Editing Nantes (section)

==Culture==

===Museums===
[[File:Reliquaire Anne de Bretagne - Musée de Bretagne 20141102-02.JPG|thumb|alt=Heart-shaped reliquary|[[Reliquary]] of [[Anne of Brittany]] in the [[Musée Dobrée|Dobrée Museum]]]]
Nantes has several museums. The [[Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes|Fine Art Museum]] is the city's largest. Opened in 1900, it has an extensive collection ranging from [[Italian Renaissance]] paintings to contemporary sculpture. The museum includes works by [[Tintoretto]], [[Jan Brueghel the Elder|Brueghel]], [[Peter Paul Rubens|Rubens]], [[Georges de La Tour]], [[Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres|Ingres]], [[Claude Monet|Monet]], [[Pablo Picasso|Picasso]], [[Wassily Kandinsky|Kandinsky]] and [[Anish Kapoor]].{{sfn|Le Musée d'arts}} The Historical Museum of Nantes, in the [[château des Ducs de Bretagne|castle]], is dedicated to local history and houses the municipal collections. Items include paintings, sculptures, photographs, maps and furniture displayed to illustrate major points of Nantes history such as the [[Atlantic slave trade]], [[industrialisation]] and the [[Second World War]].{{sfn|Collections et recherches}}

The [[Musée Dobrée|Dobrée Museum]], closed for repairs {{As of|2017|lc=y}}, houses the ''[[département]]''{{'s}} archaeological and decorative-arts collections. The building is a [[Romanesque Revival architecture|Romanesque Revival]] mansion facing a 15th-century manor. Collections include a golden reliquary made for [[Anne of Brittany]]'s heart, medieval statues and timber frames, coins, weapons, jewellery, manuscripts and archaeological finds.{{sfn|Les collections}} The [[Natural History Museum of Nantes]] is one of the largest of its kind in [[France]]. It has more than 1.6&nbsp;million zoological specimens and several thousand mineral samples.{{sfn|Aperçu des collections}} The [[Machines of the Isle of Nantes]], opened in 2007 in the converted shipyards, has automatons, prototypes inspired by deep-sea creatures and a {{convert|12|m|ft|adj=mid|-tall}} walking elephant. With 620,000 visitors in 2015, the ''Machines'' were the most-visited non-free site in [[Loire-Atlantique]].{{sfn|Machines de l'île}} Smaller museums include the [[Jules Verne Museum]] (dedicated to the author, who was born in Nantes) and the Planetarium. The HAB Galerie, located in a former banana warehouse on the Loire, is Nantes's largest art gallery. Owned by the city council, it is used for contemporary-art exhibitions.{{sfn|HAB Galerie}} The council manages four other exhibition spaces, and the city has several private galleries.{{sfn|Autres lieux d'exposition}}

===Venues===
[[File:Scène, Théâtre Graslin, Nantes Jul 15, 2012.jpg|thumb|alt=An empty Graslin Theatre, facing the stage|The Graslin Theatre, opened in 1788]]
''[[Le Zénith]] Nantes Métropole'', an indoor arena in [[Saint-Herblain]], has a capacity of 9,000 and is France's largest concert venue outside Paris.{{sfn|Le Zénith Nantes}} Since its opening in 2006, [[Placebo (band)|Placebo]], [[Supertramp]], [[Snoop Dogg]] and [[Bob Dylan]] have performed on its stage. Nantes's largest venue is ''La Cité, Nantes Events Center'', a 2,000-seat auditorium.{{sfn|La Cité Nantes}} It hosts concerts, congresses and exhibitions, and is the primary venue of the [[Orchestre national des Pays de la Loire|Pays de la Loire National Orchestra]]. The [[Théâtre Graslin|Graslin Theatre]], built in 1788, is home to the [[Angers-Nantes Opéra]]. The former [[LU (biscuits)|LU]] biscuit factory, facing the castle, has been converted into [[Le Lieu unique]]. It includes a [[Turkish bath]], restaurant and bookshop and hosts art exhibits, drama, music and dance performances.{{sfn|Le lieu unique}} The 879-seat Grand T is the [[Loire-Atlantique]] ''département'' theatre,{{sfn|Le Grand T}} and the Salle Vasse is managed by the city. Other theatres include the ''Théâtre universitaire'' and several private venues. La Fabrique, a cultural entity managed by the city, has three sites which include music studios and concert venues. The largest is Stereolux, specialising in rock concerts, experimental [[happening]]s and other contemporary performances. The 140-seat Pannonica specialises in [[jazz]], and the nearby 503-seat Salle Paul-Fort is dedicated to contemporary French singers.{{sfn|Pannonica}}{{sfn|La Bouche d'Air}} Nantes has five cinemas, with others throughout the metropolitan area.{{sfn|Dictionnaire de Nantes|2013|pp=238-239}}

