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Nantes

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The Marité sailboat moored in the quay of Fosse with the domes of the Notre Dame church of Bon-Port and the Brittany Tower of the Saint Nicolas Basilica.

Nantes, Naoned in Breton, is a French city, capital of the department of Loire-Atlantique and the Region Pays de la Loire. It is situated on the Loire.

Regional metropolis[edit | edit source]

Nantes houses 289,000 inhabitants (it is the sixth largest city in France), and its residents are called Nantais(es). It is the main city of western France. It is equally a large industrial centre and a port (an independent port of Nantes-Saint-Nazaire). It is also a university city.

History[edit | edit source]

Nantes was the capital of Brittany until 1789, the date which the provinces were abolished. From this date, it became the capital of the Loire-Atlantique, then the regional capital of the Pays de la Loire in 1956.

During the 18th century, Nantes enjoyed unprecedented prosperity through triangular trade, as evidenced by the district shipowners on the Ile Feydeau. During the WWII, Nantes was damaged by bombings.

The main personalities linked to the city are Anne of Brittany, duchess of Brittany and twice the queen of France, and Jules Verne, writer born in Nantes in 1828.

Culture[edit | edit source]

In Nantes, you can visit the castle of the Dukes of Brittany. It was the main residence of the Dukes of Brittany. It currently houses the Nantes' museum of history. The other principal monuments are St Pierre and St Paul's Cathedral, the Pommeraye way and The LU factory

Feydeau island, which once housed industrial zones, was converted and became a leisure area combining urban plans and historical heritage.

Every year Nantes has a large classical music festival, the crazy journeys . Over five days, 300 concerts take place.

Sporting Activities[edit | edit source]

The town has its own professional football club. The F.C. Nantes (Football Club de Nantes), nicknamed the canaries.

External links[edit | edit source]

47° 13' 05" N 1° 33' 10" W/ 47.21806, -1.55278