Vannes – Introduction

Vannes (a population of some 55,000 inhabitants), located on the coast of Brittany, is a 2,000 year old and beautiful city, with a pretty much intact fortified city walls (ramparts or battlements) and an old city centre.

The city was founded by the Celts who later lost their city to the Roman invasion. Subsequent centuries saw many invasions, mostly from the British.

The city is a mixture of old and new(ish) buildings, however, the most interesting part is the old city centre which has retained its look & feel of centuries ago.

Buildings

There are many beautiful buildings and houses to be found in the city, starting with the City Hall (in French “Mairie” or “Hotel de Ville”). The building was built in 1880.

Right next to the City Hall is a big school, the “College Jules-Simon” with its adjacent “Chapelle Saint-Yves” (which is under major repairs). The school was found in 1574 by the Jesuit monks. The school has undergone many different purposes during the subsequent centuries, including used by the German armies during WWII. Currently it is a school again.

Another government building is the “prefecture” (the regional government, a bit like the governor).

The city centre has held its old character. A lot of houses are made out of wood, some with small towers, all set in narrow streets.

The Musee des Beaux-Arts pictured above used to be a covered market a few centuries ago (13th century), but transformed into a museum in 1982.

Click here for more information about the museum.

Another museum housed in an old building is the Archeologie museum to be found inside the Gaillard Castle.

Although castle is a bit of a big name, since it really is a big townhouse. The Chateau Gaillard was built in the 15th century, and served as part of the local parliament.

Here’s another view of the castle:

For more information, like opening times of the museum, click here.

Cathedral

For a city the size of Vannes, and the fact that the Dukes of Brittany lived here, you’d expect that there is a cathedral, and you’ll not be wrong.

NOTE: Click here to read our review of the cathedral.

There are obviously other religious buildings in Vannes

There are several catholic churches (6, including the cathedral) and buildings (9 chapels – 4 no longer active, 2 monasteries – 7 no longer active), but also protestant, muslim and even buddhist. Strangely enough, there are no jewish synagogues.

NOTE: Click here to see and read a bit more about some of the churches in Vannes.

The Wooden Houses

The old city centre sees many, and I mean many, wooden houses with between the wood, cement, or even still clay. Most of the houses are painted bright colors. There are not that many cities left with these kind of houses, and Vannes is one of the ones with most of them (another that springs to mind is Rouen)..

Not all buildings date a few centuries ago:

This is the Petit-Fers building, an industrial building dating back to 1894 where they used to sell hardware (no, not computers, but metals).

And when you look closely, you’ll see some houses with real turrets:

Chateau de l’Hermine

The Chateau de l’Hermine, also known as Hotel Lagorce dates back to 1785. The castle was built on top of the ruins of a fortress that was once the home of the Dukes of Brittany.

It has served many purposes during the years, including artillery school, tax offices and now it’s the head office of several associations.

The Streets

The streets in the old city centre are as you’d expect; mostly narrow. Often you’ll find cobblestones, but nevertheless, the roads are pretty well maintained. Many of the streets themselves are for pedestrian only.

Shops & Restaurants

Almost all streets inside the old city centre have shops and/or restaurants (and bars/cafes).

Shops in these old wooden houses look great, it provides an extra atmosphere of “old”.

The Ramparts (Fortified Walls)

One of the most interesting parts of Vannes to see are the enormous fortified city walls, also known as ramparts or battlements. They are quite long and very well maintained.

Where the moats used to be are now public gardens and a little river (Marle), making walks very pleasant.

NOTE: Click here to read a more detailed article about the Vannes Ramparts on our site.

The Marina

At the end of the fortified walls, towards the south, you will find a large, very long marina with mostly pleasure boats.

There, amongst many other things you’ll find this:

Conclusion

Vannes is a very pleasant city to visit, and merits a day or two to see. There’s a good atmosphere in the city, people are friendly, and there’s a lot to see and do.

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