Vannes
 |
Vannes
Gwened | |
|---|---|
 Montage of Vannes Top left: View of Ramparts Garden of Vannes and Gaillard Castle Museum; Top right: Saint Peters Cathedral; Middle left: Vieux lavoirs, old washing place; Center: Connetable Tower; Middle right: Intra Muros narrow street; Bottom left: Saint Paterne Church; Bottom right: Conleau Pier | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
Location of Vannes  | |
  Vannes  Vannes | |
| Coordinates:47°39′21″N2°45′37″W/ 47.6559°N 2.7603°W | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Brittany |
| Department | Morbihan |
| Arrondissement | Vannes |
| Canton | Vannes-1,2and3 |
| Intercommunality | Golfe du Morbihan - Vannes Agglomération |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | David Robo[1] |
| Area 1 | 32.3 km2(12.5 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 54,420 |
| • Density | 1,700/km2(4,400/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00(CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00(CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 56260/56000 |
| Elevation | 0–56 m (0–184 ft) (avg. 22 m or 72 ft) |
| 1French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2(0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Vannes(French pronunciation:[van];Breton:Gwened) is acommunein theMorbihandepartmentinBrittanyin north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago.[3]
History
[edit]Celtic Era
[edit]The nameVannescomes from theVeneti,a seafaringCelticpeople who lived in the south-western part ofArmoricainGaulbefore theRomaninvasions. The region seems to have been involved in a cross channel trade for thousands of years, probably using hide boats and perhapsFerriby Boats.[4]Wheat that apparently was grown in the Middle East was part of this trade.[5]At about 150 BC the evidence of trade (such as Gallo-Belgic coins) with theThames estuaryarea ofGreat Britaindramatically increased.[6]
Roman Era
[edit]The Veneti were defeated byJulius Caesar's fleet in 56 BC in front ofLocmariaquer;many of the Veneti were then either slaughtered or sold into slavery. The Romans settled a town calledDarioritumin a location previously belonging to the Veneti.
The Britons arrive
[edit]From the 5th to the 7th century, the remainingGaulswere displaced or assimilated by waves of immigrantBritonsfleeing theSaxon invasions of Britain.Under theBretonnameGwened(also derived from the Veneti), the town was the center of an independent principality or kingdom variously calledBro-Wened( "Vannes" ) orBro-Ereg( "land ofGwereg"), the latter for a prominent member of its dynasty, which claimed descent fromCaradog Strongarm.Thediocese of Vanneswas erected in the 5th century. The Council of Vannes was held there in 461. The realm annexedCornouaillefor a time in the early 6th century but was permanently joined withDomnoniaunder its king andSaint Judicaëlaround 635.
Breton War of Succession
[edit]In 1342, Vannes was besieged four times between forces from both sides of the Breton War of Succession. The city's defending commander,Olivier IV de Clisson,was captured by the English but finally released. The French eventually executed him since they suspected him of being a traitor since the ransom was unusually low.
18th century
[edit]In 1759, Vannes was used as the staging point for aplanned French invasion of Britain.A large army was assembled there, but it was never able to sail after the French naval defeat at theBattle of Quiberon Bayin November 1759.
In 1795, during theFrench Revolution,French forces based in Vannes successfully repelled a planned British-RoyalistinvasionthroughQuiberon.
Geography
[edit]Vannes, located on theGulf of Morbihanat the mouth of two rivers, the Marle and the Vincin, is around 100 kilometres (62 miles) northwest ofNantesand 450 km (280 miles) south west of Paris. Vannes is a market town linked to the sea.
