Ink worth its weight in gold.

Building on the success of the "Cartooning for Peace" foundation, the Caen memorial will be displaying a selection of works dealing with this powerful, universal theme. Cartoonists, illustrators and professionals in graphic arts were called upon to produce a number of works to explore the theme.

Organised for the first time in October 2006 at the UN headquarters, the event draws artists and illustrators from throughout the world to take part in an artistic melting pot unlike any other…

A year of special events and activities.

In 1860 the seaside resort of Deauville was born. To celebrate its 150th birthday this town in Normandy will host all kinds of events all throughout the year. With concerts, trade fairs, fêtes, theatre and dance, sporting events and so on there is plenty for everyone.
Special highlights include the New Year festivities, the Asian film festival, the Omnivore food festival, the festival of American cinema, and guided tours of interesting places in town.

Nantes, a modern, contemporary city.

From industrial architecture like the Batignolles plant or the famous Lefèvre-Utile (LU) factory, now home to the Nantes national theatre, from religious buildings like the parish church of Sainte-Thérèse, from modern housing or offices (Le Corbusier's Delamarre building) to post-war reconstruction, from Art Nouveau (villa Jeannette) to Art Déco (CGA building), Nantes is chock-full of an exciting urban contemporary architectural heritage most of which was built during the "Trente Glorieuses", the heady years of post-war expansion from 1945 to 1975.

Consecrated to Saint Brigit.

Built in the 12th century and modified in the 16th, the Perquet chapel is consecrated to Saint Brigitte. The saint is represented next to Saint Laurent, the second patron saint of the chapel, in the calvary, which was restored in 1989.

The chapel has a beautiful collection of statues and alter. A large collection of high-quality restored stained glass windows allows coloured light into the chapel.

Granite and Baroque.

The church of Saint-Raymond, which is built completely from granite, the archetypal Breton stone, was built between the 15th and 18th century.
Although its consecrated name refers to cardinal Raymond Nonnat, it is also a reference to the Patron Saint of Audierne, saint Rumon. Before entering the building, admire the high Baroque style steeple. It was built in 1631. Several areas of the church are covered in sculptures of boats.

Visit the Château de Quintin and its permanent collections.

Two chateaux for the price of one in the same park, in the centre of the characterful town of Quintin. An unfinished 17th century chateau, listed as an historic monument, and an 18th century chateau, also listed.
The base of the 17th century chateau, the richly furnished apartments of the 18th century chateau, the former kitchens (including a granite kitchen-garden of extraordinary size), the permanent collections of china, glassware, silverware, trinkets, christening robes and fans are open all year round.

Images of five continents.

Discover over 1,200 animals, 120 species from 5 continents, surrounded by luxuriant vegetation in one of the top five zoos in France, famous for its fantastic shows featuring sea-lions, birds of prey and parrots.
Stunning presentations in natural settings await you during your visit: an underwater view of a polar bear, tiny Chinese pandas, an African savannah for the elephants, a pack of Arctic wolves unique in Europe.
The zoo also offers exciting new habitats such as the Argentine pampas, the Australian bush, the taiga where the Siberian tiger roams, or the miniature Malagasy farm.

Museum and laboratory.

The Marinarium in Concarneau is a laboratory museum, exhibiting the work of researchers in the fields of marine life, the environment and marine resources.
The marinarium is housed in the world's oldest marine research station, built in 1859, which still features the original vivariums. The exhibition now on display recounts the scientific adventure of exploring the world of the sea: the first experiments in marine aquaculture, the identification of the many organisms that make up plankton, the discovery of potentially therapeutic compounds or new species of fish. The oceans cover two thirds of the total surface area of the Earth. Estimates suggest that the diversity of life forms in this ocean world is between 1,000 to 10,000 times greater than on land!

Free artwork on the roadside.

This statue, signed Vincent Treu, was commissioned in 2005 as part of a large-scale landscaping project in the city. It is an original piece set up at the centre of the Bocage roundabout, designed on the spot. It is a contemporary piece made from stainless steel tubes reaching skywards. The central themes are space and how we live in relation to it.

