Ancenis ( French pronunciation: [ɑ̃s.ni] ; Breton : Ankiniz ) is a former commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France . On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Ancenis-Saint-Géréon . It is a former sub-prefecture of the department, and was the seat of the former arrondissement of Ancenis .
119-539: It played a great historical role as a key location on the road to Nantes (23 miles to the southwest), the historical capital of Brittany . It was named "the key of Brittany" and the door of Brittany. The soccer team is called RCA 44, ( Racing Club D'Ancenis 44) Ancenis is twinned with both the town of Kirkham in Lancashire , UK and Bad Brückenau , a spa town in Bad Kissingen district, northern Bavaria which
238-706: A Gamma world city . It is the third-highest-ranking city in France, after Paris and Lyon . The Gamma category includes cities such as Algiers , Orlando , Porto , Turin and Leipzig . Nantes has been praised for its quality of life , and it received the European Green Capital Award in 2013. The European Commission noted the city's efforts to reduce air pollution and CO 2 emissions, its high-quality and well-managed public transport system and its biodiversity , with 3,366 hectares (8,320 acres) of green space and several protected Natura 2000 areas. Nantes
357-422: A World Heritage Site . Among the architectural highlights of the city, Porto Cathedral is the oldest surviving structure, together with the small romanesque Church of Cedofeita , the gothic Igreja de São Francisco (Church of Saint Francis ), the remnants of the city walls and a few 15th-century houses. The baroque style is well represented in the city in the elaborate gilt work interior decoration of
476-557: A bourgeois city rooted in private enterprise. On 18 July 1789, locals seized the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany in an imitation of the storming of the Bastille . Rural western France, Catholic and conservative, strongly opposed the abolition of the monarchy and the submission of the clergy . A rebellion in the neighbouring Vendée began in 1793, quickly spreading to surrounding regions. Nantes
595-469: A canning industry during the 1820s, but canning was eclipsed by sugar imported from Réunion in the 1840s and 1850s. Nantes tradesmen received a tax rebate on Réunion sugar, which was lucrative until disease devastated the cane plantations in 1863. By the mid-19th century, Le Havre and Marseille were the two main French ports; the former traded with America and the latter with Asia . They had embraced
714-573: A theatre or an amphitheatre , the city had sewers, public baths and a temple dedicated to Mars Mullo . After an attack by German tribes in 275, Nantes's inhabitants built a wall; this defense also became common in surrounding Gaulish towns. The wall in Nantes, enclosing 16 hectares (40 acres), was one of the largest in Gaul. Christianity was introduced during the third century. The first local martyrs ( Donatian and Rogatian ) were executed in 288–290, and
833-551: A bishopric at the end of the Roman era before it was captured by the Bretons in 851 with the help of Lambert II of Nantes . Although Nantes was the primary residence of the 15th-century dukes of Brittany , Rennes became the provincial capital after the 1532 union of Brittany and France . During the 17th century, after the establishment of the French colonial empire , Nantes gradually became
952-551: A border settlement. Vímara Peres , a Galician count from Gallaecia , and a vassal of the King of Asturias , Léon and Galicia , Alfonso III , was given the fief of Portucale, and the surrounding areas. This included the area from the Minho to the Douro River : the settlement of Portus Cale and the area that is known as Vila Nova de Gaia . Portus Cale, later referred to as Portucale ,
1071-525: A cathedral was built during the fourth century. Like much of the region, Nantes was part of the Roman Empire during the early Middle Ages. Although many parts of Brittany experienced significant Breton immigration (loosening ties to Rome), Nantes remained allied with the empire until its collapse in the fifth century. Around 490, the Franks under Clovis I captured the city (alongside eastern Brittany) from
1190-523: A city in dire need of repair after the wars of succession and a series of storms and fires between 1387 and 1415. Many buildings were built or rebuilt (including the cathedral and the castle), and the University of Nantes , the first in Brittany, was founded in 1460. The marriage of Anne of Brittany to Charles VIII of France in 1491 began the unification of the duchy of Brittany with the French crown which
1309-615: A city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire , 50 km (31 mi) from the Atlantic coast . The city is the sixth largest in France , with a population of 320,732 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabitants (2020). With Saint-Nazaire , a seaport on the Loire estuary, Nantes forms one of the main north-western French metropolitan agglomerations. It
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#17330936212911428-652: A financial role with its Chamber of Accounts. During the French Wars of Religion from 1562 to 1598, the city was a Catholic League stronghold. The Duke of Mercœur , governor of Brittany, strongly opposed the succession of the Protestant Henry IV of France to the throne of France in 1589. The Duke created an independent government in Nantes, allying with Spain and pressing for independence from France. Despite initial successes with Spanish aid, in 1598 he submitted to Henry IV (who had by then converted to Catholicism);
1547-503: A long-standing military alliance between Portugal and England . The Portuguese-English alliance (see the Treaty of Windsor ) is the world's oldest recorded military alliance. In the 14th and 15th centuries, Porto's shipyards contributed to the development of Portuguese shipbuilding. Also from the port of Porto, in 1415, Prince Henry the Navigator (son of John I of Portugal ) embarked on
1666-668: A major industrial city during the second half of the 19th century with the aid of several families who invested in successful businesses. In 1900, the city's two main industries were food processing and shipbuilding. The former, primarily the canning industry, included the biscuit manufacturer LU and the latter was represented by three shipyards which were among the largest in France. These industries helped maintain port activity and facilitated agriculture, sugar imports, fertilizer production, machinery and metallurgy, which employed 12,000 people in Nantes and its surrounding area in 1914. Because large, modern ships had increased difficulty traversing