Climate
[edit]| Climate data for Vannes / 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1998–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 16.7 (62.1) |
20.2 (68.4) |
23.7 (74.7) |
27.1 (80.8) |
29.9 (85.8) |
36.0 (96.8) |
37.0 (98.6) |
38.3 (100.9) |
32.1 (89.8) |
28.5 (83.3) |
20.6 (69.1) |
16.4 (61.5) |
38.3 (100.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.5 (49.1) |
10.5 (50.9) |
13.0 (55.4) |
15.6 (60.1) |
18.6 (65.5) |
22.3 (72.1) |
23.5 (74.3) |
23.5 (74.3) |
21.7 (71.1) |
17.3 (63.1) |
12.9 (55.2) |
9.6 (49.3) |
16.5 (61.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.5 (43.7) |
7.0 (44.6) |
8.9 (48.0) |
11.1 (52.0) |
14.3 (57.7) |
17.4 (63.3) |
18.9 (66.0) |
18.6 (65.5) |
16.5 (61.7) |
13.4 (56.1) |
9.3 (48.7) |
6.4 (43.5) |
12.4 (54.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.6 (38.5) |
3.5 (38.3) |
4.8 (40.6) |
6.6 (43.9) |
10.0 (50.0) |
12.5 (54.5) |
14.2 (57.6) |
13.7 (56.7) |
11.3 (52.3) |
9.6 (49.3) |
5.8 (42.4) |
3.1 (37.6) |
8.3 (46.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −7.4 (18.7) |
−7.3 (18.9) |
−8.6 (16.5) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
3.7 (38.7) |
7.0 (44.6) |
6.2 (43.2) |
2.5 (36.5) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−5.8 (21.6) |
−7.1 (19.2) |
−8.6 (16.5) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 99.8 (3.93) |
71.2 (2.80) |
76.8 (3.02) |
70.6 (2.78) |
62.8 (2.47) |
36.8 (1.45) |
56.8 (2.24) |
50.3 (1.98) |
60.2 (2.37) |
105.7 (4.16) |
105.3 (4.15) |
111.6 (4.39) |
907.9 (35.74) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1 mm) | 14.0 | 10.0 | 11.2 | 10.7 | 10.3 | 6.5 | 8.5 | 7.9 | 7.7 | 13.2 | 12.7 | 12.6 | 125.1 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 74.6 | 102.2 | 151.5 | 189.9 | 203.9 | 252.3 | 246.3 | 218.5 | 207.6 | 116.5 | 91.8 | 84.4 | 1,939.4 |
| Source: Meteociel[7] | |||||||||||||
Transport
[edit]Train
TheVannes railway stationoffers connections toQuimper,Rennes,Nantes,Parisand several regional destinations.
With the fast trainTGV,the journey takes:
– 30 minutes to Lorient,
– 1 hour to Nantes or Rennes,
– 2.5 to 4 hours to Paris.
TheTransport express régionalor TER is a slower train to join railway stations in the close neighborhood, such asAurayorQuestembert.
There is no direct line from Vannes toSaint-Brieuc(118 km away in the north of Brittany), so the train from Vannes to Saint Brieuc goes via Rennes, which doubles the travel time and cost: it takes 2 to 3 hours to go from Vannes to Saint Brieuc by train.
Car
Two highways, in the north of Vannes, provide fast connections by car:
– N165: west to Lorient (58 km) and Quimper (122 km), south east to Nantes (111 km)
– N166: north east to Rennes (113 km)
+ a network of small roads connects Vannes to smaller cities.
There is no highway from Vannes to Saint-Brieuc, so the way to northern Brittany consists of small roads. The lack of highway or railway between Vannes and Saint-Brieuc (118 km north) cuts the communications between northern and southern Brittany, and limits Brittany economic performance.
Airplanes
Vannes has a small airfield in the village ofMonterblanc,called Vannes-Meucon airport, or "Vannes – Golfe du Morbihan airport". It used to be a military airport, but it is now dedicated to general aviation aircraft. It belongs to Vannes Agglomeration community, the group of cities gathered around Vannes, and the main users of this airfield are Vannes flying club, the localultralight aviationclub, and Vannes school of skydiving.
Bus
There are 2 bus networks in Vannes:
– Kicéo, proposes short travels starting from Vannes Place de la Republique on behalf of Vannes Agglomeration community,
– CAT, propose longer travel starting from the railway station on behalf of Morbihan.
