Rennes - wikipedia Rennes For other uses, see Rennes ( disambiguation ). Rennes Roazhon ( Breton ) Prefecture and commune Top to bottom, left to right : City hall, Marché des Lices, Rennes Metro, Esplanade Charles de Gaulle, Opera of Rennes by night, University of Rennes 2, Skyline of Rennes from Cathedral Flag Coat of arms Motto ( s ) : Live in harmony ( French : `` Vivre en intelligence '' ) Rennes Location within Brittany region Rennes Coordinates : 48 ° 06 ′ 53 '' N 1 ° 40 ′ 46 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 48.1147 ° N 1.6794 ° W ﻿ / 48.1147 ; - 1.6794 Coordinates : 48 ° 06 ′ 53 '' N 1 ° 40 ′ 46 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 48.1147 ° N 1.6794 ° W ﻿ / 48.1147 ; - 1.6794 Country France Region Brittany Department Ille - et - Vilaine Arrondissement Rennes Canton Rennes - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 Intercommunality Rennes Métropole Government Mayor ( 2014 - 2020 ) Nathalie Appéré ( PS ) Area 50.39 km ( 19.46 sq mi ) Population ( 2015 ) 215,366 Density 4,300 / km ( 11,000 / sq mi ) Metro 719,840 Time zone CET ( UTC + 1 ) Summer ( DST ) CEST ( UTC + 2 ) INSEE / Postal code 35238 / 35000, 35200, 35700 Elevation 20 -- 74 m ( 66 -- 243 ft ) ( avg. 30 m or 98 ft ) French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km ( 0.386 sq mi or 247 acres ) and river estuaries. Population without double counting : residents of multiple communes ( e.g., students and military personnel ) only counted once. Rennes ( French pronunciation : ( ʁɛn ) ; Breton : Roazhon, Breton pronunciation : ( ˈrwaːzən ) ; Gallo : Resnn ; Latin : Condate Redonum ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille - et - Vilaine department. Rennes 's history goes back more than 2,000 years, at a time when it was a small Gallic village named Condate. Together with Vannes and Nantes, it was one of the major cities of the ancient Duchy of Brittany. From the early sixteenth century until the French Revolution, Rennes was a parliamentary, administrative and garrison city of the historic province of Brittany of the Kingdom of France. Since the 1950s, Rennes has grown in importance through rural flight and its modern industrial development, partly automotive. The city developed extensive building plans to accommodate upwards of 200,000 inhabitants. During the 1980s, Rennes became one of the main centres in telecommunication and high technology industry. It is now a significant digital innovation centre in France. In 2015, the city was the tenth largest in France, with a metropolitan area of about 720,000 inhabitants. With more than 66,000 students in 2016, it is also the eighth - largest university campus of France. The inhabitants of Rennes are called Rennais ( e ) ( es ) in French. In 2018, L'Express named Rennes as `` the most liveable city in France ''. Contents 1 History 2 Administration 2.1 Mayors 2.2 National representation 3 Geography 3.1 Climate 4 Population 5 Sights 5.1 Historic centre 5.1. 1 The Parlement de Bretagne and city hall area 5.1. 2 The Place des Lices and cathedral area 5.1. 3 Remains of the ramparts 5.1. 4 Place Saint - Anne area 5.1. 5 East : Thabor park area 5.1. 6 South city centre 5.2 South of the Vilaine 5.3 Other sights 5.4 Parks and gardens 6 Economy 7 Culture 7.1 Concerts hall 7.2 Museums and exhibitions places 7.3 Media 7.4 Local culture 7.4. 1 Local languages 7.4. 2 Local food 8 Education 9 Sport 9.1 Football club 9.2 Handball 9.3 Road bicycle 9.4 Rugby 10 Transport 10.1 Public transport 10.2 Cycling 10.3 Roads 10.4 Railway 10.5 Airport 11 Notable people 12 International relations 12.1 Twin towns -- sister cities 13 Broadcasting facilities 14 Cityscape 15 See also 16 References 17 External links History Main articles : History of Rennes and Timeline of Rennes Administration Since 2015, Rennes is divided into 6 cantons ( populations as of 2014 ) : Canton of Rennes - 1 ( 38,672 inhabitants ) Canton of Rennes - 2 ( 40,124 inhabitants ) Canton of Rennes - 3, which includes parts of Rennes but also the commune of Chantepie ( 43,829 inhabitants ) Canton of Rennes - 4 ( 37,036 inhabitants ) Canton of Rennes - 5, which includes parts of Rennes but also the commune of Saint - Jacques - de-la - Lande ( 43,072 inhabitants ) Canton of Rennes - 6, which includes parts of Rennes but also the commune of Pacé ( 44,888 inhabitants ) Rennes quarters Rennes is divided into 12 quarters : Le Centre Thabor / Saint Hélier Bourg l'Évêque - Moulin du Comte Saint - Martin Maurepas - Patton - Bellangerais Jeanne d'Arc - Longs - Champs - Beaulieu Francisco Ferrer - Landry - Poterie Sud Gare Cleunay - Arsenal - Redon Villejean - Beauregard Le Blosne Bréquigny Mayors Nathalie Appéré, current mayor of Rennes The current mayor of Rennes is Nathalie Appéré. A member of the Socialist Party, she replaced retiring Socialist incumbent Daniel Delaveau, in office from 2008 to 2014. Edmond Hervé ( b. 1942 ), Socialist mayor from 1977 to 2008 ; Henri Fréville ( 1905 -- 1987 ), mayor MRP from 1953 to 1977 ; Eugène Quessot ( 1882 -- 1949 ), interim mayor from 15 July 1947 until 26 October 1947 ; Yves Milon ( 1897 -- 1987 ), mayor RPF from 1944 to 1953. Among previous well - known mayors are : Jean Janvier ( 1859 -- 1923 ), from 1908 to 1923 ; Edgar Le Bastard ( 1836 -- 1891 ), from 1880 to 