===Events and festivals===
[[File:Les Nefs et les Machines de lîle de Nantes (7724255850).jpg|thumb|alt=Spacious hall, with plants and natural lighting|Main hall at the [[Machines of the Isle of Nantes]]]]
The [[Royal de Luxe]] [[street theatre]] company moved to Nantes in 1989, and has produced a number of shows in the city. The company is noted for its large [[marionette]]s (including a giraffe, the Little Giant and the Sultan's Elephant), and has also performed in [[Lisbon]], [[Berlin]], [[London]] and [[Santiago]].{{sfn|Royal de Luxe}} Former Royal de Luxe machine designer [[François Delarozière]] created the Machines of the Isle of Nantes and its large walking elephant in 2007. The Machines sponsor theatre, dance, concerts, ice-sculpting shows and performances for children in the spring and fall and at [[Christmas]]time.{{sfn|Programmation culturelle}}

''[[Estuaire (biennale)|Estuaire]]'' contemporary-art exhibitions were held along the Loire estuary in 2007, 2009 and 2012.{{sfn|Estuaire}} They left several permanent works of art in Nantes and inspired the [[Voyage à Nantes]], a series of contemporary-art exhibitions across the city which has been held every summer since 2012. A route (a green line painted on the pavement) helps visitors make the ''voyage'' between the exhibitions and the city's major landmarks. Some works of art are permanent, and others are used for a summer.{{sfn|Voyage à Nantes}} Permanent sculptures include [[Daniel Buren]]'s ''Anneaux'' (a series of 18 rings along the Loire reminiscent of [[Atlantic slave trade]] shackles) and works by [[François Morellet]] and [[Dan Graham]].{{sfn|Dictionnaire de Nantes|2013|p=56}}

''[[La Folle Journée]]'' (''The Mad Day'', an alternate title of [[Pierre Beaumarchais]]' play ''[[The Marriage of Figaro (play)|The Marriage of Figaro]]'') is a [[classical music]] festival held each winter. The original one-day festival now lasts for five days. Its programme has a main theme (past themes have included exile, nature, Russia and [[Frédéric Chopin]]), mixing classics with lesser-known and -performed works. The concept has been exported to [[Bilbao]], [[Tokyo]] and [[Warsaw]], and the festival sold a record 154,000 tickets in 2015.{{sfn|Record de fréquentation|2015}} The September Rendez-vous de l'Erdre couples a jazz festival with a pleasure-boating show on the Erdre,{{sfn|Dictionnaire de Nantes|2013|p=422}} exposing the public to a musical genre considered elitist; all concerts are free. Annual attendance is about 150,000.{{sfn|Aurélien Tiercin|2016}} The [[Three Continents Festival]] is an annual film festival dedicated to [[Asia]], [[Africa]] and [[South America]], with a Mongolfière d'or (Golden Hot-air Balloon) awarded to the best film. Nantes also hosts ''Univerciné'' (festivals dedicated to films in [[English language|English]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Russian language|Russian]] and [[German language|German]]) and a smaller Spanish film festival. The [[Scopitone]] festival is dedicated to [[digital art]], and ''[[Utopiales]]'' is an international [[science fiction]] festival.{{sfn|Dictionnaire de Nantes|2013|p=423}}

