Nantes

Key Facts about Nantes

1. Nantes is a city in the Pays de la Loire region of western France.
   
   
2. Nantes is located on the Loire River, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the Atlantic coast.
   
   
3. As of 2005, the population of Nantes was estimated to be 280,600.
   
   
4. The history of Nantes, as well as the city's name, dates back to pre-Roman times. A Gaulish tribe known as the Namnetes, are believed to have founded the town in approximately 70 BCE.
   
   
5. The Romans under Julius Caesar conquered the town in 56 BCE, and renamed the town Condevincum.
   
   
6. In the 3rd century, the Romans renamed the town Portus Namnetum.
   
   
7. Also during the 3rd century, a Gallo-Roman wall was built around the town. The remains of this wall can still be seen to this day.
   
   
8. In the 18th century, Nantes grew rapidly, and grew rich, as a result of the city's participation in the slave trade.
   
   
9. Nantes industrialized in the 19th century. An omnibus service began in 1826, railways in 1851, and many new industries came to the city.
   
   
10. During World War II, the city was occupied by the Germans, and also suffered some bomb damage from Allied bombing.
    
    
11. In the 1970s, Nantes' harbor was moved to the mouth of the Loire River at Saint-Nazaire (it had previously been at Île de Nantes). Although the old harbor did attract a number of new service sector organizations into the area, there were economic difficulties. In 2001, a major development effort began, with the aim of revitalizing Île de Nantes and Nantes' city center.
    
    
12. In 2003, L'Express voted Nantes as the "greenest city" in France.
    
    
13. In both 2003 and 2004, Le Point voted Nantes as the "best place to live".
    
    
14. In 2004, TIME Magazine named Nantes as "the most livable city in all of Europe".

Weather in Nantes

• BBC Weather forecast for Nantes, France

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Books about Nantes

City Maps Nantes France By James McFee CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform Paperback (24 pages) List Price: $12.13* Lowest New Price: $11.99* Lowest Used Price: $11.94* Usually ships in 24 hours* *(As of 23:04 Pacific 18 Aug 2017 More Info) Click Here Product Description: City Maps Nantes France is an easy to use small pocket book filled with all you need for your stay in the big city. Attractions, pubs, bars, restaurants, museums, convenience stores, clothing stores, shopping centers, marketplaces, police, emergency facilities are only some of the places you will find in this map. This collection of maps is up to date with the latest developments of the city as of 2017. We hope you let this map be part of yet another fun Nantes adventure :)

Michelin Map No. 517: Pays de Loire Region (France), Rennes, Angers, Nantes, le Mans and Surrounding Area, Scale 1:200,000 (French Edition) Michelin Travel Publications Map List Price: $18.95* Lowest New Price: $17.95* Lowest Used Price: $90.38* Usually ships in 1 to 2 months* *(As of 23:04 Pacific 18 Aug 2017 More Info) Click Here Product Description: Recognized for more than a century for clarity, accuracy and detail even the military has relied on Michelin maps and guides. Michelin offers over 200 selections for cities, regions and countries in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. In-house cartographers, or mapmakers, produce each map and atlas and leave no stone unturned. Everything from major roads to the tiniest routes is depicted on Michelin's maps to allow travelers to go off the beaten path with confidence. What makes Michelin maps and atlases stand out? Michelin maps are frequently updated and specifically designed with travelers in mind. Michelin's cartography, user-friendly format and cross-referencing abilities with its renowned guidebook collections are paramount. The clear, clean and uncluttered style of Michelin maps is compounded with extreme attention to detail covering scenic roads, footpaths, panoramic views, emergency telephones, road widths and more. It's this kind of detail that can, for example, help North American tourists avoid surprises while traveling down narrow roads that are often hundreds of years old. Buildings, monuments, park trails and government offices are highlighted, too.

The Nantes-Brest Canal: A Guide for Walkers and Cyclists By Wendy Mewes Red Dog Books Spiral-bound (128 pages) Lowest New Price: $10.52* Lowest Used Price: $18.72* *(As of 23:04 Pacific 18 Aug 2017 More Info) Click Here

Nantes & Surroundings 1:80K IGN (English, French and German Edition) By Institut Geographique National Institut Geographique National Map List Price: $12.95* Lowest New Price: $9.51* Lowest Used Price: $11.57* Usually ships in 24 hours* *(As of 23:04 Pacific 18 Aug 2017 More Info) Click Here Product Description: Explore the surroundings of Nantes with this IGN road map. The best way to plan your trip, to prepare your itinerary, and to travel independently in the area around this city.

Guide vert week-end Nantes [weekend green guide France] (French Edition) By Michelin Travel Publications French and European Publications Inc Paperback List Price: $39.95* Lowest New Price: $12.58* Lowest Used Price: $7.00* Usually ships in 2-3 business days* *(As of 23:04 Pacific 18 Aug 2017 More Info) Click Here

The Shape of a City By Julien Gracq Turtle Point Press Paperback (216 pages) List Price: $16.95* Lowest New Price: $10.99* Lowest Used Price: $7.88* Usually ships in 24 hours* *(As of 23:04 Pacific 18 Aug 2017 More Info) Click Here Product Description: Julien Gracq, the most important writer in France, is also the only living writer whose complete works appear in a volume of the prestigious Pleiades editions. The most original of his later works is this book about Nantes, which is Gracq’s personal and profound response to Proust’s synthesis of memory, reverie, and realism. The work begins with a quote from Baudelaire: “The shape of a city, as we all know, changes more quickly than the mortal heart.” The author writes of a child’s experience of the hierarchy of urban spaces: the radial avenues walked during school recreation periods, the districts between the axes, and the relationship to Nantes of those who lived there, including Breton and Rimbaud.

Nantes Cite Urbaine City Plan (French Edition) By Michelin Travel Publications Michelin Travel Publications Hardcover List Price: $8.95* Lowest Used Price: $25.60* *(As of 23:04 Pacific 18 Aug 2017 More Info) Click Here