1785-421: A railway bridge, was inaugurated on 4 November of 1877; it was considered a feat of wrought iron engineering and was designed by Gustave Eiffel , notable for his Parisian tower . The later Ponte Dom Luís I replaced the aforementioned Ponte Pênsil. This last bridge was made by Theophile Seyrig, a former partner of Eiffel. Seyrig won a governmental competition that took place in 1879. Building began in 1881 and
1904-668: A reference to the many quays and river channels in the old town before they were filled in during the 1920s and 1930s. The city is commonly known as la Cité des Ducs "the City of the Dukes [of Brittany] " for its castle and former role as a ducal residence. The first inhabitants of what is now Nantes settled during the Bronze Age , later than in the surrounding regions (which have Neolithic monuments absent from Nantes). Its first inhabitants were apparently attracted by small iron and tin deposits in
2023-406: A revolutionary tribunal notorious for cruelty and ruthlessness. Between 12,000 and 13,000 people (including women and children) were arrested, and 8,000 to 11,000 died of typhus or were executed by the guillotine , shooting or drowning. The Drownings at Nantes were intended to kill large numbers of people simultaneously, and Carrier called the Loire "the national bathtub". The French Revolution
2142-461: A rich cultural life, advertising itself as a creative place near the ocean. Institutions and facilities (such as its airport) were re-branded as "Nantes Atlantique" to highlight this proximity. Local authorities have commemorated the legacy of the slave trade, promoting dialogue with other cultures. Nantes has been noted in recent years for its climate of social unrest, marked by frequent and often violent clashes between protesters and police. Tear gas
2261-503: A study concerning competitiveness of the 18 Portuguese district capitals, Porto was the worst-ranked. The study was made by Minho University economics researchers and was published in Público newspaper on 30 September 2006. The best-ranked cities in the study were Évora , Lisbon, and Coimbra . Nevertheless, the validity of this study was questioned by some Porto notable figures (such as local politicians and businesspersons) who argued that
2380-577: Is 55% female, compared to 45% male. The largest age group, according to 2016 estimates, is 60 to 69, followed by residents in the 50 to 59 demographic. The majority 93.7% of residents were born in Portugal . The city also has residents that were born in Angola , Brazil, Cape Verde , and countries across Europe. Religion in the municipality of Porto (Census 2021) Porto plus the conurbation to which it belongs and has Porto municipality as its central core forming
2499-415: Is 60 kilometres (37 miles) in length. The river's bed and banks have changed considerably over a period of centuries. In Nantes the Loire had divided into a number of channels, creating a dozen islands and sand ridges. They facilitated crossing the river, contributing to the city's growth. Most of the islands were protected with levees during the modern era , and they disappeared in the 1920s and 1930s when
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#17330936212912618-533: Is a double-deck metal arch bridge that spans the River Douro between Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. Built in 1886, its 172 metres (564 ft) span was then the longest of its type in the world. The top-level is used for the Porto Metro trains, with an option for pedestrians; the lower level carries traffic and pedestrians. During the 20th century, major bridges were built: Arrábida Bridge , which at its opening had
2737-498: Is also a National Monument of Portugal. The western part of its urban area extends to the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean. Its settlement dates back to the 2nd century BC when it was an outpost of the Roman Empire . Its combined Celtic - Latin name, Portus Cale , has been referred to as the origin of the name Portugal , based on transliteration and oral evolution from Latin. Port wine , one of Portugal's most famous exports,
2856-596: Is augmented by the Via de Cintura Interna or A20, an internal highway connected to several motorways and city exits, complementing the Circunvalação 4-lane peripheric road, which borders the north of the city and connects the eastern side of the city to the Atlantic shore. The city is connected to Valença ( Viana do Castelo ) by highway A28, to Estarreja ( Aveiro ) by the A29, to Lisbon by
2975-419: Is connected to central Porto by metro’s line E. Porto's main railway station is Campanhã railway station , located in the eastern part of the city and connected to the lines of Douro (Peso da Régua/Tua/Pocinho), Minho (Barcelos/Viana do Castelo/Valença) and centre of Portugal (on the main line to Aveiro , Coimbra and Lisbon ). From Campanhã station, both light rail and suburban rail services connect to
3094-501: Is frequently deployed during protests. The city has a significant ultra-left radical scene, owing in part to the proximity of the ZAD de Notre-Dame-des-Landes . Masked rioters have repeatedly ransacked shops, offices and public transport infrastructure. The death of Steve Maia Caniço in June 2019 has led to accusations of police brutality and cover-ups. Nantes is in northwestern France, near
3213-523: Is generated by tourism. The hotel occupancy rate in 2017 was 77%. A scholarly study published in June 2019 stated that "Porto is one of the fastest-growing European tourist destinations that has experienced exponential growth in the demand for city-break tourists". The most popular tourist attractions in the city include the Porto Cathedral, Dom Luís I Bridge, Café Majestic , Livraria Lello and Jardins do Palácio de Cristal. The road system capacity
3332-419: Is high and concentrated in the winter months, making Porto one of the wettest major cities of Europe. However, long periods with warmer temperatures and sunny days are frequent even during the rainiest months. Summers are typically sunny, with average temperatures between 16 and 26 °C (61 and 79 °F), but can rise to as high as 38 °C (100 °F) during occasional heat waves. During such heatwaves,
3451-595: Is named after Porto, since the metropolitan area, and in particular the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia , were responsible for the packaging, transport, and export of fortified wine . Porto is on the Portuguese Way path of the Camino de Santiago . In 2014 and 2017, Porto was elected The Best European Destination by the Best European Destinations Agency. Proto-Celtic and Celtic people were among