So there are 2 central bus stations in Vannes: one on Place de la Libération, the other at the railway station.
Bike
Vannes has a public bicycle rental program, called Vélocéo based on the same idea as the ParisVélib'.
Hundreds of bicycles are available across 10 automated rental stations each with 10 to fifteen bikes/spaces.[8]
Each Vélocéo service station is equipped with an automatic rental terminal and stands for bicycles.
This replaces the Velocea service, which was discontinued in August 2017.[9]
Population
[edit]Inhabitants of Vannes are calledVannetais.
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| Source: EHESS[10]and INSEE (1968–2017)[11] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Monuments and sights
[edit]
- Cathedral of St Peter,Gothic cathedral
- Church ofSt Patern,classic church
- Chapel of Saint-Yves, baroque church
- Château Gaillard (medieval house now used as an archaeological museum)
- Musée de la Cohue (fine arts museum)
- Hôtel de Ville
- Old city walls, which include:
- Tour du Connétable (a large medieval tower part of the old city walls)
- Château de l'Hermine(former castle, transformed into a palace in the 17th century, and a residence of the Dukes of Brittany between the 13th and 16th centuries)
- Porte Calmont, medieval city gate
- Porte Prison, medieval city gate
- Porte Poterne, medieval city gate
- Porte Saint-Jean, medieval city gate
- Porte Saint-Vincent, 18th century city gate
- Many timber-framed houses in the old town
- "Vannes and his wife", a funny painted granite sculpture from the 15th century in front of Château Gaillard
- The harbour
Education
[edit]- École nationale supérieure d'ingénieurs de Bretagne Sud
- Institut catholique d'arts et métiers
- Southern Brittany University
Breton language
[edit]The municipality launched a linguistic plan throughYa d'ar brezhonegon 12 October 2007. In 2008, 7.71% of children attended the bilingual schools in primary education.[12]
In fiction
[edit]- In the last of the Three Musketeers novels ofAlexandre Dumas,The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later,published in 1847, the musketeerAramisappears asbishop of Vannesbefore becomingGeneralof theSociety of Jesus.
- InSébastien Roch,a novel byOctave Mirbeaupublished in 1890, Sebastien is sent to a school in Vannes, Saint-François-Xavier, where he is a victim of sexual abuse.
- InSir Nigel,a novel by SirArthur Conan Doylepublished in 1906, Nigel is made seneschal of the Castle of Vannes after a battle in Brittany. He does not remain in Vannes, since after winning in another battle, the Black Prince dubs him a knight and Nigel returns to England to wed the Lady Mary.
- Jean-François Parothas written a series of crime fictions printed up to 2010 taking place in the 18th century, whose main character is Nicolas Le Floch, a Police Commissioner who was also educated in the school of Saint François-Xavier in Vannes, but he didn't share Sebastien Roch's misfortune. The Nicolas Le Floch novels have been adapted as a television series.
- InThe Secret of the Missing Boat,a children's book byPaul Bernapublished in 1966 asLa Voile Rouge.
- In "Charlemagne and Florent," a short story by Ranylt Richildis published in 2014 byMyths Inscribed.
- Vannes is a major location in C.J. Adrien's novelThe Oath of the Father,published in 2015, about the Viking raids in Brittany.
