Vannes (; br, Gwened) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Morbihan Morbihan ( , ; br, Mor-Bihan ) is a department in the administrative region of Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan (''small sea'' in Breton), the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastli ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago.

History

Celtic Era

The name ''Vannes'' comes from the Veneti, a seafaring

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

people who lived in the south-western part of

Armorica Armorica or Aremorica (Gaulish: ; br, Arvorig, ) is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul between the Seine and the Loire that includes the Brittany Peninsula, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic Coast ...

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

before the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

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 The Ferriby Boats are three Bronze-Age British sewn plank-built boats, parts of which were discovered at North Ferriby in the East Riding of the English county of Yorkshire. Only a small number of boats of a similar period have been found i ...

. Wheat that apparently was grown in the Middle East was part of this trade. At about 150 BC the evidence of trade (such as Gallo-Belgic coins) with the

Thames estuary The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain. Limits An estuary can be defined according to different criteria (e.g. tidal, geographical, navigational or in terms of salini ...

area of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

dramatically increased.

Roman Era

The Veneti were defeated by

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

's fleet in 56 BC in front of

Locmariaquer Locmariaquer (; br, Lokmaria-Kaer) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It lies south of Auray by road. Coat of arms This coat of arms was created 30 years ago by the local artist Jean-Baptiste Corlo ...

; 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 The Gauls ( la, Galli; grc, Γαλάται, ''Galátai'') were a group of Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age and the Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). They s ...

were displaced or assimilated by waves of immigrant

Britons British people or Britons, also known colloquially as Brits, are the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Overseas Territories, and the Crown dependencies.: British nationality law governs mo ...

fleeing the

Saxon invasions of Britain The Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain is the process which changed the language and culture of most of what became England from Romano-British to Germanic. The Germanic-speakers in Britain, themselves of diverse origins, eventually develope ...

. Under the

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally ** Breton people ** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Ga ...

name Gwened (also derived from the Veneti), the town was the center of an independent principality or kingdom variously called

Bro-Wened Gwened, Bro-Gwened (Standard br, Bro-Wened) or Vannetais (french: Pays Vannetais) is a historic realm and county of Brittany in France. It is considered part of Lower Brittany."AM""Gwened (Vannes/Vannetais)" in ''Celtic Culture: A Historical En ...

("Vannes") or

Bro-Ereg Gwened, Bro-Gwened (Standard br, Bro-Wened) or Vannetais (french: Pays Vannetais) is a historic realm and county of Brittany in France. It is considered part of Lower Brittany."AM""Gwened (Vannes/Vannetais)" in ''Celtic Culture: A Historical En ...

("land of Gwereg"), the latter for a prominent member of its dynasty, which claimed descent from Caradog Strongarm. The

diocese of Vannes The Roman Catholic Diocese of Vannes (Latin: ''Dioecesis Venetensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Vannes'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected in the 5th century, the Episcopal see is Vannes Cathedral in ...

was erected in the 5th century. The Council of Vannes was held there in 461. The realm annexed

Cornouaille Cornouaille (; br, Kernev, Kerne) is a historical region on the west coast of Brittany in West France. The name is cognate with Cornwall in neighbouring Great Britain. This can be explained by the settlement of Cornouaille by migrant princ ...

for a time in the early 6th century but was permanently joined with Domnonia under its king and

Saint Judicaël Saint Judicael or Judicaël ( – 16 December 647 or 652) (Welsh:Ithel), also spelled Judhael (with many other variants), was the King of Domnonée, part of Brittany, in the mid-7th century and later revered as a Roman Catholic saint. Bac ...

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 Olivier IV de Clisson (1300–1343), was a Breton Marche Lord and knight who became embroiled in the intrigue of Vannes and was subsequently executed by the King of France for perceived treason. He was the husband of Jeanne de Clisson who even ...