=== Slavery Memorial ===
{{Main|Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery}}
A path along the [[Loire|Loire river]] banks, between the [[Anne of Brittany|Anne-de-Bretagne]] Bridge and the [[Victor Schœlcher|Victor-Schoelcher]] footbridge begins the Nantes slavery memorial. The path is covered in 2,000 spaced glass inserts, with 1,710 of them commemorating the names of slave ships and their port dates in Nantes. The other 290 inserts name ports in [[Africa]], the [[Americas]], and the area around the [[Indian Ocean]]. The path and surrounding 1.73-acre park lead to the under-the-docks part of the memorial which opens with a staircase, leading visitors underground closer to the water level of the river, which can be seen through the gaps between the support pillars. Upon entry, visitors are greeted with [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights|The Universal Declaration of Human Rights]] and the word "freedom" written in 47 different languages from areas affected by the slave trade. Other etchings of quotes by figures like [[Nelson Mandela]] and [[Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.]] appear on the slanted frosted glass wall which lined the memorial wall opposite the pillars which open to the river. These quotes come from across the globe, from all four continents affected by the slave trade, and span over five centuries, from the 17th to the 21st. At the end of the hall, toward the exit, is a room with the timeline of slavery as it became abolished in various countries around the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Discovery |url=http://memorial.nantes.fr/en/discovery/ |access-date=12 December 2018 |website=Mémorial de l'abolition de l'esclavage – Nantes |language=en-US}}</ref>

==={{anchor|Nantes in the arts}}In the arts===
[[File:JMW Turner - Nantes from the Ile Feydeau.jpg|thumb|alt=Watercolour painting of Nantes, with large buildings and many small boats|J. M. W. Turner's ''Nantes from the Ile Feydeau'' (1829–30)]]
Nantes has been described as the birthplace of [[surrealism]], since [[André Breton]] (leader of the movement) met [[Jacques Vaché]] there in 1916.{{sfn|Pétré-Grenouilleau|2008|p=200}} In ''[[Nadja (novel)|Nadja]]'' (1928), André Breton called Nantes "perhaps with Paris the only city in France where I have the impression that something worthwhile may happen to me".{{sfn|J. H. Matthews|1986|p=52}} Fellow surrealist [[Julien Gracq]] wrote ''[[The Shape of a City]]'', published in 1985, about the city. Nantes also inspired [[Stendhal]] (in his 1838 ''Mémoires d'un touriste''); [[Gustave Flaubert]] (in his 1881 ''Par les champs et par les grèves'', where he describes his journey through [[Brittany]]); [[Henry James]], in his 1884 ''[[A Little Tour in France]]''; [[André Pieyre de Mandiargues]] in ''Le Musée noir'' (1946), and [[Paul-Louis Rossi]] in ''Nantes'' (1987).{{sfn|Au fil des pages de "Nantes dans la littérature"}}

The city is the hometown of [[French New Wave]] film director [[Jacques Demy]]. Two of Demy's films were set and shot in Nantes: ''[[Lola (1961 film)|Lola]]'' (1964) and ''[[Une chambre en ville|A Room in Town]]'' (1982). The [[Passage Pommeraye]] appears briefly in ''[[The Umbrellas of Cherbourg]]''. Other films set (or filmed) in Nantes include ''[[God's Thunder]]'' by [[Denys de La Patellière]] (1965), ''[[The Married Couple of the Year Two]]'' by [[Jean-Paul Rappeneau]] (1971), ''[[Day Off (film)|Day Off]]'' by [[Pascal Thomas]] (2001) and ''[[Black Venus (2010 film)|Black Venus]]'' by [[Abdellatif Kechiche]] (2010). [[Jean-Luc Godard]]'s ''[[Keep Your Right Up]]'' was filmed at its airport in 1987.{{sfn|Dictionnaire de Nantes|2013|pp=238–239}}

