many colours of flower stalls at the Places des Lices street market, Renne, Brittany, France
Rennes, capital of Brittany. The ancient settlement of Condate, built at the confluent of the Ille and Vilaine rivers in the first century B.C., was probably founded by the Redones, the people of Armorica, and the Romans, the new masters of the whole of Gaul. At the end of the third century, the town known as “Civitas Riedonum” was given its first 1200m-high city wall. In the 15th century, the town’s rapid growth led to the construction of two further city walls to the north-east and south of the Vilaine, increasing the area of the walled city from 9 to 62 hectares. The Tour Duchesne and Portes Mordelaises are the main fortified remains from this period.
The Metropolitan district of Rennes comprises 43 towns and villages including the city of Rennes and today has a population of almost 416,000 (the third greatest population increase in western France), spread over some 67,000 hectares (598 inhabitants per km). After the influx of 45,000 inhabitants over the past 15 years, a further rise of 60,000 is expected between now and 2015. This population growth can be witnessed in Rennes, across the département and throughout Brittany as a whole. “Greater Rennes” stretches out around the central city, which has 210,000 inhabitants and is separated from the rest of the district by a green belt. This style of town planning has preserved the essentially rural identity of the suburban towns and villages. The Metropolitan district of Rennes has preserved vast farmlands in a fertile area along with numerous natural sites, notably along the River Vilaine and its tributaries.
The distinctive centre of Rennes blends seamlessly into the district’s contemporary urban fabric, thanks to a tried and tested planning policy which favours natural spaces and emphasises public transport and environmentally friendly ways of getting around such as the metro and cycling. www.tourisme-rennes.com/en/home.aspx
many colours of flower stalls at the Places des Lices street market, Renne, Brittany, France
Rennes, capital of Brittany. The ancient settlement of Condate, built at the confluent of the Ille and Vilaine rivers in the first century B.C., was probably founded by the Redones, the people of Armorica, and the Romans, the new masters of the whole of Gaul. At the end of the third century, the town known as “Civitas Riedonum” was given its first 1200m-high city wall. In the 15th century, the town’s rapid growth led to the construction of two further city walls to the north-east and south of the Vilaine, increasing the area of the walled city from 9 to 62 hectares. The Tour Duchesne and Portes Mordelaises are the main fortified remains from this period.
The Metropolitan district of Rennes comprises 43 towns and villages including the city of Rennes and today has a population of almost 416,000 (the third greatest population increase in western France), spread over some 67,000 hectares (598 inhabitants per km). After the influx of 45,000 inhabitants over the past 15 years, a further rise of 60,000 is expected between now and 2015. This population growth can be witnessed in Rennes, across the département and throughout Brittany as a whole. “Greater Rennes” stretches out around the central city, which has 210,000 inhabitants and is separated from the rest of the district by a green belt. This style of town planning has preserved the essentially rural identity of the suburban towns and villages. The Metropolitan district of Rennes has preserved vast farmlands in a fertile area along with numerous natural sites, notably along the River Vilaine and its tributaries.
The distinctive centre of Rennes blends seamlessly into the district’s contemporary urban fabric, thanks to a tried and tested planning policy which favours natural spaces and emphasises public transport and environmentally friendly ways of getting around such as the metro and cycling. www.tourisme-rennes.com/en/home.aspx