In the city of Rennes, in the Brittany region of northwestern France

 Brittany, a region in the northwest of France, is mostly known for its wild coastline and endless beaches wedged between greenery and turquoise water -- but also for its strong folklore and traditions.

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(in the Brittany region of France) Rennes, in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine rivers, is the capital city of Brittany as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.

+ The history of Rennes goes back more than 2,000 years. Together with Vannes and Nantes, it was one of the major cities of the ancient Duchy of Brittany. From the early 16th century until the French Revolution, Rennes was a parliamentary, administrative, and garrison city of the historic province of Brittany in the Kingdom of France. Rennes played an important role in 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 World War II, Rennes developed greatly in the 20th century. During the 1980s, Rennes became one of the main centers in telecommunications and high-tech industry.

+ Though now labeled a city of art and history, it has preserved an important

 medieval and classical heritage within its historic center.

+The city’s name is derived from the Redones, a Celtic tribe that established its capital here. Under Roman occupation the town became the center of communications of the province of Armorica. In the Middle Ages it vied with Nantes as capital of the dukes of Brittany. During the French Revolution, it became the headquarters of the republican army in the fighting with the Vendéens (royalist insurgents).

+ The city, which was greatly destroyed by fire in 1720, was rebuilt to give it wide, regular streets and a main axis running east and west along the Vilaine. The railway and most of the modern districts are on the south side of the Vilaine.

+ Rennes’s cathedral, completed in 1844, has two towers from an earlier edifice destroyed in the 1720 fire. The 18th-century Town Hall was designed in typical Louis XV style. The Jardin du Thabor, a pleasant park, has a French classical garden, a rose garden, and a botanical garden. The museum, much destroyed during World War II, has been rebuilt and has a great collection of paintings (16th–20th century).

+ In Rennes, the seat of an archbishopric, the Universities of Rennes I and II have made the city the intellectual center of Brittany. They are noted specifically for research in the biotechnology and medical fields and are affiliated with the Rennes Atalante Science and Technology Park. (Rennes is also home to the regional headquarters of many firms and organizations in Brittany and western France.)

+ A crossroads since Roman times, Brittany's vibrant capital sits at the junction of highways linking northwestern France's major cities. It is a beautiful city, with an elaborate and stately center and a superb medieval quarter that is quite a joy to explore.