Notable people
[edit]- Albinus of Angers(born 469), Roman Catholic saint
- Saint Emilion (Emilianus) (?–767),monkandRoman Catholicsaint, he gave his name to one of the mainred wineareas of Bordeaux
- François I(1414–1450), Duke ofBrittany
- Louis-Marie Autissier(1772–1830), painter
- Armand Alexandre de Castagny(1807–1900), military general
- Louise Bourgoin(born 1981), actress
- Pierre de La Gorce(1846–1934), historian
- Paul César Helleu(1859–1927), painter
- Émile Jourdan(1860–1931), painter ofPont-Aven School
- Louis Martin-Chauffier(1894–1980), writer, journalist and member of the French Resistance
- Yves Rocard(1903–1992), physicist
- Colonel Rémy(1904–1984), secret agent of theFrench Resistance
- Alain Resnais(1922–2014), film director
- Jean Vezin(1933–2020), palaeographer
- Yves Coppens(born 1934), paleontologist
- Serge Latouche(born 1940), economist
- Cédric Morgan(born 1943), writer, winner of thePrix Breizhin 2015
- Claude-Michel Schönberg(born 1944), singer and songwriter
- Bernard Poignant(born 1945), politician
- Hélène de Fougerolles(born 1973), actress
- Mathieu Berson(born 1980), footballer
- Joris Marveaux(born 1982), footballer
- Sylvain Marveaux(born 1986), footballer
- Yann Kermorgant(born 1981), footballer
- Julian Chartier(born 1999), gymnast[13]
- Jeremy Callaghan,Australian actor and writer[14]
Sport
[edit]The localfootballteam isVannes OC,who play in the 5th tierChampionnat National 3as of the 2023–24 season.
TheRugby Club Vannesis the rugby union team and competed in Pro D2 for the 2023–24 season.
Both teams play at theStade de la Rabinebuilt in 2001.
The town was the start line for stage 9 of the2015 Tour de France.
Twin towns – sister cities
[edit]
Mons,Belgium (1952)
Cuxhaven,Germany (1963)
Fareham,England, United Kingdom (1967)
Wałbrzych,Poland (2001)
Ballymoney,Northern Ireland, United Kingdom (2001)
See also
[edit]- Saint-Vincent Gate (Vannes)
- Veneti (Gaul)
- Saint Meriasek
- Operation Dingson
- Communes of the Morbihan department
- Pierre Marie François OgéSculpture in Vannes town hall.
- Eleanor,aNile crocodileresident of the Aquarium du Vannes.
Gallery
[edit]-
Panorama of the old town -
In the old town centre -
Place des Lices -
Old washing-places -
Château de l'Hermine -
Port de Vannes -
Garden of the Château de l'Hermine -
Street in town center -
-
St. Patern church -
The port, at the foot of St. Vincent gate
References
[edit]- ^"Maires du Morbihan"(PDF).Préfecture du Morbihan. 7 July 2020.
- ^"Populations légales 2021"(in French).The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies.28 December 2023.
- ^History of VannesArchived24 October 2007 at theWayback MachineOfficial website of the city
- ^Cunliffe, Barry (2008).Britain and the continent: networks of interaction. A Companion to Roman Britain.John Wiley & Sons. pp. 1–11.
- ^Balter, Michael."DNA recovered from underwater British site may rewrite history of farming in Europe".Science News.Science.Retrieved16 March2015.
- ^Cunliffe, Barry (2008).Britain and the continent: networks of interaction. "A Companion to Roman Britain.John Wiley & Sons. p. 528.ISBN9780470998854.
- ^"Normales et records pour Vannes-Sene (56)".Meteociel.Retrieved14 September2020.
- ^"Vélocéo".veloceo.kiceo.fr.Retrieved27 September2020.
- ^"Vélocéo. Premiers coups de pédales le 9 juin".Le Telegramme(in French). 25 May 2018.Retrieved27 September2020.
- ^Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui:Commune data sheet Vannes,EHESS(in French).
- ^Population en historique depuis 1968,INSEE
- ^(in French)Ofis ar Brezhoneg:Enseignement bilingue
- ^"Le Vannetais Julian Chartier champion d'Europe de trampoline avec l'équipe de France".Le Télégramme(in French). 4 April 2024.Retrieved17 May2024.
- ^"Restoration of a classic French apartment".homestolove.com.au.18 October 2016.Retrieved12 May2020.
- ^"Relations internationales".mairie-vannes.fr(in French). Vannes.Retrieved13 April2021.
External links
[edit]
- Official web site of the city
Vannestravel guide from Wikivoyage- Base Mérimée:Search for heritage in the commune,Ministère français de la Culture.(in French)
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