3570-605: 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 . The origin of the name Namnetes is uncertain, but is thought to come from the Gaulish root * nant- 'river, stream' (from the pre-Celtic root *nanto 'valley') or from Amnites , another tribal name possibly meaning 'men of
3689-563: Is north of the city in Matosinhos . Porto is served by Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport which is located in Pedras Rubras, Moreira da Maia civil parish of the neighbouring Municipality of Maia , some 15 kilometres (9 miles) to the north-west of the city centre. The airport underwent a massive programme of refurbishment due to the Euro 2004 football championships being partly hosted in the city. It
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3808-411: Is often rainy for long stretches, although prolonged sunny periods do occur. "Moyennes 1991/2020 Sagres" . Baseline climate means (1991–2020) from stations all over the world . Météo Climat . Retrieved 7 May 2022 . "Extremes for Porto" . Météo Climat . Retrieved 7 May 2022 . Rui Moreira ( Independent ) is the current mayor of Porto, having taken office on 22 October 2013, following
3927-467: Is primarily a student neighbourhood, with many bars and small shops. The eastern extension (behind Nantes Cathedral ) was traditionally inhabited by the aristocracy , and the larger western extension along the Loire was built for the bourgeoisie . It is Nantes's most-expensive area, with wide avenues, squares such as the Place Saint-Pierre and hôtels particuliers . The area was extended towards
4046-505: Is situated in the Rhön Mountains in Germany. This Loire-Atlantique geographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Nantes Nantes ( / n ɒ̃ t / , US also / n ɑː n t ( s )/ ; French: [nɑ̃t] ; Gallo : Naunnt or Nantt [nɑ̃(ː)t] ; Breton : Naoned [ˈnãunət] ) is
4165-689: Is still remembered by a plate at the Ponte D. Luis I . ) The French Army was rooted out of Porto by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington , when his Anglo-Portuguese Army crossed the Douro River from the Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar (a former convent) in a brilliant daylight coup de main , using wine barges to transport the troops, outflanking the French Army. Influenced by liberal revolutions occurring in Europe,
4284-431: Is suitable for growing a variety of plants, from temperate vegetables to exotic trees and flowers imported during the colonial era. Nantes's layout is typical of French towns and cities. It has a historical centre with old monuments, administrative buildings and small shops, surrounded by 19th-century faubourgs surrounded by newer suburban houses and public housing . The city centre has a medieval core (corresponding to
4403-630: Is the second largest city in Portugal , after Lisbon . It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula 's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto , is small compared to its metropolitan area, with an estimated population of just 248,769 people in a municipality with only 41.42 km (16 sq mi). Porto's metropolitan area has around 1.8 million people (2023) in an area of 2,395 km (925 sq mi), making it
4522-451: Is the administrative seat of the Loire-Atlantique department and the Pays de la Loire region , one of 18 regions of France. Nantes belongs historically and culturally to Brittany , a former duchy and province , and its omission from the modern administrative region of Brittany is controversial. Nantes was identified during classical antiquity as a port on the Loire. It was the seat of
4641-464: The Atlantic Ocean and 340 kilometres (210 miles) southwest of Paris . Bordeaux , the other major metropolis of western France, is 275 kilometres (171 miles) south. Nantes and Bordeaux share positions at the mouth of an estuary, and Nantes is on the Loire estuary. The city is at a natural crossroads between the ocean in the west, the centre of France (towards Orléans ) in the east, Brittany in
4760-513: The Edict of Nantes (legalising Protestantism in France) was signed in the town, concluding the French wars of religion. Nonetheless, the town remained fervently Catholic (by contrast to nearby La Rochelle ), and the local Protestant community did not number more than 1,000. Coastal navigation and the export of locally produced goods (salt, wine and fabrics) dominated the local economy around 1600. During
4879-556: The Gaulish word condate 'confluence'. The Namnete root of the city's name was introduced at the end of the Roman period, when it became known as Portus Namnetum "port of the Namnetes" and civitas Namnetum 'city of the Namnetes'. Like other cities in the region (including Paris ), its name was replaced during the fourth century with a Gaulish one: Lutetia became Paris (city of
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4998-616: The Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto , most notably, in the core municipalities of Maia , Matosinhos , Porto, and Vila Nova de Gaia . The city's former stock exchange ( Bolsa do Porto ) was transformed into the largest derivatives exchange of Portugal, and merged with Lisbon Stock Exchange to create the Bolsa de Valores de Lisboa e Porto , which eventually merged with Euronext , together with Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris stock and futures exchanges . The building formerly hosting
5117-454: The House of Plantagenet ). During the 14th century, Brittany experienced a war of succession which ended with the accession of the House of Montfort to the ducal throne. The Montforts, seeking emancipation from the suzerainty of the French kings, reinforced Breton institutions. They chose Nantes, the largest town in Brittany (with a population of over 10,000), as their main residence and made it
5236-545: The Industrial Revolution , thanks to Parisian investments; Nantes lagged behind, struggling to find profitable activities. Nostalgic for the pre-revolutionary golden age, the local elite had been suspicious of political and technological progress during the first half of the 19th century. In 1851, after much debate and opposition, Nantes was connected to Paris by the Tours–Saint-Nazaire railway . Nantes became
5355-734: The Liberal Revolution of 1820 started in Porto. The revolutionaries demanded the return of John VI of Portugal , who had transferred the Portuguese Court to the Portuguese colony of Brazil since the French invasions of Portugal, it also demanded a constitutional monarchy to be set up in Portugal. In 1822, a liberal constitution was accepted, partly through the efforts of the liberal assembly of Porto (Junta do Porto). When Miguel I of Portugal took
