Vitré (Ille-et-Vilaine)
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Vitré Gwitreg |
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| region | Brittany | |
| Department | Ille-et-Vilaine | |
| Arrondissement | Fougères-Vitré | |
| Canton | Vitré (main town) | |
| Community association | Vitré Communauté | |
| Coordinates | 48 ° 7 ′ N , 1 ° 13 ′ W | |
| height | 56-127 m | |
| surface | 37.03 km 2 | |
| Residents | 18,037 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 487 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 35500 | |
| INSEE code | 35360 | |
| Website | http://www.mairie-vitre.fr/ | |
Vitré [ vitʀe ] is a French commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine in the region of Brittany . In Breton it is called Gwitreg . Vitré is a former sub-prefecture (until 1926) and the capital of the canton of Vitré with 18,037 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017).
It is at the gates of Brittany and in the neighborhood of Normandy , Maine and Anjou . Due to its rich cultural heritage , it has the reputation of a “ City of Art and History ”. It forms the center of the community association Vitré Communauté .
geography
The city is located on the slopes of the Vilaine River and an east-west basin used by the Paris-Rennes railway line. On the eastern border of Brittany, the Pays de Vitré is crossed by a dual carriageway that extends the A11 motorway. As in the entire territory of the Ille-et-Vilaine department, the communes of the Pays de Vitré can be reached by expressways. Vitré is the center of an area with about 90,000 inhabitants, which extends over seven cantons ( Vitré-East , Vitré-West , Argentré-du-Plessis , Châteaubourg , la Guerche-de-Bretagne , Janzé and Retiers ).
The area of Vitré covers 3,719 hectares. Vitré is at an altitude of about 89 m (station square). The highest point, 127 m, is in the industrial area "Les Ménardières", rue Pierre et Marie Curie . The lowest point, 67 m, is at the SVA (Société Vitréenne d'Abattage) slaughterhouse, under the viaduct of the bypass.
population
| year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2009 | 2017 |
| Residents | 10,380 | 11,343 | 12,322 | 13,046 | 14,488 | 15,313 | 16,712 | 18,037 |
| Sources: Cassini and INSEE | ||||||||
At the end of the 14th century the city had between 4,000 and 5,000 inhabitants, while Rennes and Nantes had around 13 to 14,000 inhabitants. Arthur de la Borderie (1827–1901) estimated its population around 1560 during the Renaissance at 7800 inhabitants, about as many as the cities of Vannes and Quimper . At the time of Madame de Sévigné's birth around 1620, the town had 7500 inhabitants. It seems that the population of Vitré reached 14,000 inhabitants in 1762, concentrated in the medieval urban area of approx. 50 ha, which corresponds to a density of almost 30,000 inhabitants / km²! Three times less extensive than today, it still had more inhabitants. According to the sub-delegate , the population in 1762 was about 14,000, mostly linen and knitted craftsmen.
In 1789, the day before the French Revolution , the population reached 10,850, while Rennes had three times as many with 35,000. The post-revolutionary period brought about a marked decrease in the population, reaching 8904 under the Second Republic , in 1861.
Until the great war, slow but steady growth allowed the number to rise to 10,613 (1911). The aftermath of the war and the economic crisis then lowered the number again to 8506 inhabitants (1936 survey). After the Second World War, the economic upswing increased again and there were 13,491 inhabitants in 1982, 14,490 in 1990 and 15,313 in 1999. The three cantons of Vitré (Vitré-West, Vitré-Ost and Argentré-du-Plessis) had 44,623 in 1999 (42,113 inhabitants in 1990).
history
Origins
It seems that Vitré was occupied from the Gallo-Roman era. The name Vitré could be derived from the Gallo-Roman anthroponym Victor or Victrix , the name of a Gallo-Roman estate that was in the region. Around the year 1000, the Duke of Brittany Geoffroy I appointed his henchman Riwallon Le Vicaire ("Riwallon the Vicar") as the first Baron of Vitré and gave him the task of guarding this strategic region, which became the buffer zone of the " Breton Mark " . A small wooden castle was built on the Sainte-Croix hill. It burned down several times and was then bequeathed to the Benedictine monks of Marmoutier .
Another stone castle, a sign of the feudal lord's relative wealth, was built in 1070 by Robert I at its current location on a rock above the Vilaine. Some parts of it are still visible today. A Romanesque portal still exists, which consists of alternating blue-black slate and red granite. The granite comes from a pit 15 km from the city, which was a long stretch at the time. On the portal there is an ornate marigold, a sign of the baron's power. In the 13th century the castle was enlarged and provided with mighty towers and city walls. In the style of Philippe Auguste's castles, it takes on the triangular shape of the rock on which it was built.