1891 ; Toussaint - François Rallier du Baty ( 1665 -- 1734 ) from 1695 to 1734. The mairie ( city hall ) is right in the centre of Rennes. National representation The French Prison Service operates the Centre pénitentiaire de Rennes, the largest women 's prison in France. Geography Green Belt between Rennes and L'Hermitage The ancient centre of the town is built on a hill, with the north side being more elevated than the south side. It is at the confluence of two rivers : the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is located on the European atlantic arc, 50 km from the English Channel ( near Saint - Malo, Dinard and Mont Saint - Michel ). Rennes has the distinction of having a significant Green Belt around its ring road. This Green Belt is a protected area between the city proper ( rather dense ) and the rest of its urban area ( rather rural ). Climate Rennes features an oceanic climate. Precipitation in Rennes is considerably less abundant than in the western parts of Brittany, reaching only half of the levels of, e.g., the city of Quimper, which makes rainfall in Rennes comparable to the levels of larger parts of western Germany. Sunshine hours range between 1,700 and 1,850 annually, which is about the amount of sunshine received by the city of Lausanne. Climate data for Rennes, Brittany Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high ° C ( ° F ) 16.8 ( 62.2 ) 19.8 ( 67.6 ) 23.4 ( 74.1 ) 28.7 ( 83.7 ) 30.8 ( 87.4 ) 36.3 ( 97.3 ) 38.3 ( 100.9 ) 39.5 ( 103.1 ) 34.8 ( 94.6 ) 30.0 ( 86 ) 21.4 ( 70.5 ) 17.8 ( 64 ) 39.5 ( 103.1 ) Average high ° C ( ° F ) 8.7 ( 47.7 ) 9.6 ( 49.3 ) 12.7 ( 54.9 ) 15.2 ( 59.4 ) 18.9 ( 66 ) 22.2 ( 72 ) 24.5 ( 76.1 ) 24.3 ( 75.7 ) 21.6 ( 70.9 ) 17.0 ( 62.6 ) 12.1 ( 53.8 ) 9.1 ( 48.4 ) 16.4 ( 61.5 ) Average low ° C ( ° F ) 3.0 ( 37.4 ) 2.6 ( 36.7 ) 4.5 ( 40.1 ) 5.9 ( 42.6 ) 9.3 ( 48.7 ) 11.9 ( 53.4 ) 13.8 ( 56.8 ) 13.7 ( 56.7 ) 11.4 ( 52.5 ) 9.1 ( 48.4 ) 5.5 ( 41.9 ) 3.3 ( 37.9 ) 7.9 ( 46.2 ) Record low ° C ( ° F ) − 14.7 ( 5.5 ) − 11.2 ( 11.8 ) − 7.3 ( 18.9 ) − 3.2 ( 26.2 ) − 1.2 ( 29.8 ) 2.2 ( 36 ) 5.5 ( 41.9 ) 4.0 ( 39.2 ) 1.9 ( 35.4 ) − 4.6 ( 23.7 ) − 7.5 ( 18.5 ) − 12.6 ( 9.3 ) − 14.7 ( 5.5 ) Average precipitation mm ( inches ) 67.6 ( 2.661 ) 49.1 ( 1.933 ) 51.6 ( 2.031 ) 50.9 ( 2.004 ) 67.2 ( 2.646 ) 46.7 ( 1.839 ) 49.1 ( 1.933 ) 37.8 ( 1.488 ) 59.0 ( 2.323 ) 74.8 ( 2.945 ) 67.5 ( 2.657 ) 72.7 ( 2.862 ) 694.0 ( 27.323 ) Average precipitation days 11.5 9.4 9.8 9.9 9.8 7.3 7.3 6.4 7.7 11.1 11.7 12.4 114.4 Average snowy days 2.1 2.6 1.5 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.7 1.7 9.2 Average relative humidity ( % ) 87 83 79 76 77 75 75 76 80 85 87 87 80.6 Mean monthly sunshine hours 69.1 87.2 128.4 162.7 191.2 217.3 210.7 205.5 177.8 117.5 81.3 68.6 1,717.1 Source # 1 : Météo France Source # 2 : Infoclimat.fr ( humidity, snowy days 1961 -- 1990 ) Population In 2018, the inner population of the city was of 221,272 inhabitants, the Rennes intercommunal structure connecting Rennes with 42 nearby suburbs ( named Rennes Métropole ) counted 450,593 inhabitants and the metropolitan area counted over 72000 inhabitants. Rennes has the second fastest - growing metropolitan area in France after Toulouse and before Montpellier, Bordeaux and Nantes. The inhabitants of Rennes are called Rennais in French. Historical population Year Pop. ± % 1770 23,143 -- 1790 25,160 + 8.7 % 1793 30,160 + 19.9 % 1800 25,904 − 14.1 % 1806 29,225 + 12.8 % 1821 29,589 + 1.2 % 1831 27,340 − 7.6 % 1836 35,552 + 30.0 % 1841 37,895 + 6.6 % 1846 39,218 + 3.5 % Year Pop. ± % 1851 39,505 + 0.7 % 1856 45,664 + 15.6 % 1861 45,483 − 0.4 % 1866 48,283 + 6.2 % 1872 52,044 + 7.8 % 1876 57,177 + 9.9 % 1881 60,974 + 6.6 % 1886 66,139 + 8.5 % 1891 69,232 + 4.7 % 1896 69,937 + 1.0 % Year Pop. ± % 1901 74,676 + 6.8 % 1906 75,640 + 1.3 % 1911 79,372 + 4.9 % 1921 82,241 + 3.6 % 1926 83,418 + 1.4 % 1931 88,659 + 6.3 % 1936 98,538 + 11.1 % 1946 113,781 + 15.5 % 1954 124,122 + 9.1 % 1962 151,948 + 22.4 % Year Pop. ± % 1968 180,943 + 19.1 % 198,305 + 9.6 % 1982 194,656 − 1.8 % 197,536 + 1.5 % 1999 206,229 + 4.4 % 2009 206,604 + 0.2 % 2012 209,860 + 1.6 % 2014 213,454 + 1.7 % Sights Rennes is classified as a city of art and history. Historic centre The historic centre is located on the former plan of the ramparts. There is a difference between the northern city centre and the southern city centre due to the 1720 fire, which destroyed most of the timber framed houses in the northern part of the city. The rebuilding was done in stone, on a grid plan. The southern part, the poorest at this time, was not rebuilt. Due to the presence of the parlement de Bretagne, many `` hôtels particuliers '' were built in the northern part, the richest in the 18th century. Most of the monuments historiques can be found there. Colourful traditional half - timbered houses are situated primarily along the roads of Saint - Sauveur, Saint - Georges, de Saint - Malo, Saint - Guillaume, des Dames, du Chapitre, Vasselot, Saint - Michel, de la Psallette and around the plazas of Champ - Jacquet, des Lices, Saint - Anne and Rallier - du - Baty. The parlement de Bretagne and city hall area The Parlement de Bretagne ( Administrative and judicial centre of Brittany, Breton : Breujoù Breizh ) is the most famous 17th century building in Rennes. It