, 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 The Battle of Quiberon Bay (known as ''Bataille des Cardinaux'' in French) was a decisive naval engagement during the Seven Years' War. It was fought on 20 November 1759 between the Royal Navy and the French Navy in Quiberon Bay, off the coast ...

in November 1759. In 1795, during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, French forces based in Vannes successfully repelled a planned British-Royalist

invasion An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...

through

Quiberon Quiberon (; , ) is a commune in the French department of Morbihan, administrative region of Brittany, western France. It is situated on the southern part of the Quiberon peninsula, the northern part being the commune of Saint-Pierre-Quiberon. It ...

Geography

Vannes, located on the

Gulf of Morbihan The Gulf of Morbihan is a natural harbour on the coast of the department of Morbihan in southern Brittany, France. Its English name is taken from the French version, ''le golfe du Morbihan'', though it would be more precisely called 'the Mo ...

at the mouth of two rivers, the Marle and the Vincin, is around northwest of

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

and 450 km (280 miles) south west of Paris. Vannes is a market town linked to the sea.

Climate

Transport

Train
The Vannes railway station offers connections to

Quimper Quimper (, ; br, Kemper ; la, Civitas Aquilonia or ) is a commune and prefecture of the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. Administration Quimper is the prefecture (capital) of the Finistère department. Geography The ...

Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and several regional destinations.
With the fast train

TGV The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...

, the journey takes:
– 30 minutes to Lorient,
– 1 hour to Nantes or Rennes,
– 2.5 to 4 hours to Paris.
The

Transport express régional Transport express régional (, usually shortened to TER) is the brand name used by the SNCF, the French national railway company, to denote rail service run by the regional councils of France, specifically their organised transport authorities. ...

or TER is a slower train to join railway stations in the close neighborhood, such as

Auray Auray (; br, An Alre, or simply ) is a commune in the Morbihan department, administrative region of Brittany, northwestern France. Inhabitants of Auray are called ''Alréens'' (French) and ''Alreiz'' (Breton). Geography The city is surrounde ...

Questembert Questembert (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It is located approximately from Vannes. Demographics Inhabitants of Questembert are called ''Questembertois''. Its population was 7,723 as of 2018. ...

.
There is no direct line from Vannes to

Saint-Brieuc Saint-Brieuc (, Breton: ''Sant-Brieg'' , Gallo: ''Saent-Berioec'') is a city in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. History Saint-Brieuc is named after a Welsh monk Brioc, who Christianised the region in the 6th c ...

(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 Monterblanc (; br, Sterwenn) is a commune in the Morbihan department and Brittany region of north-western France. Geography The river Arz forms most of the commune's northern border. Demographics In French the inhabitants of Monterblanc are kn ...

, 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 Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with ailer ...

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' is a large-scale public bicycle sharing system in Paris, France. Launched on 15 July 2007, the system encompassed around 14,500 bicycles and 1,400 bicycle stations, located across Paris and in some surrounding municipalities, with an average da ...

. Hundreds of bicycles are available across 10 automated rental stations each with 10 to fifteen bikes/spaces. 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.

Population

Inhabitants of Vannes are called ''Vannetais''.

Monuments and sights

* 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 A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. Nowaday ...

(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

École nationale supérieure d'ingénieurs de Bretagne Sud École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by Secondary education in France, secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région ...

Institut catholique d'arts et métiers Located in six cities in France, Institut catholique d'arts et métiers is a Graduate Engineering school created in 1898. It is one of the ''grandes écoles'' part of Toulouse Tech. Its different curricula lead to the following French & European ...

* Southern Brittany University

Breton language

The municipality launched a linguistic plan through

Ya d'ar brezhoneg (french: Oui au breton, en, Yes to Breton) is a campaign started in the 21st century by the ( en, Office of the Breton language) to promote and stimulate the use of the Breton language in daily life in Brittany, northwestern France. Breton is a ...

on 12 October 2007. In 2008, 7.71% of children attended the bilingual schools in primary education.

In fiction

* In the last of the Three Musketeers novels of

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer ...