During this time, the old town ( Vieil Bourg ) with the Notre-Dame church on the eastern plateau was built. The city was thus surrounded by the castle walls and the outer clefts and the closed city took its present form. At the same time, the "privileged districts" ( bourgs privilégiés ), i. H. the suburbs, around the closed city at the request of the baron. Most of them are arranged in a straight line, following the course of the street that connects these districts. Since the 13th century, Vitré has combined all the elements of a medieval city: castle, religious buildings (church, collegiate church) and suburbs.
In the 15th century, with the advancement of artillery such as the construction of loopholes for cannons, the castle was transformed from a defensive building into a comfortable residence for Jeanne de Laval-Châtillon and her daughter Anne de Laval. At the same time the city developed and houses with wooden walls and (non-royal) city palaces were built in the city center. The interior of the city was opened up by 3 gates ( Gâtesel in the south, Enbas in the east and Enhaut in the west) and a postern , whereby the postern was a narrow passage through which the city wall could be passed (postern Saint-Pierre in the north).
The urban characteristics of these medieval quarters are evident in the high density and the winding dark streets, as well as a network of alleys that connected the individual blocks of houses. These streets benefited between the alternation of sunlight and shade. The streets were narrow and opaque to make attacks more difficult. The house facades were made of wood or stone. The cantilevers (the higher floors protrude beyond the street) allowed space to be gained and offered pedestrians protection from storms. The rainwater was collected in a central gutter to prevent contamination of the wooden walls. The same applies to houses with vestibules, suitable to gain space but also to display merchandise in the protected galleries. The street names are often derived from the guild that determined these public spaces. Examples in Vitré are the rue de la Baudrairie , where leather was worked, and the rue de la Poterie (pottery).
The historic city center contains only one actual square: la Place du Marchix . Typically, the squares open to the religious, political or legal places of power. As the name suggests, the market square was located near the Benedictine convent. The current palace square was the forecourt and thus part of the castle. The Place Notre-Dame was occupied by a hall as Halle aux Toiles was called ( "Fabric Hall"). The presence of halls is synonymous with growth. Vitré, a prosperous city since the 15th century, founded a guild in 1472 that allowed the international textile trade. The heyday of Vitré led to the prosperity of the Renaissance.
15th - 19th centuries: From the golden age to the decline of the old town
Vitré was one of the most flourishing cities in the duchy. The expansion continued into the closed city and suburbs, culminating in the 16th century when the overseas traders' guild sold their hemp fabrics and samplers across Europe. This trade passed through the port of Saint-Malo , where trade between the South American offices and the European offices, especially the Hanseatic League (large and powerful trade association of northern Europe in the Middle Ages), was settled. That explains the houses, the great city palaces and the elements of the Renaissance in the closed city ( Hôtel Ringes de la Troussannais or the chapel crown of the castle). This established further the wealth of these merchants united in guilds.
The first French to circumnavigate the world was Pierre-Olivier Malherbe from Vitréen ; another sign of the city's opening to the world. Henry IV came to Vitré in 1598 and was impressed by the lavish lifestyle of bourgeois society. During the Huguenot Wars at the end of the 16th century, the Protestant city was besieged for five months by the troops of the League under the command of Duke Philippe-Emmanuel de Lorraine . During the years when Rennes was ravaged by the plague or was insurgent (1655, 1671, 1697 and 1705), the assemblies of the states of Brittany took place in Vitré. At that time, Madame de Sévigné had a residence near Vitré: Le Château des Rochers . She supported these states and often mentioned them in her famous letters.
During the 17th century, the Barons of Vitré moved to the court of Versailles, which was fashionable at the time. The city lost its notoriety and became a somewhat sleepy city within the city walls in the middle of an active landscape. She broke ties with the neighboring rural population, who supplied them with hemp and flax. Thus began the decline of Vitré, both economically and urban. This situation came to a head especially in the 18th century. As a result, there are few buildings in this period, with the exception of a few religious buildings such as the Augustinian Convent (1620), the Augustinian Convent (1675) or a few city palaces like the Hôtel Sévigné . It was built in the 18th century on the old city walls, where Mme de Sévigné's apartment was in a tower. This city palace was modeled on the Parlement de Bretagne . This situation lasted throughout the 18th century and until the railroad was built in the middle of the 19th century. From 1793 to 1804 the armed peasant resistance ( Chouannerie ) lasted , which marked the end of the rule of Vitré and the beginning of a new and important status for the city: the role of sub-prefecture.