Nantes appears in a number of songs, the best-known to non-French audiences being 2007's "Nantes" by the American band [[Beirut (band)|Beirut]]. French-language songs include "Nantes" by [[Barbara (singer)|Barbara]] (1964) and "Nantes" by [[Renan Luce]] (2009). The city is mentioned in about 50 folk songs, making it the most-sung-about city in France after [[Paris]]. "Dans les prisons de Nantes" is the most popular, with versions recorded by [[Édith Piaf]], [[Georges Brassens]], [[Tri Yann]] and [[Nolwenn Leroy]]. Other popular folk songs include "Le pont de Nantes" (recorded by [[Guy Béart]] in 1967 and [[Nana Mouskouri]] in 1978), "Jean-François de Nantes" (a [[sea shanty]]) and the bawdy "De Nantes à Montaigu".{{sfn|Dictionnaire de Nantes|2013|p=203}}

British painter [[J. M. W. Turner]] visited Nantes in 1826 as part of a journey in the Loire Valley, and later painted a watercolour view of Nantes from Feydeau Island. The painting was bought by the city in 1994, and is on exhibit at the Historical Museum in the castle.{{sfn|Sur les traces|2014}} An engraving of this work was published in The Keepsake annual for 1831, with an illustrative poem entitled {{ws|[[s:Poems of Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in The Keepsake, 1831/The Return|The Return]]}} by [[Letitia Elizabeth Landon]]. Turner also made two sketches of the city, which are in collections at [[Tate Britain]].{{sfn|Hervouët|2014}}

===Cuisine===
[[File:Affiche LU Bouisset.jpg|thumb|alt=LU advertisement, with a child eating a biscuit|1897 advertisement for the LU Petit-Beurre]]
During the 19th century Nantes-born [[gastronome]] [[Charles Monselet]] praised the "special character" of the local "plebeian" cuisine, which included [[buckwheat]] crepes, ''caillebotte'' [[fermented milk products|fermented milk]] and ''fouace'' [[brioche]].{{sfn|Qu'Est-Ce que la|2008}} The Nantes region is renowned in France for [[market garden]]s and is a major producer of [[valerianella locusta|corn salad]], [[leek]]s, [[radish]]es and [[carrot]]s.{{sfn|Cuisine et vin}} Nantes has a wine-growing region, the ''Vignoble nantais'', primarily south of the Loire. It is the largest producer of dry white wines in France, chiefly [[Muscadet]] and ''Gros Plant'' (usually served with fish, [[langoustine]]s and [[oyster]]s).{{sfn|Le terroir nantais}}

Local fishing ports such as [[La Turballe]] and [[Le Croisic]] mainly offer [[shrimp]] and [[sardine]]s, and [[eel]]s, [[lamprey]]s, [[zander]] and [[northern pike]] are caught in the Loire.{{sfn|Qu'Est-Ce que la|2008}} Local vegetables and fish are widely available in the city's eighteen markets, including the Talensac covered market (Nantes's largest and best known). Although local restaurants tend to serve simple dishes made with fresh local products, exotic trends have influenced many chefs in recent years.{{sfn|Qu'Est-Ce que la|2008}}

''[[Beurre blanc]]'' is Nantes's most-famous local specialty. Made with Muscadet, it was invented around 1900 in [[Saint-Julien-de-Concelles]] (on the south bank of the Loire) and has become a popular accompaniment for fish.{{sfn|Qu'Est-Ce que la|2008}} Other specialties are the LU and BN biscuits, including the [[Petit-Beurre]] (produced since 1886), ''{{ill|berlingot|fr|Berlingot nantais}}'' (sweets made with flavoured melted sugar) and similar ''{{ill|rigolette|fr}}'' sweets with marmalade filling, ''[[gâteau nantais]]'' (a [[rum]] cake invented in 1820), ''{{ill|Curé nantais|fr|Le Curé Nantais}}'' and ''Mâchecoulais'' cheeses and ''[[fouace]]'', a star-shaped brioche served with new wine in autumn.{{sfn|Cuisine et vin}}