5474-520: The Parisii ), and Darioritum became Vannes (city of the Veneti ). Nantes's name continued to evolve, becoming Nanetiæ and Namnetis during the fifth century and Nantes after the sixth, via syncope (suppression of the middle syllable). Nantes is pronounced [nɑ̃t] , and the city's inhabitants are known as Nantais [nɑ̃tɛ] . In Gallo , the oïl language traditionally spoken in
5593-524: The Ponte das Barcas (a pontoon bridge ). In 1809, the Napoleonic troops in Portugal under Marshal Soult , brought the Peninsular War to the city of Porto. On 29th March, as the population, along with thousands of fugitives from the advancing French troops tried to cross the river Douro over the Ponte das Barcas , but the bridge collapsed under the weight causing thousands of deaths. (This event
5712-552: The Ryanair hub at Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport. Porto won the European Best Destination 2012, 2014 and 2017 awards. The city received 2.8 million overnight visitors and 1.4 million day trippers between January and November 2017, with 73% from other countries. Tourism revenue has been increasing by over 11%, according to a 2018 report. According to a February 2019 report, over 10% of economic activity in Porto
5831-727: The Visigoths after a sixty-day siege; it was used as a stronghold against the Bretons . Under Charlemagne in the eighth century the town was the capital of the Breton March , a buffer zone protecting the Carolingian Empire from Breton invasion. The first governor of the Breton March was Roland , whose feats were mythologized in the body of literature known as the Matter of France . After Charlemagne's death in 814, Breton armies invaded
5950-530: The absolutist army. Porto is also called "Cidade Invicta" (English: Unvanquished City) after successfully resisting the Miguelist siege. After the abdication of King Miguel , the liberal constitution was re-established. The collapsed Ponte das Barcas was eventually replaced by the Ponte D. Maria II . Known popularly as Ponte Pênsil ( suspended bridge ), it was built between 1841 and 1843, with only its supporting pylons remaining today. The Ponte D. Maria ,
6069-716: The conquest of the Moorish port of Ceuta , in northern Morocco . This expedition by the king and his fleet, which included Prince Henry, was followed by navigation and exploration along the western coast of Africa, initiating the Portuguese Age of Discovery . The nickname that the people of Porto are known by began in those days; Portuenses are to this day, colloquially, referred to as tripeiros ( tripe peoples ), referring to this period of history, when higher-quality cuts of meat were shipped from Porto with their sailors, while off-cuts and by-products, such as tripe , were left behind for
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#17330936212916188-480: The humidity remains quite low. Nearby beaches are often windy and usually cooler than the urban areas. Summer average temperatures are a few degrees cooler than those expected in more continentally Mediterranean-influenced Portuguese cities because of the oceanic influence. Winter temperatures typically range between 6 °C (43 °F) early in the morning and 15 °C (59 °F) in the afternoon, but rarely drop below 0 °C (32 °F) at night. The weather
6307-425: The 1980s, but the number of permanent residents in the outskirts and satellite towns has grown strongly. Administratively, the municipality is divided into 7 civil parishes ( freguesias ): Porto features a warm-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen : Csb ), with influences of an oceanic climate ( Cfb ), common in the north of the Iberian Peninsula . As a result, its climate shares many characteristics with
6426-449: The 2013 local elections. He was reelected in 2017 and 2021. The Portuguese party Iniciativa Liberal (IL), founded and headquartered in Porto, is the only Portuguese party represented in parliament which is headquartered outside of the Lisbon area. Breaking down the population further shows that there is a higher percentage of women than men. Estimates from 2016 show that the population
6545-680: The A1, to Bragança by the A4 and to Braga by the A3. There is also an outer-ring road, the A41, that connects all the main cities around Porto, linking the city to other major metropolitan highways such as the A7, A11, A42, A43 and A44. Since 2011, a new highway, the A32, connects the metropolitan area to São João da Madeira and Oliveira de Azeméis . The Dom Luís I Bridge (Ponte de Dom Luís I)
6664-481: The Atlantic dominate, and north and north-west winds are also common. Slight variations in elevation make fog common in valleys, and slopes oriented south and south-west have good insolation . Winters are cool and rainy, with an average temperature of 6 °C (43 °F); snow is rare. Summers are warm, with an average temperature of 20 °C (68 °F). Rain is abundant throughout the year, with an annual average of 820 millimetres (32 inches). The climate in Nantes
6783-423: The Campo Alegre area, nearby the Faculty of Humanities and the Arts, and another one in the area known as the Massarelos valley. Porto is often referred to as Cidade das Pontes (City of the Bridges), besides its more traditional nicknames of "Cidade Invicta" (Unconquered/ Invincible City) and "Capital do Norte" (Capital of the North). In July 2015 a new cruise terminal was opened at the port of Leixões, which
6902-464: The Interior and the U.S. Army. The postwar years were a period of strikes and protests in Nantes. A strike organised by the city's 17,500 metallurgists during the summer of 1955 to protest salary disparities between Paris and the rest of France deeply impacted the French political scene, and their action was echoed in other cities. Nantes saw other large strikes and demonstrations during the May 1968 events , when marches drew about 20,000 people into
7021-495: The Loire but near the city centre) and north-bank communes including Saint-Herblain , Orvault and Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire . The 4.6-square-kilometre (1.8 sq mi) Isle of Nantes is divided between former shipyards on the west, an old faubourg in its centre and modern housing estates on the east. Since the 2000s, it has been subject to the conversion of former industrial areas into office space, housing and leisure facilities. Local authorities intend to make it an extension of
