Nantes - Naonad

The city of Nantes (Breton: Naonad) and the Loire-Atlantique (Breton: Liger-Atlantel) Department were formerly part of the historic province of Brittany, and Nantes along with Rennes was one of its traditional capitals. Historically there is no doubt that the country around Nantes was always seen as being part of Brittany. In 1207 the Dukes of Brittany lived in Nantes. Most of the dukes and duchesses were buried in the cathedral or the adjacent abbeys. 

There are many interesting sites to seen in Nantes. One of which is the 15th century Château des Ducs de Bretagne. This moat surrounded castle has undergone an extensive restoration programme and now houses Nantes’ history museum. To the west of the château, in the Bouffay district, is Nantes’ old town, which has narrow streets and half-timbered houses.  The impressive Nantes Cathedral, or the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul of Nantes is a Roman Catholic Gothic cathedral located in the city. Construction began in 1434, on the site of a Romanesque cathedral, and took 457 years to finish in 1891. Nantes has several museums and a number of interesting arts and music venues, including the Musée des Beaux-Arts, whose works date from the 13th to the 19th century.

The splitting of Nantes and the Loire-Atlantique from the rest of Brittany continues to be the cause of rancour. It was done against the will of the Breton people. On January 15th 1790 the decree of the National Assembly divided Brittany into 5 departments. The most southerly one is the Loire-Atlantique in which Nantes is located. The partition of this Breton territory from the rest of Brittany was undertaken by the Vichy regime in 1941. In the 1950's the French governemnt created the Pays de la Loire region, which took in areas outside of traditional Breton territory. There have been further attempts to give this region, including Nantes, an identity that has no historical foundation. This however, has met with resistance from the people of the Loire-Atlantique and other parts of Brittany. There is an ongoing campaign for the reunification of  Nantes and the Loire-Atlantique with Brittany.

Image: Confluent de l'Erdre et de la Loire, Nantes between dated between 1890 and 1900.

Links: Brittany Tourism and Nantes Tourisme