Vitré, Ille-et-Vilaine

Vitré (Breton: Gwitreg) is a French town and commune in the département of Ille-et-Vilaine, in Brittany. Vitré, a former sub-prefecture until 1926, is the chief town of a canton of around 18,000 inhabitants (2006). It lies on the edge of Brittany, near Normandy Maine and Anjou. The town has been designated a ville d'art et d'histoire, a town of artistic and historic significance, by the Ministry of Culture in recognition of its rich cultural inheritance.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Monuments
5 Miscellaneous
6 Transportation
7 Sister towns
8 See also
9 External links

[edit] Geography

The city is located on the slopes of the Vilaine river, along an east-west geographic depression which the national railway on the Paris-Rennes route.

Vitré commune is home to 90,000 inhabitants spread throughout seven cantons: Vitré-East, Vitré-West, Argentré-du-Plessis, Châteaubourg, La Guerche-de-Bretagne, Janzé and Retiers.

The land area of Vitré: 37.19 km². The average altitude of Vitré is approximately 89 m. The highest point, 127 m, is found in the "Ménardières" zone, at Pierre and Marie Curie Street. The lowest point, 67 m, is close to the S.V.A. firm's location under the viaduct of the ring-road.

[edit] Demographics

At the end of 14th century the city housed between 4-5,000 inhabitants, at a time when Rennes and Nantes had some around 13-14,000. in 1560, Vitré's population is estimated by Arthur de Borderie at 7,800 inhabitants, matching that of the towns of Vannes and Quimper.

Demographics of Vitré (1789-2006)

VITRÉ	1800	1836	1856	1881	1901	1921	1936	1954	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006
Population	8,809	8,901	8,854	10,314	10,775	8,154	8,506	9,611	10,380	11,343	12,322	13,046	14,488	15,313	18,000
Sources : INSEE and « Vitré » of ROBERT-GUÉDON D., LE GOFF D. et BORDILLON H. Ouest-France Editions

At the time of the birth of Madame de Sévigné, about 1620, the city counted 7,500 inhabitants. The population reached 14,000 inhabitants in 1762. This population was contained within the medieval boundaries of the city, which was a third the size of the modern Vitré. This made for a population density at the time of nearly 30,000 inhabitants per km².

In 1789, on the eve of the French Revolution, Vitré's population reached 10,850 inhabitants. In the post-revolution period there was a significant drop in population, to 8,904 inhabitants by 1861. In 1911 a moderate increase brought the figure to 10,613. The First World War and its subsequent economic trials would reduce the population to 8,506. By 1999 the population again had reached 18th century levels, with 15,313 inhabitants and 18,000 in 2006. The three cantons of Vitré (Vitré-west, Vitré-East and Argentré-du-Plessis) counted 44,623 inhabitants in 1999. The greater Vitré-Community counts 55,464 inhabitants, including the canton of Châteaubourg.

Inhabitants of Vitré are called Vitréens.

[edit] History

The castle of Vitré overlooks the valley of the Vilaine, and the northern quarters of Vitré with the medieval suburb of Rachapt

[edit] Early settlement

Château de Vitré, Place St-Yves

The site of Vitré was occupied in Gallo-Roman times. The name Vitré comes from the Gallo-Roman name "Victor" or "Victrix", after the owner of a farm in the region. The year 1000 marked the formal birth of Vitré, when the duke of Brittany Geoffrey I bestowed feudal powers upon Riwallon Le Vicaire, who was charged with keeping this strategic area as a buffer zone of the "Marches of Brittany". A small wooden motte-and-bailey castle, on a feudal mound, was built on the Sainte-Croix hill. The castle was burned down on several occasions, and eventually was bequeathed to the Benedictine monks of Marmoutiers. A stone castle was built in 1070 by Robert Ier on the current site, on a rocky outcrop dominating the Vilaine's river valley. Certain parts of the original stone castle still are visible today.

In the 13th century, the castle was enlarged and equipped with robust towers and curtain walls. The castle combined the triangular site of the outcropping on which it was built a structure in the style of the castles of Philippe Auguste. During this period the "Vieil Bourg," including the church of Notre-Dame, developed on the eastern side of Vitré. The city was encircled with fortified ramparts and ditches. It was at this time that the "walled city" took its current form. The Baron directed the construction of the "privileged boroughs" around the walled city. These boroughs defined the linear layout of the streets of Vitré's present neighborhoods. Since the 13th century, Vitré has joined together all of the elements of the traditional medieval city: a fortified castle, religious buildings, churches, colleges, and suburbs.

[edit] Middle Ages

Notre-Dame Church

In the 15th century, the castle was modified to keep up with developments in artillery design. It was decommissioned from a military post to become a comfortable residence for Jeanne of Laval-Châtillon and her son Anne de Montmorency. At the same time, many half-timbered houses and private mansions were built inside the city. These medieval districts are characterized by their sturdy frame construction and their sinuous and dark streets, as well as by a network of lanes. From a defense perspective, these narrow streets were a confusing obstacle to taking the city. The frontages of the houses are made either of half-timbering or stone. The corbellings (projection of the higher floors over the street) helped saved space. They shielded pedestrians from bad weather, and they channeled rainwater into the central gutters, helping preserve the wooden facades.

The names of the Vitré's streets often originated from the trade guilds in the area: for example, "Baudrairie Street" was a gathering-place for "baudroyors" (leatherworkers), and there is also a "Street of Pottery".