7140-419: The Loire to reach Nantes, a new port in Saint-Nazaire had been established at the mouth of the estuary in 1835. Saint-Nazaire, primarily developed for goods to be transhipped before being sent to Nantes, also built rival shipyards. Saint-Nazaire surpassed Nantes in port traffic for the first time in 1868. Reacting to the growth of the rival port, Nantes built a 15-kilometre-long (9.3 mi) canal parallel to
7259-520: The Loire to remain accessible to large ships. The canal, completed in 1892, was abandoned in 1910 because of the efficient dredging of the Loire between 1903 and 1914. At the beginning of the 20th century, the river channels flowing through Nantes were increasingly perceived as hampering the city's comfort and economic development. Sand siltation required dredging, which weakened the quays; one quay collapsed in 1924. Embankments were overcrowded with railways, roads and tramways. Between 1926 and 1946, most of
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#17330936212917378-401: The Loire were filled, the Erdre was diverted in central Nantes and its confluence with the Loire was moved further east. The Erdre includes Versailles Island, which became a Japanese garden during the 1980s. It was created in the 19th century with fill from construction of the Nantes–Brest canal . Nantes is built on the Armorican Massif , a range of weathered mountains which may be considered
7497-430: The March and fought the Franks. Nominoe (a Breton) became the first duke of Brittany, seizing Nantes in 850. Discord marked the first decades of Breton rule in Nantes as Breton lords fought among themselves, making the city vulnerable to Viking incursions. The most spectacular Viking attack in Nantes occurred in 843, when Viking warriors killed the bishop but did not settle in the city at that time. Nantes became part of
7616-436: The Municipality, the buildings in the Liberdade Square and the Avenida dos Aliados , the tile-adorned São Bento railway station and the gardens of the Crystal Palace ( Palácio de Cristal ). A guided visit to the Palácio da Bolsa , and in particular, the Arab Room is a major tourist attraction . Many of the city's oldest houses are at risk of collapsing. The population in Porto municipality dropped by nearly 100,000 since
7735-430: The Parc de Procé during the 19th century. The other faubourgs were built along the main boulevards and the plateaus, turning the valleys into parks. Outside central Nantes several villages, including Chantenay, Doulon, L'Eraudière and Saint-Joseph-de-Porterie, were absorbed by urbanisation. After World War II , several housing projects were built to accommodate Nantes's growing population. The oldest, Les Dervallières,
7854-479: The Parc de Procé, Parc du Grand Blottereau and Parc de la Gaudinière, the former gardens of country houses built outside the old town. Natural areas, an additional 180 hectares (440 acres), include the Petite Amazonie (a Natura 2000 protected forest) and several woods, meadows and marshes. Green space (public and private) makes up 41 percent of Nantes's area. Porto Porto ( Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpoɾtu] ), also known as Oporto ,
7973-407: The Portuguese throne in 1828, he rejected this constitution and reigned as an anti-liberal, absolutist monarch. A civil war (known as the Liberal Wars ) was then fought from 1828 to 1834 between those supporting Constitutionalism, and those opposed to this change, keen on near-absolutism and led by D. Miguel. Porto rebelled again and had to undergo a siege of eighteen months between 1832 and 1833 by
8092-421: The Viking realm in 919, but the Norse were expelled from the town in 937 by Alan II, Duke of Brittany . Feudalism took hold in France during the 10th and 11th centuries, and Nantes was the seat of a county founded in the ninth century. Until the beginning of the 13th century, it was the subject of succession crises which saw the town pass several times from the Dukes of Brittany to the counts of Anjou (of
8211-463: The area south of the Loire in the city of Ratiatum (present-day Rezé ) until the end of the second century AD. Ratiatum, founded under Augustus , developed more quickly than Nantes and was a major port in the region. Nantes began to grow when Ratiatum collapsed after the Germanic invasions . Because tradesmen favoured inland roads rather than Atlantic routes, Nantes never became a large city under Roman occupation. Although it lacked amenities such as
8330-404: The backbone of Brittany. The mountains, stretching from the end of the Breton peninsula to the outskirts of the sedimentary Paris Basin , are composed of several parallel ridges of Ordovician and Cadomian rocks. Nantes is where one of these ridges, the Sillon de Bretagne, meets the Loire. It passes through the western end of the old town, forming a series of cliffs above the quays. The end of
8449-409: The biggest concrete supporting arch in the world, and connects the north and south shores of the Douro on the west side of the city, S. João , to replace D. Maria Pia and Freixo , a highway bridge on the east side of the city. The newest bridge is Infante Dom Henrique Bridge , finished in 2003. Two more bridges are said to be under designing stages and due to be built in the next 10 years, one on
8568-415: The bridge was opened to the public on 31 October 1886. A higher-learning institution in nautical sciences (Aula de Náutica, 1762) and a stock exchange (Bolsa do Porto, 1834 – 1910 ) were established in the city, but were discontinued later. Unrest by Republicans led to the 31 January 1891 revolt in Porto, the first uprising against the Portuguese monarchy. This resulted ultimately in the overthrow of
8687-579: The buildings of this firm. The revolt became known as the Revolta dos Borrachos (revolt of the drunkards). Between 1732 and 1763, Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni designed a baroque church with a tower that became its architectural and visual icon: the Torre dos Clérigos (English: Clerics' Tower). During the 18th and 19th centuries, the city became an important industrial center and its size and population increased. Porto built its first permanent bridge in 1806,
8806-506: The channels were filled in and their water diverted. Large thoroughfares replaced the channels, altering the urban landscape. Feydeau and Gloriette Islands in the old town were attached to the north bank, and the other islands in the Loire were formed into the Isle of Nantes . When the land reclamation was almost complete, Nantes was shaken by the air raids of the Second World War . The city