was rebuilt after a terrible fire in 1994 that may have been caused by a flare fired by a protester during a demonstration. It houses the Rennes Court of Appeal. The plaza around is built on the classical architecture. On the west, the Place de la Mairie ( City Hall Plaza, Plasenn Ti Kêr ) : City Hall Opera On the east, at the end of the Rue Saint - Georges with traditional half - timbered houses : 1920s Saint George Municipal Pool, with mosaics Saint George Palace, and its garden On the south - east : Saint - Germain square Saint - Germain Church Saint - Germain footbridge, 20th century wood and metal construction to link the plaza with Émile Zola Quay, across the Vilaine River. Saint Germain 's church Opera of Rennes Saint Georges Palace Rennes 's city hall The Place des Lices and Cathedral area The Place des Lices is lined by hôtels particuliers with the place Railler - du - Baty, is the location of the weekly big market, the marché des Lices. Near the Rennes Cathedral ( cathédrale Saint - Pierre de Rennes ) is the Rue du Chapitre : Hôtel de Blossac There are 16th century polychrome wooden busts on the façade of 20, Rue du Chapitre. On this era are the former St. Yves chapel, now the tourism office and a museum about the historical development of Rennes and the Basilica Saint - Sauveur Place des Lices with the roof top of Les Halles Martenot seen in on the left, and the hôtels particuliers on the right. Rue du Chapitre Gate of the Hôtel de Blossac Basilique Saint - Sauveur Remains of the ramparts Built from the 3rd to the 12th centuries, the ramparts were largely destroyed between the beginning of the 16th century and the 1860s. Portes mordelaises. The street crossing this gate comes from the Place des Lices and ends at the cathedral Tour Duchesne Place Railler - du - Baty Map of the remaining ramparts in Rennes Place Saint - Anne area Place Saint - Anne ( Plasenn Santez - Anna ) Saint - Aubin Church, built in the beginning of the 20th century Location of a former 14th century hospital Jacobite convent, the futur convention centre ( 2018 ) South - western, La Rue Saint - Michel nicknamed Rue de La Soif ( Road of Thirst ) because there are bars all along this street. South - eastern, the Champ - Jacquet square, with Renaissance buildings and a statue of mayor Jean Leperdit ripping up a conscription list. Place Saint - Anne Jacobite convent, vieved from the Place Saint - Anne Saint - Michel street Medieval houses at Champ - Jacquet East : Thabor Park area Area of Saint - Melaine square Notre - Dame - en - Saint - Melaine basilica, Tower and transept from the 11th century Benedictine abbey of Saint - Melaine 14th century Gothic arcades 17th century colonnade Bell tower topped with a gilded Virgin Mary ( 19th century ) 17th century cloister Jardin botanique du Thabor ( formal French garden, orangerie, rose garden, aviary ) a botanical garden on 10 hectares of land, built between 1860 and 1867. 17th century promenade `` la Motte à Madame '', and a monumental stairway overlooking the Rue de Paris entrance to the Thabor. Notre - Dame - en - Saint - Melaine basilica, viewed from the parc du Thabor Main gate of the parc du Thabor Rue de Paris Thabor entrance South city centre The south city centre is a mix of old buildings and 19th and 20th centuries constructions. Maison des Carmes Lycée Zola Toussaints church Palais du commerce South of the Vilaine The Fine Arts Museum is situated on Quai Émile Zola, by the Vilaine River. Les Champs Libres is a building on Esplanade Charles de Gaulle, and was designed by the architect Christian de Portzamparc. It houses the Brittany Museum ( Musée de Bretagne ), the regional library Bibliothèque de Rennes Métropole with six floors, and the Espace des Sciences science centre with a planetarium. At Place Honoré Commeurec is Les Halles Centrales, a covered market from 1922, with one part converted into contemporary art gallery. The Mercure Hotel is located in a restored building on Rue du Pré - Botté, which was the prior location of Ouest - Éclair, and then of Ouest - France, a premier daily regional newspaper. There are large mills at Rue Duhamel, constructed on each side of the south branch of the Vilaine in 1895 and 1902. Other sights To the northwest of Rennes, near Rue de Saint - Malo are the locks of the Canal d'Ille - et - Rance of 1843. There are two halls of the printer, Oberthür, built by Marthenot between 1870 and 1895 on Rue de Paris in the eastern part of the city. Oberthür Park is the second biggest garden in the city. The 17th century manor of Haute - Chalais, a granite château, is situated to the south of the city in Blosne Quarter ( Bréquigny ). Parks and gardens Gayeulles parc Square of Motte. Mail Mitterrand Thabor parc Oberthur parc Saint - Georges garden. Parc du Thabor contains a compact but significant botanical garden, the Jardin botanique du Thabor. The University of Rennes 1, with a campus in the city 's eastern section, also contains a botanical garden and collections ( the Jardin botanique de l'Université de Rennes ). Economy Technopole Atalante Local economy include car manufacturing, telecommunications, digital sector and agrofood. The ITC firm Orange ( ex-France Telecom ) is the largest private employer with 4,800 people. PSA Peugeot Citroën, is the second largest