# Nantes,France



## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

(from Wikipédia ) Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, 50 km from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 850,000 inhabitants.[2]

Nantes is the capital city of the Pays de la Loire region and Loire-Atlantique département. It is also the major city of the historic province of Brittany, and culturally remains strongly identified with it.[3]

In 2004, the Time magazine described Nantes as "the most liveable city in Europe".In 2010, Nantes was named a Hub city for innovation in the Innovation Cities Index by innovation agency, 2thinknow.The city was ranked 36th globally from 289 cities and 4th overall in France, behind Paris, Lyon and Strasbourg for innovation across multiple sectors of the economy.

*Breton Rule*

After Charlemagne's death, Breton expansion intensified. In 850, the region was conquered by Nominoë, the ruler of Brittany, who invaded, among others, the towns of Nantes and Rennes. The following year, in the aftermath of the Battle of Jengland, the Breton March, with Nantes as its capital, was integrated into Brittany by the Treaty of Angers. The subsequent eighty years, however, were made difficult by the constant infighting between the Breton warlords, who promoted Viking invasions, the most spectacular of which took place on the 24th June 843 and resulted in the death of Bishop Gohard of Nantes. The Chronicle of Nantes recounts that, during this period, "The city of Nantes remained for many years deserted, devastated and overgrown with briars and thorns." From 919 to 937, the town was managed by the Vikings, who were defeated by Alain Barbe-Torte, the grandson of Alan the Great, the last king of Brittany.

*The Wars of Succession*

In the subsequent period, the Dukes of Brittany fought against the Counts of Nantes. These succession feuds resulted from time to time in Nantes passing under the sovereignty of the house of Anjou. The longest of these periods began in 1156 and lasted 45 years, representing a period of stability. In 1203 Brittany came under the dominion of the Capetians, the French monarchy, and under Peter I, Duke of Brittany Nantes enjoyed a resurgence when the Duke made the town his principal residence.

The Second Breton War of Succession pitted the supporters of two different claimants against one another: those of the half-brother of the deceased John III, Duke of Brittany, Jean de Montfort, who relied on the Estates of Brittany who gathered in Nantes, and those of Charles I, Duke of Brittany, who was supported by King Philippe VI of France and was recognised as Duke of Brittany by the peers of the kingdom. The De Montfort dynasty emerged victorious from the conflict, and it made Nantes an impressive capital of the duchy. During the fifteenth century the town developed, largely due to its maritime and river-based trade.

At the end of the fifteenth century, Nantes was of great strategic importance in the war between the King of France and Francis II, Duke of Brittany. The city was conquered in 1488, from which point Brittany was governed by the kings of France. The heir to the duchy, Anne of Brittany, married Charles VIII of France in 1491, and then Louis XII of France, making her Queen of France. At her death in 1514, she bequeathed her heart to the town of Nantes (currently in the Dobrée museum). Claude of France, the eldest daughter of Anne of Brittany, donated the duchy to her husband Francis I of France, but the Estates of Brittany themselves requested the union of Brittany and France in exchange for the continuation of their privileges, which ushered in the next period.

*Early Modern Period and after
*
When the Duchy of Brittany was united to the kingdom of France in 1532 by the Treaty of Plessis-Macé, Nantes kept the Parliament of Brittany for a few years before it was moved to Rennes. In 1598, King Henry IV of France signed the Edict of Nantes here, which granted Protestants rights to their religion.

During the 18th century, prior to abolition of slavery, Nantes was the slave trade capital of France.[13] This kind of trade led Nantes to become the largest port in France and a wealthy city. In 1754 the ship Saint-Phillipe, owned by the Nantes based Jogue brothers crossed the middle passage with 462 slaves in 25 days, whereas vessels earlier in the century would often take up to nine months. Nantes remained the principal slave port until the 1780s. Even after the official end of the slave trade in 1818, the trade continued. Over the next 13 years, 305 expeditions are recorded as having left from Nantes docks for the African coast.[14] When the French Revolution broke out, Nantes chose to be part of it, although the whole surrounding region soon degenerated into an open civil war against the new republic known as the War in the Vendée. On 29 June 1793 the town was the site of a Republican victory in this war. The Loire was also the site of thousands of executions by drowning.[15]

