We have come quite often to Nantes, a City that needs to be visited more by all. A wonderful historical city with many monuments to see, many wonderful properties. I was again on my local road warrior mode and as bit not back, decided to give it a refresher to this must to visit City of Nantes, Loire-Atlantique dept 44 of the Pays de la Loire region,in my belle France ; even if old Bretagne! Do read my previous posts on the city as well, For now let me tell about the curiosities of Nantes, part II !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
This statue of Jean Fréour , sculptor Breton of Bats-sur-Mer (44) is located on Place Marc Elder right next to the main entrance to the castle of the dukes of Brittany. It represents Anne of Brittany, a historical figure of the end of the 15C and the beginning of the 16C, which had a fundamental role not only in Brittany but also in France to which it will allow the attachment of its original duchy by the marriage of his daughter Claude. Among other things, she was Duchess of Brittany but also twice Queen of France. Its statue seems in full movement, the gaze directed towards the castle, on the ground without a base, which reinforces this impression of seeing it walk towards the castle.
This is a classic of Nantes and France,visited once on a business luncheon, superbe, The La Cigale or cicada, a real Nantes institution since 1895 is an establishment where time has not stop. It is a temporal breach that takes you directly to the time of traditional breweries … The La Cigale is welcoming, lively and friendly. It is also a place of effervescence or intersect the promiscuity, the Art Nouveau decorations and the incessant back and forth of the servers. It is only at the La Cigale that you will find this unique atmosphere, these laughter, the precipitation of the shot, the taste, the flavors and the colors. But don’t get me wrong, the cicada is luxurious but wants to be authentic. She never sang so well when she was a brewery. One must be here at least once.
The Lycée Georges Clemenceau is the oldest high school in the department 44, created in 1808 is on the north side of it, rue Georges Clemenceau, while it is along by rue Stanislas Baudry in the east and rue Richebourg in the south The current buildings date back to the end of the 19C for the oldest, at the end of the 20C for the most recent. From the start of the Great War or WWI, the school was partly used as a military hospital and the boarding school is closed. Buildings allow the installation of 733 beds, which make it possible to accommodate 14,330 injured during the conflict , The Lycée Georges Clemenceau is again used militarily, as early as 1939, as French military hospital,during WWII, while the student staff reach the figure of 1 500 due to the presence of refugees. They are partly assigned in the appendices, as well as at the Mellinet barracks. From June 1940, it was occupied by the Nazis army, which authorized the resumption of teaching on October 10 only. In September 1943, the high school, affected by the bombing of Nantes, is closed; The buildings are occupied by the Kriesmarine nazi, who built two anti-aerial shelters in the courtyard of the students, the reopening took place until November 1944, after the liberation of Nantes (August 12). The nazis completely plunder the high school before leaving it. Then, it was occupied by American troops, serving, among other things, as a control point for people evacuated from the Pocket of Saint-Nazaire. Back to school is authorized from November 20, 1944.
The convent of the Visitation is a former convent confiscated under the French revolution, it became a hospital, a garrison circle then residence for the elderly the old convent was at no 108 rue Gambetta behind the Museum of Fine Arts, not far from the Saint-Clément Church, Cours Saint-Pierre et Saint-André and Place Maréchal-Foch. The Order of the Visitation Sainte-Marie was founded in Annecy in 1610 by François de Sales and Jeanne de Chantal. In 1633, the order of the Visitation Sainte-Marie took possession of it, and installed nuns here in Nantes. They built a convent, made up of four buildings surrounding a cloister , It is in this one that René Laennec made his first surgeon’s first steps in 1842, In the enclosure of the convent,it was built a barracks which will be baptized caserne Bedeau or Bedeau barracks in honor of General Marie-Alphonse Bedeau, native of Vertou and who was illustrated during the conquest of Algeria. In 2010, buildings were sold by the Domaine to the Nantes promoter CISF Invest who transformed them in 2013 into residence, “Les Jardins d’Arcadie”, including 88 housing units for the elderly.
The Loire-Atlantique prefecture hotel is the headquarters of the prefecture of the Loire-Atlantique department 44. Give on the north side on the quay Ceineray ,which borders the Erdre river,and on the south side on Place Roger-Salengro. The installation in Nantes of the Brittany Chamber of Accounts was decided by Anne de Bretagne in 1492. Then Louis XII bought the land of the Cordeliers convent to accommodate the building. The latter, whose construction begins under François Ier from 1515, was completed during the reign of Henri II in 1553, In addition to the Chamber of Accounts, the building must from the outset shelter the archives of the province of Brittany. The first stone was laid on September 6, 1763 and in 1782, the interior decoration was completed, and the Brittany Chamber of Accounts occupied the premises. In May 1783, the building chapel received the blessing , and in 1800, the building was entrusted to the departmental administration, and became a prefecture hotel as of today.
The Le Voyage à Nantes is both a tourism organization responsible for promotion via the culture of the destination of Nantes Métropole, created in 2011, This is the tourist office main is located at 9 Rue des États just across from the castle of the Dukes of Brittany moat.
The Nantes tourist office : https://www.levoyageanantes.fr/en/
The Loire Atlantique dept 44 Tourist office on Nantes: https://www.atlantic-loire-valley.com/cities-and-urban-tourism/24-hours-in-nantes
The Heritage site of the City of Nantes on its heritage : https://patrimonia.nantes.fr/home/decouvrir/les-parcours-du-patrimoine.html
There you go folks, do visit Nantes ,and its wonderful monuments. A must to visit while in the city ; see the curiosities of Nantes, part II !!! Again, hope you enjoy this post as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
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