Things to see in Rennes

Rennes was the capital of Brittany for much of the ducal period, and its centre still contains evidence of that political role. Medieval defences and timber-framed houses sit near formal civic buildings raised after the fire of 1720. Museums, a large public garden and later cultural institutions add further layers without obscuring the older street plan.

The medieval centre and cathedral

Porte Mordelaise is a surviving gatehouse from the city fortifications. Dating from the 15th century, it formed the principal entrance into Rennes. Its defensive architecture provides a useful counterpoint to the domestic buildings around Place du Champ-Jacquet, where tall 18th-century timber-framed houses enclose the square.

At the centre of Place du Champ-Jacquet is a statue of Jean Leperdit, the mayor remembered for tearing up a royal edict during the Revolution. Emmanuel Dolivet created the sculpture. The present casting dates from 1991; the earlier statue had been melted down during the German occupation in the Second World War.

Cathédrale Saint-Pierre took shape between the 16th and 19th centuries. When the structure was at risk of collapse in the 18th century, most of it was rebuilt, while the comparatively recent façade was retained. Louis XV entrusted the work to Potain. Inside, the directory entry notes a painting of Saint Margaret copied from a work by Raphael.

Civic architecture after the fire

The Hôtel de Ville was built in the 1730s to replace the former town hall destroyed in Rennes’ great fire of 1720. Designed by Jacques Gabriel, it consists of two buildings joined by a curved central section. A clock tower rises above this connecting bay, giving the composition a single focal point.

Nearby, the classical Palais du Parlement de Bretagne dates from the 17th century. It housed Brittany’s parliament until that institution was dissolved during the Revolution and subsequently became the city’s appeal court. A fire in 1994 caused extensive damage, after which the palace was fully restored and returned to judicial use.

The opera house belongs to a different programme of urban construction. Pierre Louise built it from plans by Charles Millardet as part of a larger complex containing commercial galleries and housing. Its auditorium follows the Italian model and has 640 seats, making it one of France’s smaller opera houses.

Gardens and palaces

Parc du Thabor covers more than ten hectares close to the centre. It combines a formal French garden, an English-style garden and a substantial botanical collection. Its orangerie consists of three buildings connected by small greenhouses, which the directory entry describes as containing a broad range of tropical plants.

Palais Saint-Georges was built by Pierre Corbineau at the end of the 17th century on a site associated with an abbey. A long south-facing gallery defines its façade, and the arcades carry the name of Magdelaine de Lafayette, the abbess who oversaw the building’s construction. A formal French garden lies in front of the palace.

Palais du Commerce began as a commodities exchange at the end of the 19th century. Jean-Baptiste Martenot and Emmanuel Le Ray directed its construction, which proceeded in two phases after a fire in 1911 damaged work already completed. Inside, the mosaic is by Isidore Odorico. The building has also housed the city’s music conservatory and school of fine arts.

Museums and cultural institutions

Les Champs Libres occupies the site of Rennes’ former bus station in a building designed by Christian de Portzamparc. It brings together the Musée de Bretagne, the municipal library and spaces devoted to science, including a planetarium. Conference and exhibition rooms extend its role beyond the permanent institutions.

The Musée des Beaux-Arts is housed in the former university palace. Part of its collection came from works confiscated during the Revolution; another important group belonged to Christophe-Paul de Robien, an 18th-century president of the Parlement de Bretagne. Paintings and sculpture range from the 14th to the 20th century. The directory entry singles out Veronese’s Perseus and Andromeda and Georges de La Tour’s The Newborn Child.