, '' The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later'', published in 1847, the musketeer

Aramis René d'Herblay, alias Aramis, is a fictional character in the novels ''The Three Musketeers'' (1844), ''Twenty Years After'' (1845), and ''The Vicomte de Bragelonne'' (1847-1850) by Alexandre Dumas, père. He and the other two musketeers, Atho ...

appears as

bishop of Vannes The Roman Catholic Diocese of Vannes (Latin: ''Dioecesis Venetensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Vannes'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected in the 5th century, the Episcopal see is Vannes Cathedral in ...

before becoming

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

of the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

. * In '' Sébastien Roch'', a novel by

Octave Mirbeau Octave Mirbeau (16 February 1848 – 16 February 1917) was a French novelist, art critic, travel writer, pamphleteer, journalist and playwright, who achieved celebrity in Europe and great success among the public, whilst still appealing to the ...

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 ''Sir Nigel'' is a historical novel set during the early phase of the Hundred Years' War, spanning the years 1350 to 1356. It was written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, first published in serial form during 1905–06 where it was ill ...

'', a novel by Sir

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

published in 1906, Nigel is made seneschal of the Castle of Vannes after a battle in Brittany. He doesn't 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 Jean-François Parot (27 June 1946 – 23 May 2018) was a French diplomat and writer of historical mysteries, born in Paris. Background and professional career Coming from a family closely connected with the cinema (as a child, he knew Jean Gabi ...

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 nove
The Oath of the Father
published in 2015, about the Viking raids in Brittany.

Notable people

Albinus of Angers Saint Albinus of Angers (french: Saint-Aubin) (c. 470 – March 1, 550), also known as Saint Albin () in English, was a French abbot and bishop. Born to a noble Gallo-Roman family at Vannes, Brittany, St. Albinus was a monk and from 504 C.E. Ab ...

(born 469), Roman Catholic saint *Saint Emilion ( Emilianus) (?–767),

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

and

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

saint, he gave his name to one of the main

red wine Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties. The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice from most purple grap ...

areas of Bordeaux *

François I Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once ...

(1414–1450), Duke of

Louis-Marie Autissier Louis-Marie Autissier ( 1772 – 1830), was a French-born Belgian portrait miniature painter.Aronson & Wieseman p. 93 According to Marjorie E. Wieseman, curator of European painting, at the Cincinnati Art Museum, "Autissier's success as a m ...

(1772–1830), painter *

Armand Alexandre de Castagny Armand Alexandre Castagny (Vannes 30 November 1807 – 13 November 1900 Belle Île) was a French general. Military life Beginning of his military career As a lieutenant, Armand Alexander de Castagny was at the French siege of Antwerp ...

(1807–1900), military general *

Louise Bourgoin Louise Bourgoin (; born Ariane Louise Bourgoin, 28 November 1981) is a French actress, model and television presenter. Life and career She was born on 28 November 1981 in Rennes. Bourgoin's parents, both secondary level teachers, encouraged ...

(born 1981), actress *

Pierre de La Gorce Pierre de La Gorce (19 June 1846, Vannes – 2 January 1934) was a French magistrate, lawyer and historian, as well as a member of the Académie française. He wrote books about the Second French Republic, the Second French Empire and the Fren ...

(1846–1934), historian *

Paul César Helleu Paul César Helleu (17 December 1859 – 23 March 1927) was a French oil painter, pastel artist, drypoint etcher, and designer, best known for his numerous portraits of beautiful society women of the '' Belle Époque''. He also conceived the cei ...

(1859–1927), painter *

Émile Jourdan Émile Jourdan (30 July 1860, in Vannes – 29 December 1931, in Quimperlé) was a French painter who became one of the artists who gathered in the village of Pont-Aven in Brittany. Early life Son of Prosper Jourdan, a ranking customs officer, an ...

