Morbihan : the Little Sea

The Gulf of Morbihan is an inland sea, which opens onto the Mor-Braz (the Breton word for ocean) by the narrows separating Port-Navalo from Locmariaquer.
The Gulf of Morbihan, 'Iittle sea' in Breton, was flooded by the Atlantic waters. By the ebb and the flow, the sea has created islands and islets, forming today a substantial archipelago: the Île aux Moines and Île d'Arz are the most famous. There are around forty rocky islets and wooded islands sometimes inhabited by a hamlet of fishermen or simply a flock of birds.
The small sea is a basin of 11,500 hectares, a magnificent maritime environ­mental mosaic with islands, beaches, mud holes, estuaries, rias, marshlands ... all of which make a paradise for the birds.
The natural marshland Reserve of Séné is ideal for observing the movements of the little egrets, mergansers, shelduck, ibis, barnacle geese ...
It is also an ideal place for water sports enthusiasts. A treat for those who sail, kayak, wind surf ...
The Gulf of Morbihan, member of the club of the 'Most Beautiful Bays in the World', will never cease to astonish you. It is a very popular area and an immense attraction for visitors; even so we should not forget that it remains nevertheless fragile.

When Vannes was called Darioritum

2 000 years aga, the Romans founded the town of Darioritum at the intersection of bath the land and sea routes. At the end of the third century, because of foreign threats, a fortress was built on the neighbouring hill of Méné. This fortified site served as the founda­tions for the medieval town.

The medieval town

Protected by the original Gallo-Roman enclosure, the city was planned around the Cathedral of Saint Peter and La Cohue (the market halls), and was constructed in the 12" and 13'h centuries. It has since developed around the church of Saint-Patern which, in the Middle Ages, was a stopping place for Tro Breiz, the place of pilgrimage for the 7 founder saints of Brittany.
At the end of the Middle Ages, Vannes became the capital city of the Duchy of Brittany. The urban setlle­ment was renewed and next to the half-timbered hou­ses, which lined the narrow streets of the town, rose a few characteristic mansions built of stone, Such as the Château Gaillard.

Vannes in the modern era

It was at Vannes, in 1532, that François 1 st met the Breton members of par­liament to decide upon the union of Brittany with France. ln 1675, the Parliament of Brittany set itself up in Vannes. Stone became the favoured material for the construction of the new parliamentary building (rue Saint­Vincent) and also for the residences of the leading citizens of Vannes. Many merchants and ship owners erected their mansions on the harbour banks, the economic heart of the town.

The town during the 19th and 20th centuries
 
With the town falling gradually into disuse, the people of Vannes felt the need to create the city with buildings of prestige, such as the Préfecture in 1865 and the Hôtel de Ville (the Town Hall) in 1886.
Since then Vannes experienced a period of growth. They were able to pre­serve the old centre and relied on their exceptional heritage to establish their new ambitions.