In the 19th century, Nantes became an industrial city. The first public transport anywhere may have been the omnibus service initiated in Nantes in 1826.[citation needed] It was soon imitated in Paris, London and New York. The first railways were built in 1851 and many industries were created. In 1940, the city was occupied by German troops. In 1941, the assassination of a German officer, Lt. Col. Fritz Hotz, caused the retaliatory execution of 48 civilians. The city was twice severely bombed by British forces, on 16 and 23 August 1943, before being liberated by the Americans in 1944.[16]

Until the 1970s, Nantes' harbour was located on the Île de Nantes, when it was moved to the very mouth of the Loire River, at Saint-Nazaire. In the subsequent 20 years, many service sector organisations moved into the area, but economic difficulties forced most of these to close. In 2001, a major redevelopment scheme was launched, the goal of which is to revitalise the island as the new city centre.

In 2003, the French weekly L'Express voted Nantes to be the "greenest city" in France, while in both 2003 and 2004 it was voted the "best place to live" by the weekly Le Point. In August 2004, TIME designated Nantes as "the most livable city in all of Europe."

_Nantes, the Old Center : _



Castle of the Dukes of Brittany


Poterne Nord

entrée principal du Château, à l'ouest









Cathédrale Saint Pierre



Place Saint Pierre



Strasbourg Street


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

L’Église Sainte Croix 


Bouffay district




50 Otage Street 



j'adore cet immeuble






Basilique Saint Nicolas





Place Royale :


la Fontaine est une Allégorie de la Loire et de ses Affluents ^^









More Pics coming soon... ^^


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## aarhusforever (Jun 15, 2010)

Wow, that is one amazing and very beautiful city. Thank you very much for sharing, Maxou2Nantes :cheers:


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

no problem  

I wait for the second page to post the other photos ^^


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## Insider92 (Aug 6, 2009)

Great pictures and amazing city.


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## skymantle (Jul 17, 2010)

Very nice. Something of a petite-Paris with the Haussmannian-type architecture, etc. Most liveable city in Europe, that's quite a title, considering the long list of cities in Europe. Great pics. :cheers:


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Lovely. Is that limestone?


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## [email protected]@r (Nov 9, 2011)

Very intersting. It's very nice that the europeans cities dont have to many skyscrapers.


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## Pennypacker (Mar 23, 2010)

Ooooh...look at how neat and clean those streetscapes are. The perfect way to showcase those buildings.

That's something you don't find in this country.


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

openlyJane said:


> Lovely. Is that limestone?


Freestone named in french " Pierre de Tuffeau " like All the Castles of the Loire Valley  very beautiful but very fragile ^^


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## manrush (May 8, 2008)

Nantes is a lovely city. I always had a liking for it.


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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

Gorgeous pics.....thanks for sharing.:cheers2:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Amazing, very nice photos from Nantes


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Looks like a clean and beautiful city, rarely seen on SSC!


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## toshijmx (May 31, 2011)

Great looking city! There seems to be an endless supply of magnificent architecture in French towns of all sizes. I'm jealous now... :cheers:


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoQdjKHxS0Y&hd=1

NANTES in HD video


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

Nantes Post 2000 

Many ( 2010 ), ile de Nantes , Quartier de la Création


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## Dr.Seltsam (May 28, 2008)

skymantle said:


> Something of a petite-Paris with the Haussmannian-type architecture, etc.


I thought exactly the same!


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

Dr.Seltsam said:


> I thought exactly the same!


me too 

anyway Nantes is only at two o'clock bets with the TGV ( 24 TGV nantes-Paris everyday ), and many of Parisian's come live in Nantes, seduced by her economic and cultural dynamism, Nantes has all the advantages of Paris without the inconveniences :cheers:


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Maxou2Nantes said:


> Nantes Post 2000
> 
> Many ( 2010 ), ile de Nantes , Quartier de la Création


Amazingly beautiful.


