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 RENNES, capital of Brittany, arguably capital of rock music in France, is about as far as you can get from the sea. Few people really know Rennes, a lot of tourists expect a rigid, not brilliant or spectacular city. It is also uncharacteristic in being an urban centre (around 200,000 people) in a predominantly rural area. This city, in a region that attracts visitors to its fishing ports, rocky peninsulas and ancient forests, offers something distinctly different.
It is a lively and busy city with a lot of young people: a quarter of the population of Rennes is composed by the students of its two universities. Multi cultural street life with artists from all over the world gives the city a cosmopolite atmosphere, something of which other Breton cities do not have the faintest idea. Rennes has pretty and elegant squares and perfectly consecrated medieval houses with pointed facades, first floor loggias overlooking the streets and wooden staircases.
But Rennes is also a hard working city, not inclined to do many concessions for tourists. Which means traffic jams, concrete and all other attributes of the life in a greater city. But as a market town, it is a magnet for shoppers from the surrounding area.
Rennes's title as capital is hard to defend in a province known for its strident regionalism. Breton culture is, after all, developed very differently in various parts of Brittany. But it's an accepted fact today.
It is the fault (or the merit), of a drunken carpenter that Rennes looks today like it looks today. In 1720 he spilled a chandelier and set fire on the whole city of Rennes. A great part of the centre was reduced into ashes in a 6 days lasting fire. Only the agreeable area around the market
 square was spared. This area is known as "LES LICES" and is characterized by buildings like the 17th century Palais de Justice. Today the place des Lices (Square of the Jousts), with a tapestry of multi coloured awnings, is a reason enough to visit Rennes. In particular, the open -air Saturday market! The town and square seems suffused with the smell of seafood as stalls are piled with pyramids of toppling crabs, mounds of coquilles St.Jacques, and packed oyster baskets. The square itself is lined by some fine, late medieval houses, their crooked beams and oriel windows stretching high over the market stalls. The architectural interest of the place des Lices is also enhanced by the two "halles" in the middle of the square. 19th century temples to commerce in steel, brick and glass. Outside, against the bottom wall, you can still find some outdoor "pissotieres", a fast disappearing civic provision. Have a walk in the rue des Minimes and rue des Innocents. A masterpiece! A reason of getting cross is the presence of some ugly modern blocks that add a discordant note. Another sort of masterpiece of bad taste!!
Notice that after the big fire of 1720, Parisian architects were appointed to rebuild the city. That's why you have the impression in some parts that you are in Paris and not in Bretagne.
The place des Lices was a jousting site in medieval times. Legend says that the famous knight Bertrand Du Guesclin, first gained recognition here.
Rennes has still much more top offer, since the place des Lices is only one of the four squares which dominate the city architecturally and provide useful references to the visitor.
Bibliography
Aux Colours de Louisiane,by Klose, A.,Ouest France, Rennes France,1991
Messageries Maritimes : paquebots et voyageurs du pass� by Patarin, (P. Rennes : Editions Ouest-France, 1997.)
Contes et l�egendes de Bretagne : recueillis dans le pays de Rennes
by Michel Lascaux
L'affaire du Parlement de Bretagne by Kozh Le Goarnig
A Breton Landscape , by Grenville Astill, Wendy Davies (1998)
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