|
|
| |
Our History
&
Patrimoine
// A rich heritage
on land & sea
|
|
|
|
|
|
Both sea and land have given shape to a rich heritage: little towns of great character and typical villages, fortified sites and the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyards… |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
// GUÉRANDE
At the heart of the land of salt, the mediaeval fortified town charms all its visitors, who delight in getting lost in the labyrinth of its paved streets and marvelling at the abbey. In the shops they can stock up on local produce and cuisine, crafts, jewellery… |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
// CHÂTEAUBRIANT
The château is a real architectural curiosity, with a mediaeval construction on one side (11th-16th century) and a Renaissance building on the other (16th century). A detour through the old town provides a chance to discover the half-timbered houses and take a stroll through the narrow streets lined with private residences…
The area around Châteaubriant offers some interesting remains of the region’s metallurgical past, such as the covered market hall in Moisdon-la-Rivière and the La Hunaudière site with the master blacksmith’s house. |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
// LA BRIÈRE
Kerhinet is a village that consists entirely of thatched cottages, typical houses whose roofs are made with marsh reeds according to Brière tradition. |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
// THE NANTES VINEYARDS
The flower-bedecked hamlet of Pé de Sèvre is a charming wine-making village. The outdoor staircases of the little houses with red tiled roofs are a reminder that the inhabitants lived on the first floor, above their wine… |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
// MONUMENTS
The département has a number of abbeys, in Saint-Gildas-des-Bois, Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu, Meilleray and Buzay. Châteaux can be visited in Ancenis, Blain, La Motte-Glain, Goulaine, Missillac (the Château de la Bretesche), Herbignac (Château de Ranrouët) and Varades (the Palais Briau). |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
// THE COAST
Two fishing ports are listed “petites cités de caractère” (little towns of character) due to their exceptional architectural heritage: Piriac-sur-Mer and Le Croisic.
The château of Pornic, an old fortified town, dominates the narrow streets and the two harbours… A local curiosity: the 350 fishing spots, huts on stilts equipped with fishing nets known as carrelets, which are dotted along the inlets. |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
// SAINT-NAZAIRE
A cradle of shipbuilding, Saint-Nazaire has a rich industrial heritage, a new attraction for tourists. The Chantiers de l’Atlantique, and other major industries such as Airbus and Aerospatiale, are now open for public visits.
The Escal’Atlantic museum offers a chance to board a beautiful ocean liner without leaving dry land... |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
// CLISSON AND THE DOMAINE DE LA GARENNE-LEMOT
Clisson and the Garenne-Lemot estate represent an architectural inheritance that is unique in Loire-Atlantique, being entirely built in an Italian style.
In Clisson, the eye is first caught by the villas with red tiled roofs, arches and windows in pairs… as if you were in the middle of the Roman countryside!
Partly destroyed during the Vendée wars, the town was rebuilt in the 19th century in a pure Italian style on the initiative of the Cacault brothers, art-lovers from Nantes.
Overlooking the Sèvre valley the château displays 500 years of fortifications (from the 13th to the 17th century) in a single place. It was the home of Olivier de Clisson, the powerful constable of France and brother-in-arms of Duguesclin. Around the castle, the narrow pedestrian streets hug a steep slope facing the Garenne-Lemot park.
The Garenne-Lemot estate in Gétigné, hanging over the side of the Sèvre valley, was created in the 19th century by an architect, Crucy, and a sculptor, Lemot.
The park combines romantic charm with a breathtaking view of Clisson and the Sèvre… Composed like a living painting that can be visited in any season, it is a priceless tribute to the richness of the gardener’s art and to Italian architecture. |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
// NANTES
After fifteen years of renovation and nearly three years of closure, the Castle of the Breton Dukes will reopen its doors on 8 February 2007. This exceptional heritage site in the centre of Nantes, a historical emblem for both the city and the region of Brittany, has been reborn thanks to the city’s large scale renovation and development programme.
A new-generation cultural centre
The renovated monument is home to a new museum dedicated to the history of both the castle and the city of Nantes. The objective of this scientific project was to restore this important heritage – a unique building and a group of exhibits – while at the same time meeting the expectations of the modern public. In addition to preserving the monument and highlighting its architectural qualities, the project’s coordinators have taken a fresh look at the site, giving it meaning, function and modern cultural content.
An architectural, museographic and multimedia trail
The first museographic element is the monument itself. The ducal-residence trail is of both museographic and architectural interest. Lined with multimedia installations, the museum, housed in the 32 rooms of the old 15th century ducal palace, boasts a collection of more than 800 items. Through seven chronological and thematic sequences, the museum provides historical insight into: the château and ducal Brittany up to the 17th century, the Loire Estuary and urban development, port activity and industrial development (the shipyards, biscuit factories, canneries, etc.), the Second World War and reconstruction, and the social movements; it also takes a look at the modern city of Nantes, as well as the Nantes of tomorrow. This unique portrait of the city thus evokes important moments of European and world history, from the Edict of Nantes to colonialism, from the slave trade to the great upheavals of the 20th century. The museum also considers the treatment of Nantes by writers, poets, painters and film-makers, as well as the many representations that have helped forge the city’s unique characters. |
|
|
