73 Facts About Nantes France

1.

Nantes France belongs historically and culturally to Brittany, a former duchy and province, and its omission from the modern administrative region of Brittany is controversial.

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2.

Nantes France was identified during classical antiquity as a port on the Loire.

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3.

Nantes France has been praised for its quality of life, and it received the European Green Capital Award in 2013.

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4.

Nantes France is named after a tribe of Gaul, the Namnetes, who established a settlement between the end of the second century and the beginning of the first century BC on the north bank of the Loire near its confluence with the Erdre.

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5.

Nantes France' name continued to evolve, becoming and during the fifth century and Nantes France after the sixth, via syncope .

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6.

In Breton, Nantes France is known as or, the latter of which is less common and reflects the more-frequent use of articles in Breton toponyms than in French ones.

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7.

Nantes France began to grow when Ratiatum collapsed after the Germanic invasions.

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8.

The wall in Nantes France, enclosing 16 hectares, was one of the largest in Gaul.

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9.

The most spectacular Viking attack in Nantes France occurred in 843, when Viking warriors killed the bishop but did not settle in the city at that time.

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10.

Nantes France became part of the Viking realm in 919, but the Norse were expelled from the town in 937 by Alan II, Duke of Brittany.

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11.

Feudalism took hold in France during the 10th and 11th centuries, and Nantes was the seat of a county founded in the ninth century.

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12.

Nantes France began to trade with foreign countries, exporting salt from Bourgneuf, wine, fabrics and hemp .

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13.

Rennes received most legal and administrative institutions, and Nantes France kept a financial role with its Chamber of Accounts.

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14.

In 1664 Nantes was France's eighth-largest port, and it was the largest by 1700.

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15.

Nantes France was an important Republican garrison on the Loire en route to England.

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16.

Twelve thousand Republican soldiers resisted and the Battle of Nantes France resulted in the death of Royalist leader Jacques Cathelineau.

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17.

Nantes France was seen by the convention as a corrupt merchant city; the local elite was less supportive of the French Revolution, since its growing centralisation reduced their influence.

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18.

The Drownings at Nantes France were intended to kill large numbers of people simultaneously, and Carrier called the Loire "the national bathtub".

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19.

Nantes France tradesmen received a tax rebate on Reunion sugar, which was lucrative until disease devastated the cane plantations in 1863.

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20.

In 1851, after much debate and opposition, Nantes France was connected to Paris by the Tours–Saint-Nazaire railway.

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21.

Nantes France became a major industrial city during the second half of the 19th century with the aid of several families who invested in successful businesses.

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22.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the river channels flowing through Nantes France were increasingly perceived as hampering the city's comfort and economic development.

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23.

The 1970s global recession brought a large wave of deindustrialisation to France, and Nantes saw the closure of many factories and the city's shipyards.

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24.

Nantes France has been noted in recent years for its climate of social unrest, marked by frequent and often violent clashes between protesters and police.

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25.

Land north of Nantes France is dominated by bocage and dedicated to polyculture and animal husbandry, and the south is renowned for its Muscadet vineyards and market gardens.

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26.

The Loire in Nantes France now has only two branches, one on either side of the Isle of Nantes France.

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27.

Nantes France was at the point where the river current and the tides cancelled each other out, resulting in siltation and the formation of the original islands.

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28.

Nantes France is where one of these ridges, the Sillon de Bretagne, meets the Loire.

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29.

Elevations in Nantes France are generally higher in the western neighbourhoods on the Sillon, reaching 52 metres in the north-west.

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30.

Nantes France has an oceanic climate influenced by its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean.

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31.

The climate in Nantes France is suitable for growing a variety of plants, from temperate vegetables to exotic trees and flowers imported during the colonial era.

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32.

Nantes France has 100 public parks, gardens and squares covering 218 hectares .

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33.

Nantes France has three ecodistricts, which aim to provide affordable, ecological housing and counter urban sprawl by redeveloping neglected areas of the city.

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34.

Nantes France is the prefecture of the Loire-Atlantique departement and the Pays de la Loire region.

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35.

Nantes France is the meeting place of the region and departement councils, two elected political bodies.

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36.

The current mayor of Nantes France is Johanna Rolland, who was elected on 4 April 2014.

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37.