The historical center of the city is the Place du Marchix or Market Square near the Convent of the Benedictines. The current Place of the Castle was the forecourt of the castle. The Place de Notre-Dame formerly hosted a "Market of Fabrics." Vitré, a prosperous city since the 15th century, had a brotherhood for promoting the international trade of textiles, founded in 1472.

[edit] Renaissance

Vitré was a city with an economy among the most flourishing of any city in the Duchy of Brittany. Its peak came in the 16th century when the brotherhoods of the Merchants of Overseas sold their hemp fabric throughout Europe. The merchants built large private mansions, producing the Renaissance elements that now punctuate the closed city. Henri IV passed through Vitré in 1598. He was struck by the opulence of these middle-class men, vitréens, and he exclaimed: "If I were not King of France, I would like to be a middle-class man of Vitré! ".

During the Wars of Religion, at the end of 16th century, the Protestant city was besieged for five months by the troops of the League under the command of the duke of Mercoeur, governor of Brittany. During the 17th century, the barons of Vitré deserted the town for the Court of Versailles. The city lost its notoriety and became a quiet place.

This situation lasted through 18th century and until the arrival of the railroad in the middle of the 19th century. In addition, the end of the 18th century was marked by the Chouannerie, the end of the seigniory of Vitré and the beginning of a new and important period for the city, its role as a sub-prefecture.

[edit] The 19th and 20th centuries

Castle Rochers-Sevigné

To prepare for the arrival of the railroads, the city decided to destroy the southern fortifications of the city to open up the closed city and to improve visibility. The Door "d'En-Haut" (1835), "Gâtesel" (1839) and "d'En-Bas" were destroyed to make way for developments in the south of the closed city.

Vitré has been a railway hub since the first lines were opened on April 15, 1857 on the Paris-Brest line. The construction of the station was carried out in 1855 in the form of a small neo-gothic manor house in the downtown area, just south of the closed city. The city was literally cut in two by this important railway influence. However, in spite of these industrial developments, the city developed little and remained a small market town within an agricultural area. Moreover, it lost its statute of sub-prefecture in 1926.

Vitré did not suffer massive destruction during the two World Wars, and preserved its historical inheritance, with the exception of Fougères, which underwent a terrible bombardment in June 1944, destroying a good part of it. In the aftermath of the Second World War, Vitré experienced an economic boom along with the rest of France.

From 1950 on, Vitré grew extensively. During "the thirty glorious years," Vitré experienced massive rural migration, like many other towns of France.

This migration triggered new building developments, including modern six-story buildings in the "Maison Rouge" district. The city has considerably developed and extended with industrial areas and suburbs. The population of Vitré expanded from 9,611 inhabitants in 1954 to around 17,000 today, an increase of 80% over half a century. Inner-city areas are protected to conserve the town's rich heritage of art and architecture. In 1999, Vitré obtained the label "Town of Art and History" because of its rich cultural inheritance. The town's monuments attract many tourists each year.

[edit] Monuments

Medieval City of Vitré

Old barracks of 70e régiment d'infanterie

[edit] Castles

Château de Vitré (11th-20th century)
Remparts, Claviers' Tower, Bridole's Tower
Rochers-Sévigné Castle
Château-Marie (17th century)
Hôtel Ringues de la Troussanais (Renaissance)
Medieval streets (Beaudrairie, Poterie, d'Embas, etc.) and places (Marchix, Station, Château, Notre-Dame, etc.)

[edit] Religious heritage

Saint-Nicolas Chapel (near Castle of Vitré)
Notre-Dame Church (14th century) gothic
Tower of the ancient Saint-Martin's Church (15th century)
Saint-Martin Church (19th century)
Sainte-Croix Church (17th-19th century)
Protestant Church
Convent of Bénédictins (Tribunal)
Convent of Augustins (17th century)
Chapels, calvaries situated in the city and countryside

[edit] Other monuments

Menhir "La Pierre Blanche" (Beauvais Road to Pocé-les-Bois)
Hôtel Sévigné-Nétumières (18th Century)
The Station (19th century)
Old barracks of 70e régiment d'infanterie
The Grand Park

[edit] Miscellaneous

Vitré was the birthplace of:

François Dollier de Casson second founder of Montreal
Pierre Landais, Breton politician (15th century)
Tancrède Abraham, painter
Edouard Frain de La Gaulayrie, curator of Vitré and historian.
Bertrand d'Argentré, historian of the Bretagne
Jacquet of Mantua or Jacques Colebault, Renaissance composer
Pierre-Olivier Malherbe, European explorer
Claude-Étienne Savary, translator of the Koran
Arthur Le Moyne de La Borderie, historian of the Bretagne
Auguste Pavie et Charles Rabot, explorers, the first: Laos and Cambodia, the second: Kola and Svalbard
Morvan Marchal, Breton nationalist, creator of the modern Bretagne flag
René Alexandre
Pierre Méhaignerie, deputy-mayor of Vitré, former minister and European deputy

Vitré Concerts

Monsters of Death, 28th September 1991
Vitre Jazz Festival, March 2006

[edit] Transportation

Located east of Brittany, the city of Vitré is crossed by the expressway which prolongs motorway A 11, while the motorway of the Estuaries. As in the whole of the Ille-et-Vilaine département, the communes of the country of Vitré are accessible by these expressways. Vitré is unusual in that urban transportation is zero-fare for all routes.