8925-587: The churches of St. Francis ( São Francisco ) and St. Claire ( Santa Clara ), the churches of Mercy ( Misericórdia ) and of the Clerics ( Clérigos ), the Episcopal Palace of Porto , and others. The neoclassicism and romanticism of the 19th and 20th centuries also added interesting monuments to the landscape of the city, like the magnificent Stock Exchange Palace ( Palácio da Bolsa ), the Hospital of Saint Anthony ,
9044-572: The citizens of Porto; tripe remains a culturally important dish in modern-day Porto. By the 13th century, the wine produced in the Douro valley was already being transported to Porto in barcos rabelos (flat sailing vessels). In 1703, the Methuen Treaty established trade relations and a military alliance between Portugal and England. In 1717, the first English trading post was established in Porto. The production of port wine then gradually passed into
9163-459: The city centre and its surrounding area were destroyed by American bombs. About 20,000 people were left homeless by the 1943 raids, and 70,000 subsequently left the city. Allied raids killed 1,732 people and destroyed 2,000 buildings in Nantes, leaving a further 6,000 buildings unusable. The Germans abandoned the city on 12 August 1944, and it was recaptured without a fight by the French Forces of
9282-503: The city centre. Further development is also planned on the north bank along an axis linking the train station and the Loire. Nantes has 100 public parks, gardens and squares covering 218 hectares (540 acres). The oldest is the Jardin des Plantes , a botanical garden created in 1807. It has a large collection of exotic plants, including a 200-year-old Magnolia grandiflora and the national collection of camellia . Other large parks include
9401-612: The city of Porto and the Upper Douro River have been documented since the Middle Ages . However, they were greatly deepened in the modern age. Indeed, sumach , dry fruits and nuts and the Douro olive oils sustained prosperous exchanges between the region and Porto. From the riverside quays at the river mouth, these products were exported to other markets of the Old and New World . However,
9520-516: The city proper does not function independently but in conurbation with other municipalities. A 2007 ranking published in Expresso ranked Porto as the third best city to live in Portugal – tied with Évora and below Guimarães and Lisbon . The Porto metropolitan area had a GDP amounting to $ 42.1 billion euros and $ 24,344 per capita in 2021. Over the last few years, Porto has experienced significant tourism increases, which may be partly linked to
9639-426: The first known inhabitants of the area. Ruins of that period have been discovered in several areas. Archaeological findings reveal that there were also human settlements at the mouth of the Douro River as early as the 8th century BC, which hints at a Phoenician trading settlement there. During the period of Roman Empire in the Iberian Peninsula , the city developed as an important commercial port, primarily in
9758-585: The focus of what has been called the Reconquista , and later became the independent Kingdom of Portugal , after eventually expanding to its current frontiers into the south as it conquered territory inhabited by the Muslim Moors for centuries, under the reign of King Afonso I of Portugal at the beginning of the 12th century. In 1387, Porto was the site of the marriage of John I of Portugal and Philippa of Lancaster , daughter of John of Gaunt ; this symbolized
9877-489: The former walled town) and 18th-century extensions running west and east. The northern extension, Marchix, was considered squalid and nearly disappeared during the 20th century. The old town did not extend south before the 19th century, since it would have meant building on the unsteady islands in the Loire. The medieval core has narrow streets and a mixture of half-timbered buildings, more recent sandstone buildings, post- World War II reconstruction and modern redevelopment. It
9996-466: The greatest lever to interregional trade relations resulted from the commercial dynamics of the Port wine ( Vinho do Porto ) agro-industry. It decidedly bolstered the complementary relationship between the large coastal urban centre, endowed with open doors to the sea, and a region with significant agricultural potential, especially in terms of the production of extremely high quality fortified wines , known by
10115-559: The hands of a few English firms. To counter this dominance, Prime Minister Marquis of Pombal established a monopolistic Portuguese firm to receive all the wines from the Douro valley. He demarcated the region for the production of port, to ensure the wine's quality; this was the first attempt to control wine quality and production in Europe, which was almost a century ahead of a similar exercise in Bordeaux. The small winegrowers revolted against his strict policies on Shrove Tuesday , burning down
10234-464: The home of their council, their treasury and their chancery . Port traffic, insignificant during the Middle Ages , became the city's main activity. Nantes began to trade with foreign countries, exporting salt from Bourgneuf , wine, fabrics and hemp (usually to the British Isles ). The 15th century is considered Nantes's first golden age. The reign of Francis II saw many improvements to
10353-515: The largest port in France and was responsible for nearly half of the 18th-century French Atlantic slave trade . The French Revolution resulted in an economic decline, but Nantes developed robust industries after 1850 (chiefly in shipbuilding and food processing). Deindustrialization in the second half of the 20th century spurred the city to adopt a service economy . In 2020, the Globalization and World Cities Research Network ranked Nantes as
10472-533: The main producers of French printed cotton fabric during the 18th century, and the Netherlands was the city's largest client for exotic goods. Although trade brought wealth to Nantes, the city was confined by its walls; their removal during the 18th century allowed it to expand. Neoclassical squares and public buildings were constructed, and wealthy merchants built sumptuous hôtels particuliers . The French Revolution initially received some support in Nantes,
10591-462: The market). In 1664 Nantes was France's eighth-largest port, and it was the largest by 1700. Plantations in the colonies needed labour to produce sugar, rum, tobacco, indigo dye, coffee and cocoa, and Nantes shipowners began trading African slaves in 1706. The port was part of the triangular trade : ships went to West Africa to buy slaves, slaves were sold in the French West Indies, and