Since 1995 Nantes France has been divided into 11 neighbourhoods, each with an advisory committee and administrative agents.

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38.

Nantes France Metropole, created in 1999, is administered by a council consisting of the 97 members of the local municipal councils.

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39.

Nantes France' flag is derived from the naval jack flown by Breton vessels before the French Revolution.

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40.

Breton culture in Nantes France is not necessarily characteristic of Lower Brittany's, although the city experienced substantial Lower Breton immigration during the 19th century.

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41.

Nantes France has experienced consistent growth since the Middle Ages, except during the French Revolution and the reign of Napoleon I .

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42.

Since 2000 the population of Nantes France began to rise due to redevelopment, and its urban area has continued to experience population growth.

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43.

Nantes France does not have ethnic or religious categories in its census, but counts the number of people born in a foreign country.

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44.

Nantes France is historically a Catholic city, with a cathedral, two minor basilicas, about 40 churches and around 20 chapels.

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45.

Western France is traditionally religious, and the Catholic influence on Nantes was more persistent than in other large French cities.

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46.

Nantes France had a small Jewish community during the Middle Ages, but Jews were expelled from Brittany in 1240 and Judaism only reappeared after the French Revolution.

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47.

Nantes France signed the charter of the Public Office for the Breton Language in 2013.

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48.

The Nantes region is France's largest food producer; the city has recently become a hub of innovation in food security, with laboratories and firms such as Eurofins Scientific.

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49.

Nantes France experienced deindustrialisation after port activity in Saint-Nazaire largely ceased, culminating in the 1987 closure of the shipyards.

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50.

Nantes France capitalised on its culture and proximity to the sea to present itself as creative and modern.

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51.

City has one of the best-performing economies in Nantes France, producing €55 billion annually; €29 billion returns to the local economy.

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52.

The communes surrounding Nantes France have industrial estates and retail parks, many along the region's ring road.

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53.

Nantes France' cityscape is primarily recent, with more buildings built during the 20th century than in any other era.

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54.

Nantes France has a few structures dating to antiquity and the early Middle Ages.

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55.

The Machines of the Isle of Nantes France, opened in 2007 in the converted shipyards, has automatons, prototypes inspired by deep-sea creatures and a 12-metre-tall walking elephant.

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56.

Nantes France has five cinemas, with others throughout the metropolitan area.

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57.

Nantes France is noted for its large marionettes, and has performed in Lisbon, Berlin, London and Santiago.

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58.

Nantes France has been described as the birthplace of surrealism, since Andre Breton met Jacques Vache there in 1916.

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59.

Nantes France appears in a number of songs, the best-known to non-French audiences being 2007's "Nantes France" by the American band Beirut.

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60.

The Nantes region is renowned in France for market gardens and is a major producer of corn salad, leeks, radishes and carrots.

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61.

Nantes France has a wine-growing region, the Vignoble nantais, primarily south of the Loire.

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62.

University of Nantes France was first founded in 1460 by Francis II, Duke of Brittany, but it failed to become a large institution during the Ancien Regime.

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63.

In 1961 the university was finally recreated, but Nantes France has not established itself as a large university city.

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64.

The university is part of the EPSCP Bretagne-Loire Universite, which joins seven universities in western Nantes France to improve the region's academic and research potential.

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65.

Nantes France has three other grandes ecoles: the Ecole superieure du bois, the School of Design and Exi-Cesi .

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66.

FC Nantes France has several French professional football records, including the most consecutive seasons in the elite division, most wins in a season, consecutive wins and consecutive home wins .

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67.

Nantes France built its first compressed-air tram network in 1879, which was electrified in 1911.

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68.

Ouest-Nantes France, based in Rennes, covers north-western Nantes France and is the country's best-selling newspaper.

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69.

The Ouest-Nantes France group is a shareholder of the French edition of 20 Minutes, one of two free newspapers distributed in the city.

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70.

Nantes France has a satirical weekly newspaper, La Lettre a Lulu, and several specialised magazines.

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71.

Nantes France is home to Millenaire Presse—the largest French publishing house dedicated to professional entertainers—which publishes several magazines, including La Scene.

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72.

Nantes is the headquarters of France 3 Pays de la Loire, one of 24 local stations of the France Televisions national public broadcaster.

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73.

Nantes France 3 Pays de la Loire provides local news and programming for the region.

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