Vannes

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"Gwened" and "Vannetais" redirect here. For the medieval region of Brittany, see Bro Gwened. For the regional Breton dialect, see Gwenedeg. For other uses, see Vannes (disambiguation).

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Not to be confused with Gwynedd, Vennes, Vanne, Van Nes, Van Ness, Vanness, Vaness, or Vanes.

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Vannes
Gwened
Prefecture and commune
Montage of VannesTop 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
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 of Vannes
Flag		 Coat of arms of Vannes
Coat of arms
Country France
Region Brittany
Department Morbihan
Arrondissement Vannes
Canton Vannes-1, 2 and 3
Intercommunality Golfe du Morbihan - Vannes Agglomération
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) David Robo[1]
Area1 32.3 km2 (12.5 sq mi)
Population (Jan. 2018)2 Lua error in Module:Wd at line 405: invalid escape sequence near '"^'.
INSEE/Postal code 56260 / 56000
Elevation 0–56 m (0–184 ft)
(avg. 22 m or 72 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Vannes (French pronunciation: [van] ( listen); Breton: Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago.[2]

History

Celtic Era

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See also: Veneti (Gaul) and Bro Gwened

The name Vannes comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who lived in the south-western part of Armorica in Gaul before the Roman invasions. The region seems to have been involved in a cross channel trade for thousands of years, probably using hide boats and perhaps Ferriby Boats.[3] Wheat that apparently was grown in the Middle East was part of this trade.[4] At about 150 BC the evidence of trade (such as Gallo-Belgic coins) with the Thames estuary area of Great Britain dramatically increased.[5]

Roman Era

The Veneti were defeated by Julius Caesar's fleet in 56 BC in front of Locmariaquer; many of the Veneti were then either slaughtered or sold into slavery. The Romans settled a town called Darioritum in a location previously belonging to the Veneti.

The Britons arrive

From the 5th to the 7th century, the remaining Gauls were displaced or assimilated by waves of immigrant Britons fleeing the Saxon invasions of Britain. Under the Breton name Gwened (also derived from the Veneti), the town was the center of an independent principality or kingdom variously called Bro-Wened ("Vannes") or Bro-Ereg ("land of Gwereg"), the latter for a prominent member of its dynasty, which claimed descent from Caradog Strongarm. The diocese of Vannes was erected in the 5th century. The Council of Vannes was held there in 461. The realm annexed Cornouaille for a time in the early 6th century but was permanently joined with Domnonia under its king and Saint Judicaël around 635.

Breton War of Succession

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

In 1759, Vannes was used as the staging point for a planned French invasion of Britain. A large army was assembled there, but it was never able to sail after the French naval defeat at the Battle of Quiberon Bay in November 1759.

In 1795, during the French Revolution, French forces based in Vannes successfully repelled a planned British-Royalist invasion through Quiberon.

Geography

Vannes, located on the Gulf of Morbihan at the mouth of two rivers, the Marle and the Vincin, is around 100 kilometres (62 miles) northwest of Nantes and 450 km (280 miles) south west of Paris. Vannes is a market town linked to the sea.

Climate

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)
Average high °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)		 11.1
(52)		 14.3
(57.7)		 17.4
(63.3)		 18.9
(66)		 18.6
(65.5)		 16.5
(61.7)		 13.4
(56.1)		 9.3
(48.7)		 6.4
(43.5)		 12.4
(54.3)
Average low °C (°F) 3.6
(38.5)		 3.5
(38.3)		 4.8
(40.6)		 6.6
(43.9)		 10.0
(50)		 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)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 99.8
(3.929)		 71.2
(2.803)		 76.8
(3.024)		 70.6
(2.78)		 62.8
(2.472)		 36.8
(1.449)		 56.8
(2.236)		 50.3
(1.98)		 60.2
(2.37)		 105.7
(4.161)		 105.3
(4.146)		 111.6
(4.394)		 907.9
(35.744)
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 monthly sunshine 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[6]