10710-430: The mid-17th century, the siltation of local salterns and a fall in wine exports compelled Nantes to find other activities. Local shipowners began importing sugar from the French West Indies ( Martinique , Guadeloupe and Saint-Domingue ) in the 1640s, which became very profitable after protectionist reforms implemented by Jean-Baptiste Colbert prevented the import of sugar from Spanish colonies (which had dominated
10829-535: The monarchy and proclamation of the republic by the 5 October 1910 revolution . On 19 January 1919, forces favorable to the restoration of the monarchy launched a counter-revolution in Porto known as Monarchy of the North . During this time, Porto was the capital of the restored kingdom, as the movement was contained to the north. The monarchy was deposed less than a month later and no other monarchist revolution in Portugal happened again. The historic center of Porto
10948-399: The newspaper) was at a time one of the tallest in the city (it has been superseded by a number of modern buildings which have been built since the 1990s). Porto Editora , one of the biggest Portuguese publishers, is also located in Porto. Its dictionaries are among the most popular references used in the country, and the translations are very popular as well. The economic relations between
11067-409: The north and Vendée (on the way to Bordeaux) in the south. It is an architectural junction; northern French houses with slate roofs are north of the Loire, and Mediterranean dwellings with low terracotta roofs dominate the south bank. The Loire is also the northern limit of grape culture. Land north of Nantes is dominated by bocage and dedicated to polyculture and animal husbandry , and
11186-548: The nucleus of the conurbation, is a major industrial and financial center of both Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula. As the most important city in the heavily industrialized northwest, many of the largest Portuguese corporations from diverse economic sectors , like Altri , Ambar , Amorim , Bial , BPI , Cerealis , CIN , Cofina , EFACEC , Frulact , Lactogal , Millennium bcp , Porto Editora , RAR , Sonae , Sonae Indústria , and Super Bock Group , are headquartered in
11305-537: The region around Nantes, the city is spelled Naunnt or Nantt and pronounced identically to French, although northern speakers use a long [ ɑ̃ ] . In Breton , Nantes is known as Naoned or an Naoned , the latter of which is less common and reflects the more-frequent use of articles in Breton toponyms than in French ones. Nantes's historical nickname was "Venice of the West" (French: la Venise de l'Ouest ),
11424-545: The region's subsoil. The area exported tin, mined in Abbaretz and Piriac , as far as Ireland . After about 1,000 years of trading, local industry appeared around 900 BC; remnants of smithies dated to the eighth and seventh centuries BC have been found in the city. Nantes may have been the major Gaulish settlement of Corbilo, on the Loire estuary, which was mentioned by the Greek historians Strabo and Polybius . Its history from
11543-574: The ridge, the Butte Sainte-Anne, is a natural landmark 38 metres (125 feet) above sea level ; its foothills are at an elevation of 15 metres (49 feet). The Sillon de Bretagne is composed of granite ; the rest of the region is a series of low plateaus covered with silt and clay , with mica schist and sediments found in lower areas. Much of the old town and all of the Isle of Nantes consist of backfill. Elevations in Nantes are generally higher in
11662-561: The river'. Its first recorded name was by the Greek writer Ptolemy , who referred to the settlement as Κονδηούινκον ( Kondēoúinkon ) and Κονδιούινκον ( Kondioúinkon ) —which might be read as Κονδηούικον ( Kondēoúikon )—in his treatise, Geography . The name was Latinised during the Gallo-Roman period as Condevincum (the most common form), Condevicnum , Condivicnum and Condivincum . Although its origins are unclear, Condevincum seems to be related to
11781-496: The second-largest urban area in Portugal. It is recognized as a global city with a Gamma + rating from the Globalization and World Cities Research Network . Located along the Douro River estuary in northern Portugal, Porto is one of the oldest European centers and its core was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996, as the "Historic Centre of Porto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar". The historic area
11900-468: The seventh century to the Roman conquest in the first century BC is poorly documented, and there is no evidence of a city in the area before the reign of Tiberius in the first century AD. During the Gaulish period it was the capital of the Namnetes people, who were allied with the Veneti in a territory extending to the northern bank of the Loire. Rivals in the area included the Pictones , who controlled
12019-493: The ships returned to Nantes with sugar and other exotic goods. From 1707 to 1793, Nantes was responsible for 42 percent of the French slave trade; its merchants sold about 450,000 African slaves in the West Indies. Manufactured goods were more lucrative than raw materials during the 18th century. There were about fifteen sugar refineries in the city around 1750 and nine cotton mills in 1786. Nantes and its surrounding area were
12138-444: The slave trade re-established itself as Nantes's major source of income in the first decades of the 19th century. It was the last French port to conduct the illegal Atlantic trade, continuing it until about 1827. The 19th-century slave trade may have been as extensive as that of the previous century, with about 400,000 slaves deported to the colonies. Businessmen took advantage of local vegetable production and Breton fishing to develop
12257-459: The smallest waterways were filled in. The Loire in Nantes now has only two branches, one on either side of the Isle of Nantes. The river is tidal in the city, and tides are observed about 30 kilometres (19 miles) further east. The tidal range can reach 6 metres (20 feet) in Nantes, larger than at the mouth of the estuary. This is the result of 20th-century dredging to make Nantes accessible by large ships; tides were originally much weaker. Nantes
12376-407: The south is renowned for its Muscadet vineyards and market gardens. The city is near the geographical centre of the land hemisphere , identified in 1945 by Samuel Boggs as near the main railway station (around 47°13′N 1°32′W / 47.217°N 1.533°W / 47.217; -1.533 ). The Loire is about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) long and its estuary, beginning in Nantes,
