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52-677: The Breton Democratic Union has presently four seats in the Regional council of Brittany. The UDB was founded in 1964 in Rennes by a group of about fifteen young people, most of them students, often from cultural organizations (Ar Falz, Bagadou, etc.) and influenced by socialist ideas. They included Ronan Leprohon (1939–2017) and Pierre Le Moine (1927-2023). The majority belonged to the "Mouvement pour l'organisation de la Bretagne" organization which also included former militants of Breton Nationalist Party and supporters of French Algeria , which

104-499: A botanical garden and collections (the Jardin botanique de l'Université de Rennes ). The local economy is based on car manufacturing, telecommunications, the digital sector and agrifood. The telecommunications firm Orange (ex-France Telecom) is the largest private employer in the metropolitan area of Rennes with a workforce of 4,800 people. PSA Peugeot Citroën is the second largest private employer, with 3,000 employees. PSA opened

156-604: 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. The south city centre is a mix of old buildings and 19th and 20th century constructions. 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

208-558: A planned economy and the creation of a European Federation . It claimed to be hostile to militarism and colonialism, which was an innovation in the Breton movement at the time. The creation of the UDB marked a rupture in the history of the Breton nationalist movement which, until then, was rather right-wing. It took part in the 1965 local elections . Jean-Paul Berre was elected on a list of

260-607: A failure for the party which won only 1.51%. During this time, contacts with Plaid Cymru became regular and in 1987 the UDB joined the European Free Alliance . In the 1988 presidential election , the UDB supported the former Communist Pierre Juquin in the first round and François Mitterrand in the runoff. In 1992, following the failure of negotiations with the Greens, the UDB presented its own list along with Emgann (which would eventually withdraw because of

312-819: A manufacturing plant at La Janais in Chartres-de-Bretagne in 1961. Technicolor , one of the biggest TV and cinema broadcasting firms in the world, employs over 500 people. Rennes has the second largest concentration of digital and ICT firms in France after Paris (with well-known companies and startups like Atos , Google , Neosoft, Orange S.A., Thales , Ericsson , Harmonic France , STmicroelectronics , Technicolor R&D , Ubisoft , Regionsjob, Capgemini , OVH , Dassault Systèmes , Delta Dore, Canon , Artefacto, Enensys Technologies, Exfo, Mitsubishi Electric R&D Europe , Digitaleo, Kelbillet , Klaxoon , Sopra Group , Niji, and Airbus Cybersecurity ). Rennes

364-476: A nomination problem). The results were disappointing (2%) and strengthened the mistrust of the UDB towards alliances with the other nationalist groups. The Saint-Brieuc congress, held in 1994, was an occasion for reconciliation with Frankiz Breizh whose political positions had never differed much from those of the UDB. In November of the same year the two organizations, together with the Occitan Party ,

416-593: 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 surrounding plaza is built in the classical style. In the west, the Place de la Mairie (City Hall Plaza, Plasenn Ti Kêr): In the east, at the end of the Rue Saint-Georges with traditional half-timbered houses: In the south-east: The Place des Lices

468-564: 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 in the Kingdom of France , as evidenced by its 17th-century Parliament's Palace . Rennes played an important role in

520-571: Is also the eighth-largest university campus of France. In 2018, L'Express named Rennes as "the most liveable city in France". Since 2015, Rennes is divided into 6 cantons (populations as of 2019): Rennes is divided into 12 quarters : 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. Among previous well-known mayors are: The mairie ( city hall )

572-614: Is lined by hôtels particuliers . Along with the Place Rallier-du-Baty, it 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: Also in this area are the former St. Yves chapel, which is now the tourist office and a local historical museum, and the Basilica Saint-Sauveur. Built from the 3rd to

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624-620: Is located in a restored building on Rue du Pré-Botté, which is the former office of Ouest-Éclair, and then of Ouest-France , France's leading 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. To the northwest of Rennes, near Rue de Saint-Malo, are the locks of the Canal d'Ille-et-Rance , opened in 1843. Two locations for Oberthür Printing Works were built by Marthenot between 1870 and 1895 on Rue de Paris in

676-614: Is right in the centre of Rennes. The French Prison Service operates the Centre pénitentiaire de Rennes , the largest women's prison in France. 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