private employer in the metropolitan area of Rennes, with 4,000 people. PSA opened a manufacturing plant at La Janais in Chartres - de-Bretagne in 1961. Technicolor, one of the biggest firms in TV and cinema broadcasting in the world employs over 500 people. In a few years, Rennes became one of the main centres in high technology industry and digital. The city hosts one of the first Technopoles established in France : Rennes Atalante which employs over 20,000 people. Rennes is the 2nd concentration of digital and ITC firms in France after Paris ( with well - known companies and startups like Atos, SFR, Neosoft, Orange S.A., France Telecom, Ericsson, Harmonic France, STmicroelectronics, Technicolor R&D, Ubisoft, Regionsjob, Capgemini, OVH, Dassault Systèmes, Delta Dore, Canon, Artefacto, Enensys Technologies, Astellia, Mitsubishi Electric R&D Europe, Digitaleo, Alcatel - Lucent, Kelbillet, Texas Instruments, Sopra Group, Niji, Thales, Nemeus or Logica ). Rennes was one of the first French cities to receive the French Tech label in November 2014. Moreover, Rennes hosts the 3rd public research potential in digital and ITC sectors in France, after Paris and Grenoble, with 3,000 people working in 10 laboratories, like well - known IRISA, IETR, IRMAR, DGA - MI ( cyberdefense ), SATIE, etc. It is also the 3rd innovation potential in agrofood French industry with lots of firms in this field ( Lactalis, Triballat Sojasun, Coralis, Panavi, Bridor, Claude Léger, Loïc Raison, Groupe Roullier, Sanders, etc. ), an agro campus ( Agrocampus Ouest ) and a big international and professional expo, the Space ( every year in September ). Other large firms located in Rennes include the restaurant conglomerate Groupe Le Duff ( owners of Brioche Dorée, Bruegger 's, La Madeleine, Mimi 's Cafe, Timothy 's World Coffee ), the first French newspaper Ouest France ( 800,000 daily copies ) and Samsic Service ( cleanliness, industrial safety, job search, etc. ). Culture A festival by night at Thabor Park Cultural plaza with cinema, Brittany museum, library, science space, planetarium, youth house, shopping centres or concert and exhibition halls Brittany FRAC ( Regional Fund for Contemporary Art ) Rennes is known to be one of the most festive cities of France. It invests heavily in arts and culture and a number of its festivals ( such as the music festival Les Transmusicales, Les Tombées de la Nuit, Mythos, Stunfest ( fighting game competition ) and Travelling ( a cinematic festival ) ) are well known throughout France. During the 80 's, Rennes was often cited as the French town of rock and new wave music. Concerts hall Rennes is well equipped in musical facilities : The MusikHall, for large shows ( near the airport ). ( 7,000 seats ) Le Liberté, dedicated to major cultural events and touring shows. ( 5,300 seats ) La Cité, dedicated to contemporary musics & locals artists. ( 1,150 seats ) L'Etage ( Le Liberté ), dedicated to contemporary musics & locals artists. ( 900 seats ) Rennes 's Opera House ( 650 seats ) and National Theatre of Brittany, TNB in French ( Vilar room, 950 seats ) for Brittany orchestra. The Ubu, an associative concert hall. ( 500 seats ) L'Antipode MJC, which also an art centre. ( 500 seats ) Museums and exhibitions places There are also five museums in Rennes : Musée des Beaux Arts ( Museum of Fine Arts of Rennes ). This art museum hold many works by the sculptor Pierre Charles Lenoir Musée de Bretagne ( Museum of Brittany ) at the Champs Libres, together with the ' espace of sciences ' and a planetarium. Museum of Farming and Rennes Countryside at la Bintinais, south of Rennes. Musée des Transmissions ( Museum of Broadcasting ) at Cesson - Sévigné, east of Rennes centre. FRAC Bretagne Fond Régional d'Art contemporain ( Regional Fund for Contemporary Art ). In addition to this list, there is art facilities, such as 40mcube exhibition space or the centre for contemporary art La Criée. There is also miscellaneous cultural places : the dance dedicated place the Triange, two `` Art et Essai '' - art house cinemas - cinemas called l'Arvor and Cine TNB. Remark that the surrounding cities house many other cultural places. Media Rennes was one of the first towns in France to have its own local television channel ' TV Rennes ', created in 1987. Rennes has also local radio stations ( Hit West, Radio Campus, Canal B, Radio Caroline, Radio Rennes, Radio Laser ) and local newspapers or magazines ( Ouest - France, Le Mensuel de Rennes, Place Publique, 20 Minutes Rennes ). Local culture Local languages Flag of Brittany In Brittany, two regional languages are spoken : Breton and Gallo. In and around Rennes, Gallo was traditionally spoken as a local language, but Breton has always been spoken by regional migrants coming from the western part of the region. Nowadays, the Breton language is taught in one Diwan school, some bilingual public and Catholic schools, in evening courses, and in university. The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on 24 January 2008. In 2008, 2.87 % of primary school children were enrolled in bilingual primary schools, and the number of pupils enrolled in these schools is steadily growing. Local food Cider and galette with eggs, ham and cheese Specialties from Rennes include : Breton Galette Galette - saucisse Crêpe Cider Many other Breton specialties ( seafood, milk, vegetables, cheese, meat ) are seen at the Marché des Lices, a weekly market held every Saturday morning ( one of the most important markets in France ). Education Rennes 1 University. Campus of Villejean. The Rennes agglomeration has a large student population ( around 63,000 ). The city has two main universities ; Université de Rennes 1, which offers courses in science, technology, medicine, philosophy, law, management and economics and Université Rennes 2, which has courses in the arts, literature, languages, communication, human and social sciences and sport. The official website of Université Rennes 2 identifies that facility as `` the largest research and higher learning institution in Arts, Literature, Languages, Social Sciences and Humanities in the West of France. '' There are a few École Supérieures in Rennes, like the École Normale Supérieure de Rennes on the Ker Lann campus, just outside Rennes, the Institut d'études politiques de Rennes or the ESC Rennes School of Business. There is also branches of École Supérieure d'Électricité -- Supélec and Telecom Bretagne in the east of the city ( Cesson - Sévigné ), a campus of the École pour l'informatique et les nouvelles technologies, a campus of the École pour l'informatique et les techniques avancées, and the grande école Institut National des Sciences Appliquées, which is next to the `` École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Rennes ''. The computer science and applied mathematics research institute, IRISA, is located on the campus of the Université des Sciences, nearby Cesson - Sévigné. The Délégation Générale pour l'Armement ( defence procurement agency ) operates the CELAR research centre, dedicated to electronics and computing, in Bruz, a neighbouring town. Catholic University of Rennes ( Institut Catholique de Rennes ) is a Catholic university founded in 1989. The city is also home to an American study abroad program for high school students, School Year Abroad, in which students are immersed in French culture through five classes in the language and a nine - month home stay. The École Compleméntaire Japonaise de Rennes ( レンヌ 補習 授業 校 Rennu Hoshū Jugyō Kō ), a part - time Japanese supplementary school, is held in the Collège Anne de Bretagne in Rennes. Sport Flares of the Roazhon Celtic Kop at the Roazhon Park. Football club Rennes is home to Stade Rennais F.C., who plays in Ligue 1 at the Roazhon Park stadium. Handball Cesson - Sévigné is home to Cesson - Rennes - Métropole handball, who plays in division 1. Road bicycle Rennes is home to Fortuneo - Vital Concept ( UCI Team Code : BSE ), a professional cycling team. Rugby Rennes is home to Stade Rennais Rugby, a women 's rugby team who plays in Championnat de France de rugby à XV féminin, which is the top national competition for women 's rugby union football clubs in France. Transport An elevated metro section VéloStar Rennes Airport Rennes has well - developed national road, rail and air links. Public transport Local transport is based primarily on an extensive bus network ( 65 lines ) and a metro line that was inaugurated in March 2002 and cost € 500 million to build. The driverless Rennes Metro ( VAL ) is 9.4 km ( 5.8 mi ) in length and has 15 stations, including one designed by architect Norman Foster ( La Poterie station ). A second metro line is being planned, it should be operational by 2019, and the construction began in 2014. Cycling Rennes provides other modes of local transport : a bike sharing system with 900 bicycles ( named vélo STAR ). Rennes created the first system of modern French bike sharing ( 1998 ). Roads The city is an important hub of Brittany 's motorway network and is surrounded by a ring road : the Rocade ( national road 136 ). The construction of the bypass was started in 1968 and completed in 1999. It is 31 km ( 18.5 mi ) long, it has 2 lanes each way ( sometimes 3 lanes ) and toll free. Many other expressways are connected to the Rennes ring road for local and regional service. By road, Saint - Malo can be reached in 45 minutes, Nantes in 1 hour, Brest in 2 hours and 30 minutes, Paris in 4 hours, Bordeaux in 5 hours and Bruxelles in 6 hours and 30 minutes. Railway Rennes has a major French railway station, the Gare de Rennes, opened in 1857. Since July 2 2017 It is now one hour twenty seven minutes by TGV high speed train from Paris ( after the extension of the High Speed Rail Line ). Train service is available to other big cities in France such as Lyon, Marseille, Lille and Strasbourg. Rennes is also an important railway station for regional transport in Brittany. The TER Bretagne provide links to Saint - Malo, Nantes, Redon, Vitré, Saint - Brieuc, Vannes, Laval, Brest and many other regional cities. It is served by Gare station on the VAL Rennes Metro. Airport Rennes is served by Rennes Brittany Airport ( Saint - Jacques ), located 7 kilometres ( 4.3 mi ) from the centre to the south - west in the commune Saint - Jacques - de-la - Lande. It notably operates regular or seasonal flights to Paris - Charles de Gaulle, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Rome - Fiumicino, Southampton, Dublin, Manchester, Amsterdam Schiphol, Madrid Barajas, Birmingham, London - City, London - Gatwick and daily flights to London Southend Airport with Flybe. Notable people ( by alphabetical order ) Soazig Aaron ( born 1949 ), writer Bertrand d'Argentré ( 1519 -- 1590 ), jurist and historian, seneschal of Rennes in 1547 than head of the présidial court Georges Ernest Boulanger ( 1837 -- 1891 ), general and politician, born in Rennes Jean - Claude Bourlès ( born 1937 ), writer traveler Maxime Daniel ( born 1991 ), professional cyclist Madeleine Desroseaux ( 1873 -- 1939 ), poet and novelist Félix Dujardin ( 1801 -- 1860 ), Professor and Dean, University of Rennes, famous parasitologist Paul Jausions ( 1835 -- 1870 ), musicologist specialising in Gregorian chant Hélène Jégado ( 1803 -- 1852 ), serial poisoner executed in 1852 Jacques Legrand ( born 1946 ), mongologist Charles Vanel ( 1892 -- 1989 ), actor born in Rennes Malika Ménard ( born 1987 ), Miss France 2010 Louis Pérouas ( 1923 -- 2011 ), priest and historian François - Henri Pinault ( born 1962 ), Chairman and CEO of PPR. René Pleven ( 1901 -- 1993 ), twice President of the Council of Ministers, born in Rennes Pierre Robiquet ( 1780 -- 1840 ), chemist member of Académie des Sciences, discover of among others codein, asparagin and alizarin International Relations See also : List of twin towns and sister cities in France Twin towns -- sister cities Twinned towns inscribed on the bridge over the central canal. Rennes is twinned with : ( These twinned towns save one are inscribed on the bridge over the central canal of Rennes ) Exeter, England, UK ( since 1956 ) Rochester, New York, USA ( since 1958 ) Erlangen, Germany ( since 1964 ) Brno, Czech Republic ( since 1965 ) Sendai, Japan ( since 1967 ) Leuven, Belgium ( since 1980 ) Sétif, Algeria ( since 1982 ) Cork, Ireland ( since 1982 ) Almaty, Kazakhstan ( since 1991 ) Bandiagara Cercle, Mali ( since 1995 ) Poznań, Poland ( since 1998 ) Sibiu, Romania ( since 1999 ) Jinan, Shandong, China ( since 2002 ) Diyarbakır, Turkey ( since 2016 ) Within France Saint - Gilles - du - Mené, France ( since 1978 ) Rennes - les - Bains, France ( since 1985 ) Pacts of cooperation Huế, Vietnam ( since 1992 ) Bandiagara Cercle, Mali ( since 1995 ) Sponsorship Vouziers, France Rennes also has the only Institut Franco - Américain in France. Broadcasting facilities Transmitter Rennes - Thourie Cityscape Opera of Rennes Saint George Palace Horizons tower ( 100 metres / 328 ft ) New style city centre Notre - Dame en Saint - Mélaine church Ouest - France building Place Rallier du Baty Place de Bretagne Windows of the Hôtel Racape de La Feuillée at Place des Lices Marché des Lices, a market on weekly basis for local producers at Place des Lices See also Brittany portal Communes of the Ille - et - Vilaine department List of works of the two Folgoët ateliers References INSEE Jump up ^ ( 1 ) INSEE.fr Jump up ^ ( 2 ) Jump up ^ ( 3 ) Jump up ^ Décret n ° 2014 - 177 du 18 février 2014 portant délimitation des cantons dans le département d'Ille - et - Vilaine Jump up ^ INSEE 2014 legal populations of the Ille - et - Vilaine department Jump up ^ `` French pedophilia trial casts unsettling light on women sex offenders. '' Agence France Presse at The Island. 14 March 2005. Retrieved 19 March 2011. Jump up ^ `` Données climatiques de la station de Rennes '' ( in French ). Météo France. Retrieved 16 December 2014. Jump up ^ `` Climat France '' ( in French ). Météo France. Retrieved 16 December 2014. Jump up ^ `` Normes et records 1961 - 1990 : Rennes - St Jacques ( 35 ) - altitude 36m '' ( in French ). Infoclimat. Retrieved 16 December 2014. Jump up ^ ( 4 ) Jump up ^ http://www.dmagalerie.com/rennes-1981-08-avr-08-mai-2011 Jump up ^ ( in French ) L'état de la langue bretonne dans l'enseignement en Ille - et - Vilaine ( State of the Breton language in education in Ille - et - Vilaine ) from Ofis ar Brezhoneg Jump up ^ ( in French ) Ofis ar Brezhoneg : Enseignement bilingue Jump up ^ http://ayearinrennes.weebly.com/ Jump up ^ `` 欧州 の 補習 授業 校 一覧 ( 平成 25 年 4 月 15 日 現在 ) '' ( Archive ). Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology ( MEXT ). Retrieved on May 10, 2014. `` College Anne de Bretagne 15, rue de Martenot, 35000 RENNES '' Jump up ^ ( in French ) Rennes.maville.com Le projet de nouvelle ligne du métro sur les rails Jump up ^ `` Rennes à 1h30 de Paris en 2014 -- France -- Toute l'actualité en France ''. France Info. Retrieved 6 April 2011. Jump up ^ `` British towns twinned with French towns ( via WaybackMachine.com ) ''. Archant Community Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 2013 - 07 - 20. Jump up ^ `` Town twinning ''. Exeter City Council. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012. Jump up ^ `` City of Brno Foreign Relations - Statutory city of Brno '' ( in Czech ). 2003 City of Brno. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2011. External link in publisher = ( help ) Jump up ^ `` Brno -- Partnerská města '' ( in Czech ). 2006 -- 2009 City of Brno. Retrieved 17 July 2009. External link in publisher = ( help ) Jump up ^ Mulcahy, Noreen. `` Cork - International Relations ''. Cork City Council. Archived from the original on 2013 - 05 - 18. Retrieved 2013 - 08 - 28. Jump up ^ `` Poznań - Miasta partnerskie ''. 