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

Wild in the City =D

les Machines de l'Ile, Ile de Nantes .

from Wiki : "The Machines of the Isle of Nantes (Les Machines de l'île) is an artistic, touristic and cultural project based in Nantes, France.The project of Machines de l'île in Nantes aims to promote city's image and tries to build an identity as a creative metropole of dream and of fantasy.
In the warehouses of the former shipyards in Nantes, the Machines of the Isle is created by two artists, François Delarozière (La Machine) and Pierre Orefice (Manaus association), visualising a travel-through-time world at the crossroads of the "imaginary worlds" of Jules Verne and the mechanical universe of Leonardo da Vinci.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/st3f4n/tags/carrouseldesmondesmarins/show/

The mechanical elephant (2007) is 12 meters high and 8 meters wide, made from 45 tons of wood and steel. It can take up to 49 passengers for a 45-minute walk. It is a non-exact replica of The Sultan's Elephant from Royal de Luxe, which toured the world from 2005 to 2007 (the main difference being that this elephant was designed to carry spectators).


The Marine Worlds (Summer 2012) will be a huge carrousel, rising nearly 25m high and measuring 20m in diameter. It will feature 35 moving underwater creatures on three levels: the ocean floor, the depths, and sea and boats. Visitors will be able to move about amidst a ballet of aquatic animals and sea carriages, as well as climb aboard and guide the movements of the Machines.





The Heron Tree (2016) is a steel structure of 45 meters in diameter and 28 meters in height, topped with two herons. The project plans to allow visitors to climb either onto the back or onto the wings of the birds for a circular flight over the hanging gardens of the tree.



The Machine Gallery (2007) This is an exhibition place to illustrate the background story of the machines. Some visitors could be invited to control marine animals or the European Flight Test Centre, etc.
The entire process of the construction is on display by sketches, models and films. In July 2008, three new machines are scheduled to be added into the gallery.



^^


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## skymantle (Jul 17, 2010)

Maxou2Nantes said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoQdjKHxS0Y&hd=1
> 
> NANTES in HD video


 Haha, cool video. Expressive of the diversity of the place it seems; the whimsical and the serious, contemporary and conservative, old and new, avante garde and traditional, artistic and sporting, creative and competitive. Very clever.

I particularly like the bar, which seems like a readaptive use warehouse or something. That denotes a lot, and along with the percussion music (which I'm fond of very much) sets it off quite powerfully.


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

Ile De Nantes 



Law Court ( 2000, Jean Nouvel )


Former Shipyards (2007)


Music Hall ( 2011 )


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

Passage Pommeraye ( 1843 )


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

Opera


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

*Ile de Nantes, Quai François Mitterand, Quartier de la Création*





70's building + 2009 add

2011

Ehundura (2011)


L'ile Rouge/Red Island ( 2011 )


Architecture School (2009)




Helicopter Platform for the Hospital "Hôtel Dieu" ( 2009 )


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

Brand new Pics of Nantes 


Quartier Bretagne :





City-center


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## tikiturf (May 20, 2011)

Nantes is a beautiful city, I love the Quartier des Créations.


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## DWest (Dec 3, 2009)

this is another French charming city.
likewise, those modern midrises are nicely designed.


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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

awesome, thanks for the nice new pics from Nantes....:cheers:


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

Saint Therese Church



Uploaded with ImageShack.us


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## Kaufmann (Mar 9, 2010)

Gorgeous pics! I like the city, little paris or the same like Brüssel maybe. But the modern buildings are mostly pretty scary for example the music hall!


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

NOTRE DAME DU BON PORT.


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## aarhusforever (Jun 15, 2010)

Such a great thread with stunning photos of one great and important European city  Thanks for sharing, my friend :cheers:


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

thanks  next :


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

Thanks................NEXT pics


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

:banana:

Conseil Général


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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

great new pics from Nantes....thanks for sharing.:cheers:


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

some buildings :


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

Butte Sainte Anne


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## Pistolero (May 19, 2011)

I like all those white walls, it gives a beautiful light to the city.

_PS : attention tu as mis plusieurs photos en double._


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

Pistolero said:


> I like all those white walls, it gives a beautiful light to the city.
> 
> _PS : attention tu as mis plusieurs photos en double._


Thanks Pistolero 


( merci j'ai corriger, je m'y perd avec toutes mes photos :lol: )


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## Tiaren (Jan 29, 2006)

Gorgeous city! Really looks like a smaller, cozier version of Paris. And the modern architecture is top notch!
It's a pain, that Wikipedia is down today. The first thing I do, when encountering an interesting city, that I don't know much of, is to check on it on Wikipedia. XD

Your photographs are great as well of course! (I nearly forgot to mention that)


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

ST PIERRE CATHEDRAL 

( from Wikipedia )

"Nantes Cathedral or the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, Nantes (French: Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Nantes), is a Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Nantes. The construction of the cathedral began in 1434, on the site of a Romanesque cathedral, and took 457 years to finish, finally reaching completion in 1891.