19th century: the construction of the train station and the arrival of the 70th infantry regiment
In the 1830s, the city decided to destroy the southern fortifications, open the closed city and improve clarity. The gates of En Haut (1835), Gâtesel (1839) and En Bas were demolished. This allowed urbanization of the closed city to the south. At that time, the major arteries were drawn, which today represent the main access roads into the city ( Rue de Fougères in the north, Rue de Brest in the west, leading to Rennes, Boulevard de Châteaubriant to Nantes and Boulevard des Rochers to Angers ).
Vitré was also a railway junction, as a first connection was opened on April 15, 1857 on the Paris - Brest route. A second opened in 1867 towards Fougères , and finally a third in 1874 towards La Guerche-de-Bretagne . The station was completed in 1855 and takes the form of a small palace in the neo-Gothic style. It is right in the center of the city, south of the closed city. Nevertheless, various designs were considered in advance. The first thought was to build the train station north of Vitré - above the medieval suburbs of Rachapt - in order to approach the industrial city of Fougères. Then it was planned to build it in the south in the country to be closer to the road to La Guerche-de-Bretagne. But the mayor of Vitré and his deputy opted for the city center. This gave the station good accessibility, but also had a massive impact on the urban structure. In fact, the city is completely divided in two by the influence of the railway lines. The construction of the station enabled the arrival of a military garrison on July 14, 1867. Ten years later it was housed in a barracks, with an architecture similar to that of the Mac Mahon barracks in Rennes. The garrison was the 70th Infantry Regiment. From this time on, urban development proceeded south of the railway line.
20th century: the rise of Vitré
In 1900 Albert Robida described Vitré as a picturesque, somewhat backward small town in the middle of a flourishing environment. The city lost its sub-prefecture status in 1926. This situation lasted until the end of World War II . Some quarters with houses from the first half of the 20th century can be found mainly in the direct vicinity of the closed city and south of the railway line. Some of them are related to villas in the city of Dinard . The two world wars also claimed casualties in Vitré: the local memorial for the fallen contains the names of 315 people who fell in the First and 47 in the Second World War. During the Second World War, Vitré was largely spared and has preserved its historical legacy; in contrast to Fougères , which was massively bombed in June 1944 and consequently lost a large part of its historical heritage. Only a few boulevards were hit, such as the Boulevard Saint-Martin in 1937 between the train station and the Saint-Martin church, which was built in 1868. Seven members of Jewish families from Vitré were deported and murdered in Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp . On April 29, 1944, resistance members of the FTP , led by Louis Pétri, carried out an attack on the Vitré prison, freeing around 50 political prisoners and killing a collaborator .
After the war, Vitré was not exempt from the economic prosperity that France and the other capitalist countries experienced. There was considerable development and expansion in the 1950s. From 1945 to 1973, Vitré, like many other French cities, was affected by the phenomenon of rural exodus. Numerous settlements were built along the axes in the city quarters to the west, east, north and especially south of the city. Most of the apartments built are single-family houses. Nevertheless, larger residential areas such as the Maison Rouge district , consisting of small houses with four to six floors, were built in 1965 in place of the refugee barracks. Other residential buildings were built as part of urban developments such as the Rue de Strasbourg in 1954 or the Rue du 70e RI in the 1960s.
In the peripheral zones there are large companies in the fields of agriculture, textiles, shoes or fine chemicals with more than 100 employees and also large supermarkets. The development of industrial areas is currently continuing (mainly in the south and east, but also in the countryside). In the 1970s, the construction of a four-lane expressway, which runs 7 km south, accelerated the economic boom of the city with the influx of numerous industries. The unemployment rate is very low in a regional comparison and significantly lower in a national comparison. This economic boom, however, hides a large share of industry jobs, on the order of 40%, with numerous insecure jobs. All the more as the Vitré economic area is increasingly suffering from the relocation of companies abroad. Currently, the city continues to expand through areas with single-family homes and industrial areas in the periphery. In the center there is a certain urban renewal in the form of small groups that are established in the old city quarters.
Sights (selection)
See also: List of Monuments historiques in Vitré (Ille-et-Vilaine)
The cultural heritage of Vitré is one of the Breton cities that is best preserved in its original appearance. With its houses with porches or wooden walls, its city walls, its religious heritage, its old streets, its train station, Vitré is an example of a 500 year old city.
