Prefecture of Morbihan (56): 55,000
Economy: agri-food, boating, services.
Specialities: seafood, gotchial (brioche), kouignamann, cola, Breton beers and ciders.
Sport: Vannes Olympique Club (football), Rugby Club Vannetais. Vannes Marathon.
Personalities: Saint Patern, Nominoë (first ruler of Brittany), Dukes of Brittany, Alain Resnais (filmmaker), Geneviève Asse (painter), Yves Coppens (palaeontologist), Patrice Loko (footballer), Benoît Vaugrenard (cyclist).
Festivals: Festi'Vannes, Semaine du Golfe, Vannes Bookfair, Jazz in Vannes, Fêtes d'Arvor, photo de mer.
Websites: www.mairie-vannes.fr, www.tourisme-vannes.com
VANNES AND CYCLING
The last time the men's Tour de France passed through Vannes was in 2015, when the team time trial was won by Team BMC, then a great specialist in the exercise, one second ahead of Chris Froome's Team Sky, already in yellow.
But Vannes had already been honoured with the start of an individual time trial in the 1947 Tour: 139km to Saint-Brieuc with the ascent of the Mur de Bretagne halfway through the race! René Vietto, who was wearing yellow at the time, gave up his last hopes. Exhausted, King René could do no more, giving up 14:40 to Belgian Raymond Impanis, the day's winner, and the Yellow Jersey to Pierre Brambilla. The Southerner had been jittery from the start, so much so that he asked his journalist friend Jean Leulliot, the future boss of Paris-Nice, to regularly tell him the gaps between him and his rivals. Unfortunately, Leulliot was involved in a motorbike accident, an incident that further demoralised Vietto.
That day, however, another Frenchman set an excellent time. Jean Robic shot to 3rd place overall, 2:58 behind Brambilla. It has to be said that the Breton rider started the race with a magic potion in his bottle: two thirds roasted barley and one third calvados at 60 degrees!
The day before, at the finish in Vannes, it was the Tour's red lantern, Switzerland's Pietro Tarchini, who had won the sprint, taking revenge for the stage in Bordeaux where he had been relegated.
Vannes is also home to Benoît Vaugrenard, French time trial champion in 2007, and Jordan Jegat, 28 in his first Tour de France last summer.
The local favourite is Coralie Demay, who could be taking part in her fourth Tour de France Femmes, with the Grand Départ less than 20km from her home town of Elven.
SIGHTS
Ramparts
Construction: 3rd to 17th centuries
Characteristics: Built between the 3rd and 17th centuries, the ramparts of Vannes are one of the few fortifications still preserved in Brittany. They have been progressively listed and restored since 1911.
History: founded by the Romans at the end of the 1st century BC under the reign of Augustus, the civitas Venetorum took shelter behind a castrum at the end of the 3rd century, when a major crisis shook the Roman Empire. This first wall remained the city's only protection for more than a thousand years. It was under Duke Jean IV, at the end of the 14th century, that the walls were extended southwards. The area of the town within the walls was doubled and the duke added his Hermine fortress to the new wall. The wars of the League at the end of the 16th century prompted the town to build several polygonal bastions (Gréguennic, Haute-Folie, Brozilay, Notre-Dame). The Garenne spur was the last defensive structure to be built in Vannes around 1630. From 1670 onwards, Louis XIV sold off parts of the ramparts to finance his wars. The most significant event was the donation to the town of Vannes of the ruins of the Château de l'Hermine in 1697, which were then used to redevelop the port and maintain the municipal buildings.
Listed as: Historic Monument in 1912 and 1956.
La Cohue Museum of Fine Arts
Construction: the building dates from the 13th to 17th centuries.
The museum opened in: 1982
Characteristics: its collections, enhanced by a deposit from the Centre Pompidou in Paris and private donations, offer visitors a panorama of painting from the second half of the 20th century. The museum is housed in La Cohue (a market and law courts built between the 13th and 17th centuries), where the Act of Union of Brittany with France was signed in 1532.
History: built between the 13th and 17th centuries, La Cohue hosted the Estates of Brittany ten times between 1431 and 1703. It became the property of the town in 1813 and was converted into a theatre, which remained in operation until the 1950s. The dilapidated building was restored in 1970, and since 1982 has housed the town's collections of paintings and engravings, as well as hosting major exhibitions.
Listed as: historic monument in 1929.
Château Gaillard Museum
Construction: 15th century.
Characteristics: the Museum of History and Archaeology is housed in a perfectly preserved 15th-century manor house, Château Gaillard, which backs onto the town's first rampart and was the seat of the Parliament of Brittany from 1456 to 1532.
History: built around 1430-1440 by Jean de Malestroit, bishop and chancellor to the Duke of Brittany, this medieval residence passed into the hands of the canons of Nantes before being purchased by the Duke of Brittany in 1457. It was in this sovereign court that the Duke's vassals voted on taxes. In 1485, Francis II entrusted the role of the States in disputes to a court of justice, the Parlement de Bretagne. The château then served as the auditorium of the Parliament and the residence of the president.
Current use: owned by the Société polymathique du Morbihan, the château is leased to Vannes Town Hall to house the town's archaeological museum.
Listed as: historic monument in 1913.
Hôtel de Limur
Construction: 17th and 18th centuries.
History: acquired by the City in 1947, sold to the State in 1980 and reclaimed by the City in 1991, the mansion, listed as a Historic Monument in 1993, retains the name of the de Limur family who owned it from 1820 to 1947.
Characteristics: its built during a period of architectural renewal in the town, the hotel is now a meeting place, home to a European institute of early music and host to exhibitions, conferences, workshops and concerts.
Listed as: Historic Monument in 1993.
L'île-aux-Moines
Description: from Vannes, numerous excursions to the Pearl of Morbihan, famous for its unspoilt nature, its captains' houses and its history.
TO EAT
Gotchial
Gotchial is a Breton cake halfway between bread and brioche. It is round and curved, with a crumb denser than bread and a lovely soft golden crust. The official recipe is kept secret. This round brioche bread speciality has been around since the 19th century. Gotchial originated on the Rhuys peninsula, in Saint-Armel to be precise.