Dimensions

Height of the towers - 63 m (192 ft)
Height of the roof - 49 m (149 ft)
Height of nave - 37.5 m (114 ft)
Interior width - 38.5 m (117 ft)
Interior length - 103 m (335 ft)
Length of the chancel - 30 m (91 ft)


















Francois II & Anne de Bretagne ( King & Queen, XV's )


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

City Hall


















Police Department


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## tikiturf (May 20, 2011)

Nice photos thanks. What a beautiful city:cheers:


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## MaxouDeNantes (Feb 12, 2012)

les rescapés du Boulevard Ghis'tau, survivants du Massacre des années 70


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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

thanks for the great updates on Nantes, awesome shots...:cheers:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Indeed very nice updates from Nantes


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## JoseRodolfo (Jul 9, 2003)

beautiful!!


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## MaxouDeNantes (Feb 12, 2012)

pictures of the new "Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery"














#D6


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## Insider92 (Aug 6, 2009)

Great photos!!!


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Nice city!


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## madridhere (Oct 10, 2005)

Nice city and nice pictures!!!


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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

beautiful and some interesting photos from Nantes...:cheers:


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

I'd like to see more blue sky & sunshine photographs of Nantes - I bet it looks lovely with all of that cream & white coloured stone. A very handsome city.


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## toshijmx (May 31, 2011)

I am always impressed by French cities.


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## MaxouDeNantes (Feb 12, 2012)

Somes pictures


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## aarhusforever (Jun 15, 2010)

toshijmx said:


> I am always impressed by French cities.


+1  I love all those interesting photos  Thanks for sharing :cheers:


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## gmoney (Sep 16, 2011)

Nice shots, I like the mechanical elephant!


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## MaxouDeNantes (Feb 12, 2012)

Japanese Park island :









Dobré Museum ( Middle-Age arts ) : 












Natural History Museum :





Middle Age Houses :





some pictures :


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## Godius (Aug 31, 2011)

I like the high level of details and decorations on the buildings, nice showcase.


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## aarhusforever (Jun 15, 2010)

^^ +1 ...thank you for the updates :cheers:


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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

beautiful and lovely photos from Nantes...:cheers:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Awesome, very nice new shots from Nantes


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

Some Pictures of the ancient Law Court, transformed into Radisson BLU Hotel ****
Built in 1852. 











+ Pics by Drey from PSS-archi.eu :

http://www.pss-archi.eu/photos/membres/1439/l/1348763193wyi.jpg

http://www.pss-archi.eu/photos/membres/1439/l/1348763286qps.jpg


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## DWest (Dec 3, 2009)

lovely city.


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

Graslin Theater : 

le Théatre Graslin, inside :






Before : 




After:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, amazing new photos from Nantes


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

a video of the new Radisson BLU ****


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## RonnieR (Jul 13, 2007)

^^ Thanks for sharing those beautiful photos of Nantes....


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

Nantes by Night :

Opéra Graslin, Place Graslin : 





Cathédrale Saint-Pierre : 





Radisson BLU****


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

pictures from the top of the "Tour de Bretagne" Building ( 150m ) 







and "Le Nid" the skybar on the 32th floor :


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

What a funny sight - the egg seats!

Great pictures.


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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

nice photos, Nantes by night. :cheers:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates from Nantes


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## Pistolero (May 19, 2011)

I like the eggs on the roofs that can be seen only from the tower, that's a good idea!!


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## Maxou2Nantes (May 27, 2008)

Pistolero said:


> I like the eggs on the roofs that can be seen only from the tower, that's a good idea!!


:cheers:


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## aarhusforever (Jun 15, 2010)

Pistolero said:


> I like the eggs on the roofs that can be seen only from the tower, that's a good idea!!


+1 It is a great idea


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