Perculiar architecture.

Formerly owned by the Derval family, the Kergoz Manor is an expansive lordly manor; today it is owned by the local municipality.

One of the assets of this structure is the pigeon house, dated to the 16th century, which is a listed Historic Monument. It was raised above the porch leading to the main entrance, a stunning part of the edifice flanked by two crenulated towers and dotted with Renaissance style windows.

Unrivalled in Europe.

Since 1921, the church of Saint-Laurent (15th and 16th century) has housed a collection of wrought ironwork that was and is a reference of its kind in Europe.
Its donor Henri Le Secq des Tournelles made over to the city of Rouen the first methodical collection of ironwork, begun in 1862 by his father Jean-Louis Le Secq Destournelles (1818-1882).

The latter, a member of the Mission Héliographique mounted by Prosper Mérimée to take photographs of outstanding monuments on behalf of the French Monuments Historiques department, was at once a practical, hands-on man, a painter and an art-lover. His was the original idea of taking an interest in hitherto overlooked objects: he began acquiring, from demolition sites as well as on the art market, every article of outstanding ironwork that he could find, with the exception of arms and armour, which others were already collecting.

Delicate architecture.

With its high steeple and a fine, elegant spire, the Notre-Dame-d'Izel-Vor church is the gem of the town of La Forêt-Fouesnant.

Since 1914, it has been listed as a Historic Monument and was built in granite in the 16th century. Close to the church, the 15th calvary where some sermons were held still stands. Inside, the church shelters many beautiful liturgical object.

Changing over the centuries.

Attractive in its austerity, the castle of Carrouges is a distillation of history from the 14th to the 20th century. Initially a fortress that came under siege by the Plantagenets, it was rebuilt during the Hundred Years War (keep), extended in the 15th century (Blosset wing), ornamented during the Renaissance (Cardinal Le Veneur's pavilion) and fortified yet again during the Wars of Religion (western bastion). In the 16th century, it became a magnificent residence (suite of spacious apartments) and was redesigned under the Enlightenment (music room).
The former canonry, founded by Louis XI, is now the headquarters for the Parc Naturel Régional Normandie-Maine.

A very recent heritage.

After visiting the church of Saint-Thomas, built in the 13th century, do not miss the opportunity to discover the more modern architecture of Notre-Dame-de-la-Mer church
. The town of Bénodet has a surprising religious heritage with this building from the 1960s which was inaugurated in 1968. Shaped as a rectangle, the church is topped with a large sloped roof and numerous abstract stained glass windows.

From the Middle Ages to the present.

Started in the 12th century and finished only in the 19th, the Saint-Vincent cathedral in Saint-Malo is a patchwork of styles from the different construction periods.
When you step into the building, you will first see a Romanesque nave, which takes you into a Gothic style choir with large windows through which light pours in.

The North transept was enlarged in the 16th century and the South chapel and facade date back to the 18th century. Finally, the spire, which was destroyed during the Second World War, was rebuilt in 1987.

In prehistoric times.

Built around 3500 BC, the la Joselière dolmen therefore belongs to the middle neolithic.
The la Joselière dolmen was a funeral monument and forms a square mount. Measuring over 12 metres long, the monument is in a relatively good condition. It is made up of a megalithic tomb and four side chambers.

A proud casino.

In 1912, the duke of Morny, who founded the seaside resort of Deauville in the 1860s, entrusted Eugène Cornuché, the director of the resort, and Mr Le Hoc, owner of the Trouville casino with the construction of a new casino in order to liven up the sea front.

The building was inaugurated on 11 July 1912 in front of 1 500 guests.
In 1975, the first Festival of American Film, held in the cinema and the reception rooms of the Deauville Casino Barrière.
In 2007, the Casino's game rooms were extended and the O² Sofa Bar opened.

Remodelled over the centuries.

