Rennes
the former capital of the W. S. W. of Paris. A seven days' fire province of Brittany, France, 234 miles in 1720 destroyed nearly 4,000 houses.
Four bridges connect the upper or new town and the lower or old town, and the most noteworthy of the public buildings are the cathedral, finished in 1844, and Italian in style; Notre Dame, with its dome surmounted by a huge image of the Virgin; the a archbishop's palace (1672); the stately court house (1618-1654) the university buildings (1855), with a picture gallery; the theater (1835); the Hôtel de Ville, with a public library; and the Lycée. As the focus of main and branch lines of railway between Paris and the N. W. of France, and commanding good river and canal navigation, Rennes is favorably situated for commerce. Its manufactures include sail cloth, table linen, etc. The second courtmartial of Captain Dreyfus was held in Rennes during the summer of 1899.
Pop. about 80,000.