1998 -- 2013 Urząd Miasta Poznania ( in Polish ). City of Poznań. Archived from the original on 2013 - 09 - 23. Retrieved 2013 - 12 - 11. Jump up ^ `` Poznań Official Website -- Twin Towns ''. ( in Polish ) 1998 -- 2008 Urząd Miasta Poznania. Retrieved 29 November 2008. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rennes. Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Rennes. Look up Rennes in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Official site City council website Parlement of Brittany Prefectures of departments of France Bourg - en - Bresse ( Ain ) Laon ( Aisne ) Moulins ( Allier ) Digne - les - Bains ( Alpes - de-Haute - Provence ) Gap ( Hautes - Alpes ) Nice ( Alpes - Maritimes ) Privas ( Ardèche ) Charleville - Mézières ( Ardennes ) Foix ( Ariège ) Troyes ( Aube ) Carcassonne ( Aude ) Rodez ( Aveyron ) Marseille ( Bouches - du - Rhône ) Caen ( Calvados ) Aurillac ( Cantal ) Angoulême ( Charente ) La Rochelle ( Charente - Maritime ) Bourges ( Cher ) Tulle ( Corrèze ) Ajaccio ( Corse - du - Sud ) Bastia ( Haute - Corse ) Dijon ( Côte - d'Or ) Saint - Brieuc ( Côtes - d'Armor ) Guéret ( Creuse ) Périgueux ( Dordogne ) Besançon ( Doubs ) Valence ( Drôme ) Évreux ( Eure ) Chartres ( Eure - et - Loir ) Quimper ( Finistère ) Nîmes ( Gard ) Toulouse ( Haute - Garonne ) Auch ( Gers ) Bordeaux ( Gironde ) Montpellier ( Hérault ) Rennes ( Ille - et - Vilaine ) Châteauroux ( Indre ) Tours ( Indre - et - Loire ) Grenoble ( Isère ) Lons - le - Saunier ( Jura ) Mont - de-Marsan ( Landes ) Blois ( Loir - et - Cher ) Saint - Étienne ( Loire ) Le Puy - en - Velay ( Haute - Loire ) Nantes ( Loire - Atlantique ) Orléans ( Loiret ) Cahors ( Lot ) Agen ( Lot - et - Garonne ) Mende ( Lozère ) Angers ( Maine - et - Loire ) Saint - Lô ( Manche ) Châlons - en - Champagne ( Marne ) Chaumont ( Haute - Marne ) Laval ( Mayenne ) Nancy ( Meurthe - et - Moselle ) Bar - le - Duc ( Meuse ) Vannes ( Morbihan ) Metz ( Moselle ) Nevers ( Nièvre ) Lille ( Nord ) Beauvais ( Oise ) Alençon ( Orne ) Arras ( Pas - de-Calais ) Clermont - Ferrand ( Puy - de-Dôme ) Pau ( Pyrénées - Atlantiques ) Tarbes ( Hautes - Pyrénées ) Perpignan ( Pyrénées - Orientales ) Strasbourg ( Bas - Rhin ) Colmar ( Haut - Rhin ) Lyon ( Rhône ) Vesoul ( Haute - Saône ) Mâcon ( Saône - et - Loire ) Le Mans ( Sarthe ) Chambéry ( Savoie ) Annecy ( Haute - Savoie ) Paris ( Paris ) Rouen ( Seine - Maritime ) Melun ( Seine - et - Marne ) Versailles ( Yvelines ) Niort ( Deux - Sèvres ) Amiens ( Somme ) Albi ( Tarn ) Montauban ( Tarn - et - Garonne ) Toulon ( Var ) Avignon ( Vaucluse ) La Roche - sur - Yon ( Vendée ) Poitiers ( Vienne ) Limoges ( Haute - Vienne ) Épinal ( Vosges ) Auxerre ( Yonne ) Belfort ( Territoire de Belfort ) Évry ( Essonne ) Nanterre ( Hauts - de-Seine ) Bobigny ( Seine - Saint - Denis ) Créteil ( Val - de-Marne ) Cergy, Pontoise ( Val - d'Oise ) Overseas departments Basse - Terre ( Guadeloupe ) Fort - de-France ( Martinique ) Cayenne ( French Guiana ) Saint - Denis ( Réunion ) Mamoudzou ( Mayotte ) Prefectures of the regions of France Metropolitan France Lyon ( Auvergne - Rhône - Alpes ) Dijon ( Bourgogne - Franche - Comté ) Rennes ( Brittany ) Orléans ( Centre - Val de Loire ) Ajaccio ( Corsica ) Strasbourg ( Grand Est ) Lille ( Hauts - de-France ) Paris ( Île - de-France ) Rouen ( Normandy ) Bordeaux ( Nouvelle - Aquitaine ) Toulouse ( Occitanie ) Nantes ( Pays de la Loire ) Marseille ( Provence - Alpes - Côte d'Azur ) Overseas regions Cayenne ( French Guiana ) Basse - Terre ( Guadeloupe ) Fort - de-France ( Martinique ) Mamoudzou ( Mayotte ) Saint - Denis ( Réunion ) Communes of the Ille - et - Vilaine department Acigné Amanlis Andouillé - Neuville Antrain Arbrissel Argentré - du - Plessis Aubigné Availles - sur - Seiche Baguer - Morvan Baguer - Pican Baillé Bain - de-Bretagne Bains - sur - Oust Bais Balazé Baulon La Baussaine La Bazouge - du - Désert Bazouges - la - Pérouse Beaucé Bécherel Bédée Betton Billé Bléruais Boisgervilly Boistrudan Bonnemain La Bosse - de-Bretagne La Bouëxière Bourgbarré Bourg - des - Comptes La Boussac Bovel Bréal - sous - Montfort Bréal - sous - Vitré Brécé Breteil Brie Brielles Broualan Bruc - sur - Aff Les Brulais Bruz Cancale Cardroc Cesson - Sévigné Champeaux Chancé Chanteloup Chantepie La Chapelle - aux - Filtzméens La Chapelle - Bouëxic La Chapelle - Chaussée La Chapelle - de-Brain La Chapelle - des - Fougeretz La Chapelle - du - Lou - du - Lac La Chapelle - Erbrée La Chapelle - Janson La Chapelle - Saint - Aubert La Chapelle - Thouarault Chartres - de-Bretagne Chasné - sur - Illet Châteaubourg Châteaugiron Châteauneuf - d'Ille - et - Vilaine Le Châtellier Châtillon - en - Vendelais Chauvigné Chavagne Chelun Cherrueix Chevaigné Cintré Clayes Coësmes Comblessac Combourg Combourtillé Cornillé Corps - Nuds La Couyère Crevin Le Crouais Cuguen Dinard Dingé Dol - de-Bretagne Domagné Domalain La Dominelais Domloup Dompierre - du - Chemin Dourdain Drouges Eancé Epiniac Erbrée Ercé - en - Lamée Ercé - près - Liffré Essé Étrelles Feins Le Ferré Fleurigné La Fontenelle Forges - la - Forêt Fougères La Fresnais Gaël Gahard Gennes - sur - Seiche Gévezé Gosné La Gouesnière Goven Grand - Fougeray La Guerche - de-Bretagne Guichen Guignen Guipel Guipry - Messac Hédé - Bazouges L'Hermitage Hirel Iffendic Les Iffs Irodouër Janzé Javené Laignelet Laillé Lalleu Landavran Landéan Landujan Langan Langon