The church of La Trinité was built in 1070 and much remodelled over the centuries.
Its architecture is distinctly mixed, and a visit reveals the different phases of its successive transformations and the splendour of its furnishings.

Under the sun.

Cap-Coz, not far from the Fouesnant Forest, is a fine sandy beach at the tip of the bay. Often crowded with families and groups of friends, the beach offers a variety of things to do including a variety of nautical activities. Whether you want to relax or really let loose and get fit, this is the perfect place. By walking all the way up the beach and following a little trail, you will reach a small rocky island from which the view is simply exceptional.

Inspired by a learned Scotsman.

The museum's earliest collections are owed to a learned Scotsman by the name of James Miln.
The furniture and the archaeological treasures discovered at Carnac are for the most part presented in the Musée de la Préhistoire.
Visitors will follow the adventures of mankind from the Old Stone Age (450,000 years ago) to the Gallo-Roman period (4th century B.C.), by way of the Neolithic period when the megaliths were erected. A total of 6,600 exhibits are on display.

Land Ahoy!

The famed Port du Crouesty is quite literally the largest marina in Brittany, an expansive complex made up of different basins and countless docks.

Situated at the tip of the Rhuys peninsula, the Crouesty harbour is a favoured destination for leisure-sailors and boasts some of the most modern infrastructure available.

Home to King René.

Don't be overawed by the apparent austerity of this schist and limestone fortress with its 17 towers, built by a young Saint Louis on the frontiers of his kingdom in the 13th century.
Cross the drawbridge and enter the castle to discover the agreeable residence of the Dukes of Anjou, consisting of late Gothic buildings and gardens.

There are other wonders to be seen, including the extraordinary Tenture de l'Apocalypse, the largest surviving mediaeval tapestry (104 metres), the famous "mille-fleurs" tapestries or the tapestry of the Passion...

Get the taste of Angers!

At the very heart of the Val de Loire, the vineyards of Anjou and Saumur make up the third biggest wine-growing region of France. Their wide variety of soils and selected grape varietals, specially chosen for the mild climate of Anjou, produce a great diversity of wines.
With 28 Appellations d'Origine Contrôlée, the vineyards of Anjou and Saumur offer a full range of wines, both in colour and in flavour.
Nor are the Angevins short of ideas on how to present their regional specialities and local fare to best advantage: rillauds (small chunks of belly pork cooked in their own fat), sander in a beurre blanc sauce accompanied by a Savennières white wine, blue chocolates known as quernons d'Ardoises, or greengage pie and desserts flavoured with Cointreau. Choose your menu!
Every week, in every quarter of Angers, B>discover the fresh produce, love of fine food and wine, tradition and savoir-faire offered by professionals, artisans, producers and farmers..

If wishes were horses…

Do you like nature? If you have always dreamed of learning to ride in idyllic natural surroundings, then Barbara and her horses will not disappoint. From complete beginners to experienced riders, from a walk on a lead rope to a challenging flatwork class, Barbara offers a friendly approach to riding.

The everyday lives of sailors.

The Sailors' hostel of Le Guilvinec was built in 1910 on the initiative of Jacques de Thézac.
It was the first shelter of its kind, and fifteen others were built along the Breton coast afterwards. The Sailors' hostel welcomed sailors during the long winter months and organised many activities. It now houses the town's library. The original furniture, paintings and photographs remind us of this place's history.

Gothic inspiration.

Built from 1860, Saint-Nicolas church was only finished in 1896. However, mass was celebrated here from 1864.
This church was built to replace another 17th century place of worship where the Halles are now located. The neo-gothic Saint-Nicolas church in Pouliguen shelters a rich religious heritage. Inside, admire the 19th century stained glass windows and the works of contemporary artist Jean Fréour.

The church that has replaced the castle.

The Saint-Hilaire church is said to have been built on the ruins of the Olonnes castle, which lent its name to the town, although no trace of this building remains.
In addition, no documents allow us to date the building of this church, which was considerably modified during the 18th century. The church was damaged during the French Revolution and was once again restored in the 19th century.