- Castle Museum ( Musée du Château de Vitré ): outside area; Paintings, carpets, sculptures and a natural history museum
- Museum Saint-Nicolas (500 m from the castle): religious goldsmithing from the late 19th and early 20th centuries (unique in France)
- Rochers-Sévigné Museum (7 km from Vitré, towards Argentré-du-Plessis): Breton residence of the Marquise de Sévigné, where she wrote numerous letters to her daughter. French style garden.
- Museum du Manoir de la Faucillonnaie in Montreuil-sous-Pérouse (6 km from Vitré, direction Fougères): rural art of the Pays de Vitré (furnishings, cooking accessories, traditional costumes, restored stables, etc.)
- Museum l'Abeille Vivante (industrial area of the briquette )
- Notre-Dame Church (15th / 16th century, late Gothic)
- Saint Martin Church
- Sainte-Croix church
- Protestant Church
- Hôtel Ringues de la Troussanais (city palace in the Breton Renaissance style)
- Benedictine convent (court)
- City walls and corner towers
- Old streets ( Beaudrairie , Poterie , d'Embas etc.) and squares ( Marchix , train station, castle, Notre-Dame etc.)
- Train station (neo-Gothic "Schlösschen" made of limestone and red brick)
- Château-Marie castle (17th century, ceiling with painted beams)
- Park garden ( Le Jardin du Parc ) (kiosk, statue of Mme de Sévigné, diverse and rare botanical plants)
economy
Vitré is an industrial city with 12,000 employees. The unemployment rate (approx. 5%) is the lowest in Brittany and means almost full employment.
Agriculture is little represented with 1.3% of employees. The industry employed 4643 people in 1999, which corresponds to 41.1% of the active population.
The tertiary sector employs 5890 people, i. H. 52.1%, mainly distributed between retail and corporate services. Large companies from Vitré are institutions due to their regional origin and their importance on the number of employees. Some examples of the major employers are:
- SVA (Société Vitréenne d'Abattage): 1000-1999 employees (agriculture)
- Cooper Standard Automotive France: 700 - 799 employees (rubber and plastics)
- Texier: 400 - 499 employees (textiles, leather, clothing)
- Oberthür Cards Systems: 300 - 399 employees (electricity - electronics)
- Société Laitière de Vitré: 200-299 employees (agriculture).
traffic
Vitré is one of the few cities in France with free urban transport on the entire network. The network comprises 9 bus routes with 72 stations. The city benefits from 15 (train) stops on the Rennes – Vitré-Laval route (including 2 TGVs) and 19 stops in the other direction (including 3 TGVs).
Town twinning
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Helmstedt ( Germany ) 1978 |
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Lymington ( England ) 1981 |
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Terrebonne ( Canada ) 1983 |
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Djenné ( Mali ) 1987 |
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Villajoyosa ( Spain ) 1989 |
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Greece ( USA ) 1990 |
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Środa Wielkopolska ( Poland ) 1994 |
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Tălmaciu ( Romania ) 1999 |
Events
- Jazz in Vitré (March musical festival, concerts and cabaret)
- Carnival (April, Carnaval des Gais lurons )
- Cycle race Route Adélie (April)
- Spring of the museums (April or May)
- The Sévignales (Literary Festival)
- Festival of the Bocage vitréen (July)
- Heritage Days (September, Journées du Patrimoine )
- Christmas Market
- "The musical springboard" (every 2 years, to introduce groups from Vitré, Le tremplin musical )
Personalities
- Pierre Landais , statesman and winner of Breton independence in the 15th century
- Bertrand d'Argentré , Brittany historian
- Jacques Colebault , known as Jachet de Mantoue, Renaissance composer
- René-Jacques Croissant de Garengeot (1688–1759), 18th century surgeon
- Pierre-Olivier Malherbe , first European to circumnavigate the world across all continents
- Claude-Étienne Savary, orientalist, pioneer of Egyptology and translator of the Koran
- Arthur Le Moyne de La Borderie , historian of Brittany
- Auguste Pavie (1847–1925) and Charles Rabot , explorers, one from Laos and Cambodia , the other from the Kola and Spitsbergen
- Morvan Marchal, who drew the modern flag of Brittany , the Gwenn-ha-Du , which now flies everywhere
literature
- Le Patrimoine des Communes d'Ille-et-Vilaine. Flohic Editions, Volume 2, Paris 2000, ISBN 2-84234-072-8 , pp. 1724-1757.