(1860–1931), painter of

Pont-Aven School Pont-Aven School (french: École de Pont-Aven, br, Skol Pont Aven) encompasses works of art influenced by the Breton town of Pont-Aven and its surroundings. Originally the term applied to works created in the artists' colony at Pont-Aven, which s ...

Louis Martin-Chauffier Louis Martin-Chauffier, real name Louis Martin, (24 August 1894, Vannes – 6 October 1980, Puteaux) was a 20th-century French journalist and writer and a member of the French Resistance. Biography Education Louis Martin-Chauffier started m ...

(1894–1980), writer, journalist and member of the French Resistance *

Yves Rocard Yves-André Rocard (22 May 1903 – 16 March 1992) was a French physicist who helped develop the atomic bomb for France. Rocard was born in Vannes. After obtaining a double doctorate in mathematics (1927) and physics (1928) he was awarded the ...

(1903–1992), physicist *

Colonel Rémy Gilbert Renault (August 6, 1904 – July 29, 1984), known by the nom de guerre Colonel Rémy, was a notable French secret agent active in World War II, and was known under various pseudonyms such as ''Raymond'', ''Jean-Luc'', ''Morin'', ''Watteau' ...

(1904–1984), secret agent of the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

Alain Resnais Alain Resnais (; 3 June 19221 March 2014) was a French film director and screenwriter whose career extended over more than six decades. After training as a film editor in the mid-1940s, he went on to direct a number of short films which included ...

(1922–2014), film director *

Jean Vezin Jean Vezin (30 July 1933 – 30 August 2020) was a French librarian and medievalist historian, specializing in Latin palaeography and codicology. Biography Vezin was born in Vannes. A student at the École Nationale des Chartes, he obtained the ...

(1933–2020), palaeographer *

Yves Coppens Yves Coppens (9 August 1934 – 22 June 2022) was a French anthropologist. A graduate from the University of Rennes and Sorbonne, he studied ancient hominids and had multiple published works on this topic, and also produced a film. In October 2 ...

(born 1934), paleontologist *

Serge Latouche Serge Latouche (; ; born 12 January 1940) is a French emeritus professor of economics at the University of Paris-Sud. He holds a degree in political sciences, philosophy and economy. Work Latouche is a specialist in North-South economic and c ...

(born 1940), economist * Cédric Morgan (born 1943), writer, winner of the

Prix Breizh The prix Breizh is a French literary award bestowed under this name since 2001, on the initiative of Gwenn-Aël Bolloré. On that date, it succeeded the "Prix Bretagne" created in 1961. It crowns each year an author of Breton origin or friend of Br ...

in 2015 *

Claude-Michel Schönberg Claude-Michel Schönberg (born 6 July 1944, in Vannes) is a French record producer, actor, singer, songwriter, and musical theatre composer, best known for his collaborations with lyricist Alain Boublil. Major works include ''La Révolution Fran� ...

(born 1944), singer and songwriter *

Bernard Poignant Bernard Poignant (born 19 September 1945 in Vannes, Brittany) is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament for the west of France. He is a member of the Socialist Party, which is part of the Party of European Socialists, and sits on ...

(born 1945), politician *

Hélène de Fougerolles Hélène Christine Marie Rigoine de Fougerolles (; born 25 February 1973) is a French actress who was twice nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actress (known as the French Oscar) for Arthur Joffé's ''Let There Be Light'' (1998) ...

(born 1973), actress *

Mathieu Berson Mathieu Berson (born 23 February 1980) is a French former footballer who until 2013 played as a midfielder. Berson played for Nantes, Aston Villa, Auxerre, Levante, Toulouse, and Vannes. Career Berson began his career with Nantes and made his s ...

(born 1980), footballer * Joris Marveaux (born 1982), footballer *

Sylvain Marveaux Sylvain Marveaux (born 15 April 1986) is a French professional association football, footballer. He can play a variety of positions in Midfielder, midfield, but is mostly utilized as a Midfielder#Winger, right-sided midfielder or an Midfielder#A ...