12495-512: The stock exchange is currently one of the city's touristic attractions, with the Salão Árabe (Arab Room in English) being its major highlight. The Banco Português de Fomento (BPF), a Portuguese state-owned development bank established in 2020, is headquartered in Porto. Porto hosts a popular Portuguese newspaper, Jornal de Notícias . The building where its offices are located (which has the same name as
12614-520: The streets. 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. The 1970s and 1980s were primarily a period of economic stagnation for Nantes. During the 1980s and 1990s its economy became service-oriented and it experienced economic growth under Jean-Marc Ayrault , the city's mayor from 1989 to 2012. Under Ayrault's administration, Nantes used its quality of life to attract service firms. The city developed
12733-554: The trade between Olissipona (the modern Lisbon ) and Bracara Augusta (the modern Braga ). Porto was also important during the Suebian and Visigothic times, and a center for the expansion of Christianity during that period. Porto fell under Muslim control following the invasion of the Iberian Peninsula between 714 and 716. Porto, and several cities of Northwestern Portugal, such as Braga , Chaves and Lamego were reconquered by Alfonso I of Asturias in 741, and thus Porto became
12852-485: The warm, dry Mediterranean climates of southern Europe and the wet marine west coast climates of the North Atlantic, providing it warm, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Cool and rainy days can, occasionally, interrupt the sunny weather. These occasional summer rainy periods may last a few days and are characterized by showers and cool temperatures around 20 °C (68 °F) in the afternoon. The annual precipitation
12971-498: The western neighbourhoods on the Sillon, reaching 52 metres (171 feet) in the north-west. The Erdre flows through a slate fault. Eastern Nantes is flatter, with a few hills reaching 30 metres (98 feet). The city's lowest points, along the Loire, are 2 metres (6.6 feet) above sea level. Nantes has an oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ) influenced by its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean . West winds produced by cyclonic depressions in
13090-592: The world-famous label Port . The development of Porto was also closely connected with the left margin of River Douro in Vila Nova de Gaia , where is located the amphitheater-shaped slope with the Port wine cellars. The city is very much the gateway to Portugal's northern region as well as the northern and western areas of Spain. Within a two-hour drive of Porto's airport, there are four Unesco World Heritage sites and popular Spanish tourist hotspots such as Santiago de Compostela. In
13209-466: Was an important Republican garrison on the Loire en route to England . On 29 June 1793, 30,000 Royalist troops from Vendée attacked the city on their way to Normandy (where they hoped to receive British support). Twelve thousand Republican soldiers resisted and the Battle of Nantes resulted in the death of Royalist leader Jacques Cathelineau . Three years later another Royalist leader, François de Charette ,
13328-470: 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. The city is at the confluence of two tributaries. The Erdre flows into the Loire from its north bank, and the Sèvre Nantaise flows into the Loire from its south bank. These two rivers initially provided natural links with the hinterland. When the channels of
13447-578: Was captured by Nazi Germany on 18 June 1940, during the Battle of France . Forty-eight civilians were executed in Nantes in 1941 in retaliation for the assassination of German officer Karl Hotz . They are remembered as "the 50 hostages" because the Germans initially planned to kill 50 people. British bombs first hit the city in August 1941 and May 1942. The main attacks occurred on 16 and 23 September 1943, when most of Nantes's industrial facilities and portions of
13566-659: Was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. The World Heritage Site is defined in two concentric zones; the "Protected area", and within it the "Classified area". The Classified area comprises the medieval borough located inside the 14th-century Romanesque wall. In 2001, Porto, alongside Rotterdam , was the European Capital of Culture for the whole year. For this event, several urban projects, from urban requalification to new infrastructures and public transportation, were put into practice. Situated at 280Km from Lisbon, in 1996, UNESCO recognized Porto's historic centre as
13685-467: Was developed in 1956 and was followed by Bellevue in 1959 and Le Breil and Malakoff in 1971. Once areas of poverty, they are experiencing regeneration since the 2000s. The northern outskirts of the city, along the Erdre , include the main campus of the University of Nantes and other institutes of higher education. During the second half of the 20th century, Nantes expanded south into the communes of Rezé , Vertou and Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire (across
13804-466: Was disastrous for the local economy. The slave trade nearly disappeared because of the abolition of slavery and the independence of Saint-Domingue , and Napoleon's Continental Blockade decimated trade with other European countries. Nantes never fully recovered its 18th-century wealth; the port handled 43,242 tons of goods in 1807, down from 237,716 tons in 1790. Outlawed by the French Revolution,
13923-627: Was executed in Nantes. After the Battle of Nantes, the National Convention (which had founded the First French Republic ) decided to purge the city of its anti-revolutionary elements. Nantes 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. From October 1793 to February 1794, deputy Jean-Baptiste Carrier presided over
14042-490: Was ratified by Francis I of France in 1532. The union ended a long feudal conflict between France and Brittany, reasserting the king's suzerainty over the Bretons. In return for surrendering its independence, Brittany retained its privileges. Although most Breton institutions were maintained, the unification favoured Rennes (the site of ducal coronations). Rennes received most legal and administrative institutions, and Nantes kept
14161-494: Was the origin for the modern name of Portugal . In 868, Count Vímara Peres established the County of Portugal , or ( Portuguese : Condado de Portucale ), usually known as Condado Portucalense , after repopulating the region north of Douro. In 1093, Teresa of León , illegitimate daughter of the king Alfonso VI of Castile , married Henry of Burgundy , bringing the County of Portugal as dowry. This Condado Portucalense became
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