Langouet Lanhélin Lanrigan Lassy Lécousse Lieuron Liffré Lillemer Livré - sur - Changeon Lohéac Longaulnay Le Loroux Lourmais Loutehel Louvigné - de-Bais Louvigné - du - Désert Luitré Maen - Roch Marcillé - Raoul Marcillé - Robert Marpiré Martigné - Ferchaud Maxent Mecé Médréac Meillac Melesse Mellé Mernel La Mézière Mézières - sur - Couesnon Miniac - Morvan Miniac - sous - Bécherel Le Minihic - sur - Rance Mondevert Montauban - de-Bretagne Montautour Mont - Dol Monterfil Montfort - sur - Meu Montgermont Monthault Montreuil - des - Landes Montreuil - le - Gast Montreuil - sous - Pérouse Montreuil - sur - Ille Mordelles Mouazé Moulins Moussé Moutiers Muel La Noë - Blanche La Nouaye Nouvoitou Noyal - Châtillon - sur - Seiche Noyal - sous - Bazouges Noyal - sur - Vilaine Orgères Pacé Paimpont Pancé Parcé Parigné Parthenay - de-Bretagne Le Pertre Le Petit - Fougeray Pipriac Piré - sur - Seiche Pléchâtel Pleine - Fougères Plélan - le - Grand Plerguer Plesder Pleugueneuc Pleumeleuc Pleurtuit Pocé - les - Bois Poilley Poligné Pont - Péan Les Portes du Coglais Princé Québriac Quédillac Rannée Redon Renac Rennes Retiers Le Rheu La Richardais Rimou Romagné Romazy Romillé Roz - Landrieux Roz - sur - Couesnon Sains Saint - Armel Saint - Aubin - d'Aubigné Saint - Aubin - des - Landes Saint - Aubin - du - Cormier Saint - Benoît - des - Ondes Saint - Briac - sur - Mer Saint - Brieuc - des - Iffs Saint - Broladre Saint - Christophe - des - Bois Saint - Christophe - de-Valains Saint - Coulomb Saint - Didier Saint - Domineuc Sainte - Anne - sur - Vilaine Sainte - Colombe Sainte - Marie Saint - Erblon Saint - Ganton Saint - Georges - de-Chesné Saint - Georges - de-Gréhaigne Saint - Georges - de-Reintembault Saint - Germain - du - Pinel Saint - Germain - en - Coglès Saint - Germain - sur - Ille Saint - Gilles Saint - Gondran Saint - Gonlay Saint - Grégoire Saint - Guinoux Saint - Hilaire - des - Landes Saint - Jacques - de-la - Lande Saint - Jean - sur - Couesnon Saint - Jean - sur - Vilaine Saint - Jouan - des - Guérets Saint - Just Saint - Léger - des - Prés Saint - Lunaire Saint - Malo Saint - Malo - de-Phily Saint - Malon - sur - Mel Saint - Marcan Saint - Marc - le - Blanc Saint - Marc - sur - Couesnon Saint - Maugan Saint - Médard - sur - Ille Saint - Méen - le - Grand Saint - Méloir - des - Ondes Saint - M'Hervé Saint - M'Hervon Saint - Onen - la - Chapelle Saint - Ouen - des - Alleux Saint - Ouen - la - Rouërie Saint - Péran Saint - Père Saint - Pern Saint - Pierre - de-Plesguen Saint - Rémy - du - Plain Saint - Sauveur - des - Landes Saint - Séglin Saint - Senoux Saint - Suliac Saint - Sulpice - des - Landes Saint - Sulpice - la - Forêt Saint - Symphorien Saint - Thual Saint - Thurial Saint - Uniac Saulnières Le Sel - de-Bretagne La Selle - en - Luitré La Selle - Guerchaise Sens - de-Bretagne Servon - sur - Vilaine Sixt - sur - Aff Sougéal Taillis Talensac Teillay Le Theil - de-Bretagne Thorigné - Fouillard Thourie Le Tiercent Tinténiac Torcé Trans - la - Forêt Treffendel Tremblay Trémeheuc Tresbœuf Tressé Trévérien Trimer Le Tronchet Val d'Anast Val - d'Izé Vendel Vergéal Le Verger Vern - sur - Seiche Vezin - le - Coquet Vieux - Viel Vieux - Vy - sur - Couesnon Vignoc Villamée La Ville - ès - Nonais Visseiche Vitré Le Vivier - sur - Mer VIAF : 312739984 LCCN : n79120270 ISNI : 0000 0001 2326 2423 GND : 4116965 - 7 SUDOC : 026399458 BNF : cb11865422j ( data ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rennes&oldid=836458353 '' Categories : Rennes Communes of Ille - et - Vilaine Cities in Brittany Cities in France Prefectures in France Hidden categories : CS1 French - language sources ( fr ) Articles with French - language external links CS1 errors : external links CS1 Czech - language sources ( cs ) CS1 Polish - language sources ( pl ) Use dmy dates from May 2012 Articles containing Breton - language text Coordinates on Wikidata Articles containing Latin - language text Articles containing French - language text Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikivoyage Afrikaans Arpetan Asturianu Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه Bân - lâm - gú Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Boarisch Brezhoneg Català Cebuano Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Estremeñu Euskara فارسی Føroyskt Français Gaeilge Gaelg Gàidhlig Galego 客家 語 / Hak - kâ - ngî 한국어 Hausa Հայերեն Hrvatski Ido Bahasa Indonesia Interlingua Interlingue Ирон Italiano עברית Kalaallisut ქართული Қазақша Kernowek Kiswahili Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Lingála Magyar Македонски मराठी مازِرونی Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Nouormand Occitan Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча پنجابی Piemontèis Polski Ποντιακά Português Română Runa Simi Русский Sardu Scots Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska தமிழ் Taqbaylit Татарча / tatarça ไทย Türkçe Twi Українська اردو ئۇيغۇرچە / Uyghurche Vèneto Tiếng Việt Volapük Winaray 粵語 中文 87 more Edit links This page was last edited on 14 April 2018, at 22 : 59. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what is the most famous building in rennes
Answer: Parlement de Bretagne; The Parlement de Bretagne (Administrative and judicial centre of Brittany, Breton: Breujoù Breizh); The Parlement de Bretagne