728-491: Is well-equipped with musical facilities: 1978 French legislative election Raymond Barre UDF Raymond Barre UDF Legislative elections were held in France on 12 and 19 March 1978 to elect the sixth National Assembly of the Fifth Republic . On 2 April 1974, President Georges Pompidou died. The non- Gaullist centre-right leader Valéry Giscard d'Estaing was elected to succeed him. Because

780-565: The 1976 cantonal elections the UDB ran nine candidates who won 5.27% on average. The local elections of 1977 enabled it to get 35 seats on the lists of the Union of the Left. In the 1978 general election , the party ran 17 candidates in a strongly polarized environment. Party growth slowed as a result of failure of the legislative elections and the collapse of the United Left, in which the UDB

832-559: 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). Rennes features an oceanic climate . Precipitation in Rennes is considerably less abundant than in the western parts of Brittany, reaching only half of

884-857: The Party of the Corsican Nation , and Basque Solidarity , took part in the creation of the Federation of Regions and Peoples with Solidarity . After 2001, the party experienced notable membership growth as well as an improvement in its electoral results. In the 2001 local elections it chose to take part in lists presented by the united left except in Guingamp , Redon , Lannion and Saint-Nazaire . Their results varied between 6.02% in Saint-Nazaire and 13.7% in Guingamp. The UDB remained in

936-413: The metropolitan area had a population of nearly 750,000. Rennes has the second fastest-growing metropolitan area in France after Toulouse and ahead of Montpellier , Bordeaux and Nantes . Rennes is classified as a city of art and history. 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

988-653: The " Union of the Left " won the mid-term local elections. According to the polls, it was the favourite to win the legislative election. In his Verdun-sur-le-Doubs speech, President Giscard d'Estaing warned the French voters that he could not prevent the enforcement of the left-wing Common programme if the "Union of the Left" won. The Socialist Party ( Parti socialiste , PS) and the French Communist Party ( Parti communiste français , PCF) did not update their Common programme due to increasing tension between

1040-517: The 12th centuries, the ramparts were largely destroyed between the beginning of the 16th century and the 1860s. In the south-west of the area, La Rue Saint-Michel nicknamed Rue de La Soif ( Road of Thirst ), is known for its many bars. Meanwhile, in the south-east, the Place du Champ-Jacquet features Renaissance buildings and a statue of mayor Jean Leperdit ripping up a conscription list. Area of Saint-Melaine square Jardin botanique du Thabor (formal French garden, orangerie, rose garden, aviary)

1092-491: 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 poorer southern part was not rebuilt. Due to the presence of the parlement de Bretagne , many " hôtels particuliers " were built in the northern part, the richer half of Rennes in the 18th century. Most of the city's monuments historiques can be found there. Colourful traditional half-timbered houses are situated primarily along

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1144-514: The 2019 European elections, the UDB, through the federation Régions et Peuples Solidaires (R&PS) associated with EELV (the Greens), participates in the important score achieved by the national EELV list in Brittany, with 16.92% of the votes, while the average score of the list outside the zones where regionalists are associated is only 13.1% in the hexagon. François Alfonsi from Corsica (R&PS)

1196-497: The French agrifood industry, with many firms in this field ( Lactalis , Triballat Sojasun, Coralis, Panavi, Bridor , Groupe Avril, Loïc Raison, Groupe Roullier, Sanders, etc.), an agro campus (Agrocampus Ouest) and a large international and professional expo, SPACE (held every 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 ), Ouest-France,

1248-649: The Gaullist Union of Democrats for the Republic ( Union des démocrates pour la République , UDR) was the largest party in the pro-Giscard majority in the Assembly, Giscard chose Jacques Chirac to lead the cabinet. This period was one of renovation for Gaullism. The presidential will to "govern towards the centre" and to promote a "modern liberal society" disconcerted the Gaullist party. The Abortion Act and

1300-550: The Stamped Paper Revolt ( Revolt of the papier timbré ) in 1675. After the destructive fire of 1720, the medieval wooden center of the city was partially rebuilt in stone. Remaining mostly rural until the Second World War , Rennes underwent significant development in the twentieth century. Since the 1950s, Rennes has grown in importance through rural flight and modern industrial development, partly in