Transport

Train
The Vannes railway station offers connections to Quimper, Rennes, Nantes, Paris and several regional destinations.
With the fast train TGV, the journey takes:
– 30 minutes to Lorient,
– 1 hour to Nantes or Rennes,
– 2.5 to 4 hours to Paris.
The Transport express régional or TER is a slower train to join railway stations in the close neighborhood, such as Auray or Questembert.
There is no direct line from Vannes to Saint-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 of Monterblanc, 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 local ultralight aviation club, 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 Paris Vélib'. Hundreds of bicycles are available across 10 automated rental stations each with 10 to fifteen bikes/spaces.[7] 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.[8]

Population

Inhabitants of Vannes are called Vannetais.

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1793 9,131 —    
1800 9,131 +0.00%
1806 10,902 +3.00%
1821 11,289 +0.23%
1831 10,395 −0.82%
1836 11,623 +2.26%
1841 11,737 +0.20%
1846 12,974 +2.02%
1851 12,356 −0.97%
1856 14,329 +3.01%
1861 14,564 +0.33%
1866 14,560 −0.01%
1872 14,690 +0.15%
1876 17,946 +5.13%
1881 19,284 +1.45%
1886 20,036 +0.77%
1891 21,504 +1.42%
1896 22,189 +0.63%
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1901 23,375 +1.05%
1906 23,561 +0.16%
1911 23,748 +0.16%
1921 21,402 −1.03%
1926 22,089 +0.63%
1931 22,413 +0.29%
1936 24,068 +1.44%
1946 28,189 +1.59%
1954 28,403 +0.09%
1962 30,411 +0.86%
1968 36,576 +3.12%
1975 40,359 +1.42%
1982 42,178 +0.63%
1990 45,644 +0.99%
1999 51,759 +1.41%
2007 52,984 +0.29%
2012 52,648 −0.13%
2017 53,352 +0.27%
Source: EHESS[9] and INSEE (1968–2017)[10]

Monuments and sights

City walls of Vannes
"Vannes and his wife"
  • Cathedral of St Peter, Gothic cathedral
  • Church of St 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

Breton language

The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on 12 October 2007. In 2008, 7.71% of children attended the bilingual schools in primary education.[11]

In fiction

  • In the last of the Three Musketeers novels of Alexandre Dumas, The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later, published in 1847, the musketeer Aramis appears as bishop of Vannes before becoming General of the Society of Jesus.
  • In Sébastien Roch, a novel by Octave Mirbeau published in 1890, Sebastien is sent to a school in Vannes, Saint-François-Xavier, where he is a victim of sexual abuse.
  • In Sir Nigel, a novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published 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 Parot has 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.
  • In The Secret of the Missing Boat, a children's book by Paul Berna published in 1966 as La Voile Rouge.
  • In "Charlemagne and Florent," a short story by Ranylt Richildis published in 2014 by Myths Inscribed.
  • Vannes is a major location in C.J. Adrien's novel The Oath of the Father, published in 2015, about the Viking raids in Brittany.

Notable people

Sport

The local football team is Vannes OC, who play in the 5th tier Championnat National 3 as of the 2023–24 season.

The Rugby Club Vannes is the rugby union team and competed in Pro D2 for the 2023–24 season.

Both teams play at the Stade de la Rabine built in 2001.

The town was the start line for stage 9 of the 2015 Tour de France.

Twin towns – sister cities

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See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Vannes is twinned with:[13]

See also

Gallery

  • Panorama of the old town

  • In the old town centre

  • Place des Lices

  • Old washing-places

  • Château de l'Hermine

  • Port de Vannes

  • Hôtel Lagorce, Jardin du Château de l’Hermine, Vannes-2212.jpg

    Garden of the Château de l'Hermine

  • Street in town center

  • Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Vannes-2253.jpg

    Vannes Cathedral

  • St. Patern church

  • The port, at the foot of St. Vincent gate

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ History of Vannes Archived 24 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine Official website of the city
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Vannes, EHESS. Script error: No such module "In lang".
  10. ↑ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "In lang". Ofis ar Brezhoneg: Enseignement bilingue
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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