss? , the film of Emmanuel Mouret is shot in Nantes in 2007.
Cultural events and festivities
The Loire and its estuary are at the heart of sailing events and cultural events.
In 2006 launched the first edition of Close Encounters of the river . The event aims to bring together all kinds of ships and marine basins typical of yesterday or today. “Ambulance”, these meetings River run through the estuary of the Loire to Ancenis in Saint-Nazaire , stopping in several towns along the river 221 . Proposed in June, this event takes place every two years for two weeks 222 .

The Maxi Banque Populaire V on the occasion of his baptism.

The boats of the Solidaire du Chocolat at anchor.
In 2007, launched the biennial of contemporary art Estuary . Designed in three games, the event aims at presenting various artistic works mostly taking place in nature or the urban fabric along the estuary of the Loire from Nantes to Saint-Nazaire.
In 2009, the skipper Damien Grimont, founder of the Record SNSM , creates a new transatlantic race called double Solidaire du Chocolat . This race is unique because it is entirely dedicated to Class40 monohulls and aims to support associations supporting a work of general interest by patrons 223 , 224 .

The company Royal de Luxe with the show The Little Giant and the diver
Main article: Royal de Luxe .
Born in 1979 , a company of street theater , the Royal de Luxe moved to Nantes ten years later. The Royal is presented including the real history of France , 92 Cargo , traffic jams , the giant fell from the sky , the peplum , the tree house , back from Africa , short stories negroes provisionally , visit to the sultan , The revolt of the dummies and, in 2010, Little Giant and the diver 225 . Moreover, the idea of the elephant ‘s visit sultan is taken up and developed successfully by Machines of the island .
In May 2011, the city hosts the show El Xolo Royal De Luxe, containing three giants: The little giant El campesino (his uncle), and El Xolo, the dog, which in the traditional Aztec accompanied the dead in the beyond (in reference to Xolotl ). But the surprise was as mysterious in the wall “fell” from heaven, a fresco representing the events in the history of Nantes.
Other major events concerning all artistic fields 226 . In music, The Mad Day 227 is for classical music lovers, as the Spring Arts, while woven Métis, HIP OPsession , Soy, Scopitone, the hours of summer and the appointment of Erdre 228 are devoted to contemporary music and jazz. The film was honored with the Festival des 3 Continents , festivals, cinemas German, Spanish, British and Italian Festival Week at all. The festive events are the traditional carnival of Nantes 229 and the carnival of Nantes . Other areas have their specific manifestation of science fiction with Utopiales , floral art with the International Flower , finally, the digital arts during the festival Scopitone . Multidisciplinary, the Neighborhoods festival brings together artists of all the Loire Valley . The Festival Just for Laughs left Nantes in 2010.

The Crazy Day in the City of Nantes Congress.

Go to the Erdre , Ceineray dock.

Festival In the summer hours .
Typical products
Culinary

The Lamb , leafy vegetable typical of the Nantes region.
Nantes cuisine consists of several typical products. The position of the Nantes region along the Loire Valley has promoted gardening . The region accounts for nearly 85% of national production of corn salad 230 salad grown since the Renaissance in sandy soils. Gardeners Nantes Basin estuary of the Loire the harvest especially in winter.
One of the specialties offered at several local restaurants menu is the bacon Nantes, a preparation of rinds, liver, lung and pork chops tasted preferably with Muscadet, can be eaten around Nozay and Savenay 231 .
The beurre blanc also called butter sauce is a sauce typical of the region invented by Clémence Lefeuvre 232 , the Marquis de Goulaine cook at the beginning of xx th century. This is a reduction of shallots, chopped in vinegar and then mounted muscadet butter 233 , which accompanies the river fish (the perch or pike ), such as marine fish (the saithe or the shad ).
The Nantes region has its traditional cheese, the pastor of Nantes , which can be refined in Muscadet . Made from raw cow’s milk and whole, soft washed rind, it is square with rounded edges. Founded in 1880 in Saint-Julien-de-Concelles , it is now produced Pornic 234 .
As for desserts and sweets, the carton Nantes was created by local confectioners in the XIX th century, 235 , taking advantage of incoming sugar in the Caribbean port of trade. Softer than the carton, the rigolette , invented in 1902, is a shell of boiled sugar-containing fruit pulp 172 . The “cake Nantes” is a pound cake made ​​from ground almonds and rum statement 233 . Another is the thought of baking focaccia Nantes 236 originally made ​​to the Hague-Fouassière , she accompanied the tasting of Muscadet in the fall. This is a bread enriched with sugar and butter, flattened and shaped in the form of six-pointed star. There are also renowned biscuits, LU and NL , respectively, produce little butter 237 and biscuits 233 .
The Nantes vineyards products include two dry white wines famous. The first, Muscadet , comes from a single grape variety, the melon , including the production area is located on the eastern slopes of the department between Lake Grand-Place and the Loire Valley. It is divided into four sub-appellations labeled AOC . The second, larger plant in Nantes , the grape variety from crazy-white , is labeled VDQS . These wines are very popular as an accompaniment to seafood and shellfish.
The Nantillais, other beverages typically Nantes, is a syrup created in xvi th century, with ginger , sweet orange peel, lemon yellow, black currant or flower of hibiscus . It is often served with Muscadet as an aperitif.

A real little butter brand LU .

Berlingots Nantes.

The Muscadet from Nantes vineyards.
Thrush
In 2010, the Nantes region, European market leader, for 90% of national production of thrush in May . 60 million strands are produced in the country from Nantes, for a turnover of 12 million euros. 7000 seasonal contracts are generated at the time of harvest takes place mainly in late April to provide the massive demand of a st May 238 .