1352-457: The UDB as a Europe Ecology – The Greens candidate in Morbihan uncontested by their electoral allies, the Socialist Party . In the 2015 regional elections , the UDB made an alliance with Christian Troadec , one of the leaders of Breton autonomy. However, the UDB gained only 6.7% of votes, which was insufficient to ensure the election of regional councillors (a party must win at least 10% of

1404-581: The UDB called for a "no" vote, like most of the left. Internal contradictions within the party exploded during the 1969 congress when Alain Guyader challenged the charter of the UDB and proposed a line inspired by Rosa Luxemburg 's ideas. Moreover, he refused to condemn the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. The conflict led to the exclusion of Jean-Yves Guiomar and Alain Guyader in 1970 for "rejection of democratic centralism, constant undervaluation of

1456-562: The UDB could claim little responsibility for them compared to the then-triumphant PS , and its usefulness seemed questionable. In 1984, during the Lorient congress, one of the sections from Léon, whose motion had won a third of the votes, created a splinter group, Frankiz Breizh , based primarily in Brest and its immediate surroundings. After the departure of the Brest militants, the party

1508-545: The UDB nominated five candidates who obtained between 0.8% and 3.2% of the vote despite a large showing by other left-wing parties. The most successful candidate, Erwan Evenou, won more than 3% in the Hennebont constituency. During the cantonal elections held that same year, the party won 4.45% of the votes – 6.7% in Lorient. In the 1974 presidential election it campaigned in the second round for François Mitterrand . In

1560-526: The Union of the left dominated by the French Communist Party in Guilvinec and becomes deputy-mayor and first elected official of the UDB. The first years were difficult. The party grew slowly and had few resources. It approached the other left-wing parties, in particular the PSU and FGDS . After 1967, however, recruitment intensified, in particular in student unions. In the 1969 constitutional referendum ,

1612-406: The adversary, impatience and the theory of active minorities, and the idolization of spontaneity". The party was rebuilt during the congress of Guidel and adopted democratic centralism. It also adopted a Marxist line and demanded in a modified version of its charter the abolition of capitalism and the collective appropriation of the means of production. At the same time, a UDB list won 11.5% of

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1664-594: The automotive sector. The city developed extensive building plans to accommodate upwards of 200,000 inhabitants. During the 1980s, Rennes became one of the main centres in telecommunications and high-tech industry. It is now a significant digital innovation centre in France. In 2002, Rennes became the smallest city in the world to have a Metro line. Labeled a city of art and history, it has preserved an important medieval and classical heritage within its historic center, with over 90 buildings protected as historic monuments. Home to more than 66,000 students in 2016, it

1716-487: The country. During the 1980s, Rennes was often cited as a hub of rock and new wave music in France. Les Champs Libres is the largest cultural institution in Brittany. They welcome more than a million visitors each year. Organized in a six-story pyramid with views over the city, the library offers 120,000 documents for loan, and there we can find as well the Museum of Brittany , Espace des Sciences and Planetarium. Rennes

1768-654: The east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine . Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany region and Ille-et-Vilaine department . In 2017, its urban area had a population of 357,327 inhabitants, while the larger metropolitan area had a population of 739,974. The inhabitants of Rennes are called Rennais (masculine) and Rennaises (feminine) in French . Rennes's history goes back more than 2,000 years to

1820-474: 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). 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

1872-451: The levels of, e.g., the city of Quimper , which makes rainfall in Rennes comparable to the levels of large 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 . In 2018, the inner population of the city was 221,272. The Rennes intercommunal structure connecting Rennes with 42 nearby suburbs (named Rennes Métropole ) had 450,593 inhabitants and

1924-490: The most-read French-language newspaper in the world (with a circulation of 800,000 daily copies), and Samsic Service (cleanliness, industrial safety, job search, etc.). Rennes is known as one of the most festive cities in 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 film festival) are well known throughout

1976-555: The party which called for a vote in favour of the proposed constitution. During the 2007 presidential election , the UDB supported Green candidate Dominique Voynet . In the 2009 European Parliament election , the party supported the Europe Écologie electoral coalition, which included The Greens . In June 2012 Paul Molac was elected to the National Assembly of France, the first Breton autonomist to do so. He stood for

2028-553: The reduction of the age of majority to 18 years worried a part of the conservative electorate. Furthermore, a personal conflict opposed the two heads of the executive. In August 1976, Chirac resigned because he considered that he did not have "the means to carry on [his] function of Prime Minister". Three months later, the UDR was replaced by the Rally for the Republic ( Rassemblement pour la République , RPR). This, Chirac's electoral machine,