(born 1986), footballer *

Yann Kermorgant Yann Alain Kermorgant (born 8 November 1981) is a French former professional footballer who played as a striker. Club career Early career Born in Vannes, Brittany, Kermorgant began his career with the Stade Rennais Youth Academy, but aged 14 h ...

(born 1981), footballer *

Jeremy Callaghan Jeremy Callaghan (born 22 July 1967 in Papua New Guinea) is an Australians, Australian actor whose portrayal of the cute and shy Constable Brian Morley on the popular TV drama ''Police Rescue'' ensured international attention. Callaghan is also ...

, Australian actor and writer

Sport

The local

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team is

Vannes OC Vannes Olympique Club (; commonly referred to as simply Vannes) is a French football club based in Vannes. The club was formed in 1998 as a result of the merger of ''Véloce vannetais'' founded in 1911 and ''FC Vannes'' known before 1991 as ''UCK ...

, members of the Championnat de France de

Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by Balkrishna Industries, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions ...

for the 2009–10 season. The

Rugby Club Vannes RC Vannes (french: Rugby Club Vannes) is a French rugby union club based in Vannes currently competing in Pro D2. Founded in , they play in the Stade de la Rabine and traditionally wear blue and white jerseys. The team usually competed in the th ...

is the rugby union team and competed in Pro D2 for the 2015–16 season. Both teams play at the

Stade de la Rabine The Stade de la Rabine is a multi-purpose stadium in Vannes, France. It is currently used by Vannes OC and Rugby Club Vannes. The stadium is able to hold 11,303 spectators. The stadium was used as a venue for the 2013 IRB Junior World Championshi ...

built in 2001. The town was the start line for stage 9 of the

2015 Tour de France The 2015 Tour de France was the 102nd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The -long race consisted of 21 stages, starting on 4 July in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and concluding on 26 July with the Champs-Élysées stage ...

Twin towns – sister cities

Vannes is twinned with: *

Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...

, Belgium (1952) *

Cuxhaven Cuxhaven (; ) is an independent town and seat of the Cuxhaven district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town includes the northernmost point of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the shore of the North Sea at the mouth of the Elbe River. Cuxhaven has ...

, Germany (1963) *

Fareham Fareham ( ) is a market town at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour, between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton in south east Hampshire, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Fareham. It was historically an important manufact ...

, England, United Kingdom (1967) *

Wałbrzych Wałbrzych (; german: Waldenburg; szl, Wałbrzich; sli, label= Lower Silesian, Walmbrig or ''Walmbrich''; cs, Valbřich or ) is a city located in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in southwestern Poland. From 1975–1998 it was the capital of W ...

, Poland (2001) *

Ballymoney Ballymoney ( ga, Baile Monaidh , meaning 'townland of the moor') is a small town and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is within the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area. The civil parish of Ballymoney is situated in ...

, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom (2001)

Gallery

File:Bretagne Morbihan Vannes1 tango7174.jpg, Panorama of the old town File:Vannes Altstadt.jpg, In the old town centre File:Bretagne Morbihan Vannes3 tango7174.jpg, Place des Lices File:Vannes lavoir.jpg, Old washing-places File:Vannes.hto3.jpg, Château de l'Hermine File:Vannesport.hto3.jpg, Port de Vannes File:Bretagne Morbihan Vannes2 tango7174.jpg, Garden of the Château de l'Hermine File:Vannes - Centre ville.jpg, Street in town center File:Vannes cathedral front.jpg,

Vannes Cathedral Vannes Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Vannes) is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Peter in Vannes, Brittany, France. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Vannes. The present Gothic church was erected on the site of ...

File:Clocher Saint Paterne.jpg, St. Patern church File:Port de Vannes quai Eric Tabarly.jpg, The port, at the foot of St. Vincent gate

References

External links

Official web site of the city
* * {{Authority control Communes of Morbihan Prefectures in France Port cities and towns on the French Atlantic coast Gallia Lugdunensis