2080-405: 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 (Administrative and judicial centre of Brittany, Breton : Breujoù Breizh ) is the most famous 17th century building in Rennes. It was rebuilt after

2132-541: The second round in Sarzeau and Guingamp . Moreover, the party participated in the victorious list of Christian Troadec in Carhaix . This success encouraged the UDB to consider presenting an autonomous list in the 2004 regional elections . It finally resolved to open negotiations with The Greens . The UDB was in a strong position. A separate regionalist list could have won between three and five percent, thus cutting into

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2184-631: The two parties resulting from the PS gaining in electoral success at the PCF's expense. For the first time since 1936, the Socialists obtained more votes than the Communists. Furthermore, the French electorate appeared evenly shared between four equivalent political parties (RPR, UDF, PS, PCF). Barre was confirmed as Prime Minister. Until the 2007 French legislative election , it was the last time that either

2236-412: The vote share of the ecologists and condemning their efforts to assert their independence from the Socialist Party . The elections themselves were a success for The Greens -UDB list, which won nearly 10%. The UDB won three seats and a vice-presidency. The 2005 French European Constitution referendum caused several well-known members of the UDB to call for a "no" vote, against the official position of

2288-478: The votes in a local by-election in Auray , primarily thanks to the personality of its candidate Sten Kidna. In the 1971 local elections the UDB took part in the lists of the Union of the Left, except in Brest where it polled 4.8% running independently. The number of party members – 243 in 1971 – grew throughout the 1970s, thanks to the involvement of the party in social conflicts. During the 1973 general election ,

2340-502: The votes in order to go forward to the second round). During the 2017 legislative elections, the UDB, together with the MBP, reactivated the dynamics of "Oui la Bretagne" (Yes Brittany) by aligning 34 candidates on 37 constituencies. This coalition obtained 32,422 votes, its highest score in this type of election, which was unfavourable to it. At the same time, it gains its independence for access to public funding for political parties. During

2392-647: Was a cause of tensions. The first congress of the UDB took place in December 1964 in Quimper , with a mere 18 participants. The UDB was founded in opposition to the practice of torture in Algeria and compared the decolonization of the Maghreb to Brittany. The structure of the new party was then close to that of those of the far-left with a strict internal discipline . Its charter, elaborated in 1964, supported

2444-517: 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

2496-527: Was elected in 9th position on the list, Lydie Massard from the UDB, 14th on the list, was not elected with only 30,000 votes, but entered the European Parliament in September 2023 to replace Yannick Jadot. Rennes Rennes ( French pronunciation: [ʁɛn] ; Breton : Roazhon [ˈrwɑːõn] ; Gallo : Resnn ; Latin : Condate Redonum ) is a city in

2548-465: Was firmly anchored. While the party scored encouraging results (5.63%) in the 1979 cantonal elections , these were marked by very low voter turnout. The victory of the left in 1981, paradoxically, increased the UDB's loss of momentum. Although policies in line with UDB positions were passed (such as decentralization, the cancelling of the Plogoff nuclear plant and the abolition of the death penalty ),

2600-549: Was officially a member of the Presidential Majority but frequently criticized the liberal and pro-European policy of President Giscard d'Estaing and his new prime minister Raymond Barre . The executive duo reacted by federating the non-Gaullist centre-right in the Union for French Democracy ( Union pour la démocratie française , UDF). While the right-wing majority was divided and the economic situation deteriorated,

2652-460: Was one of the first French cities to receive French Tech accreditation, in November 2014. Moreover, Rennes has the third highest public research potential in the digital and ICT sectors in France, after Paris and Grenoble, with 3,000 people working in 10 laboratories, including the well-known IRISA, IETR, IRMAR, DGA-MI (cyberdefense), and SATIE. It also has the third highest innovation potential in

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2704-409: Was rebuilt and approached the European Free Alliance which then united about fifteen European regionalist parties of the centre-left. Despite considerable financial problems, it ran about thirty candidates in the 1985 cantonal elections and won on average 4.2%. Results in the Brest area, however, had considerably declined. The 1986 regional elections , characterized by a strong bipolarization, were

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