The King's armada puts on a show.

On July 4th 2008, ships from the seven seas will be weighing anchor in the Seine estuary. From there, they then travel upriver to attend the largest nautical gathering in the world.

Legendary sailboats but also a number of training ships will pass beneath the largest vertical lift bridge on the planet: the Gustave Flaubert bridge, which is the new gateway for Rouen's Armada.

Throughout this event you can discover cutting-edge sailing craft and traditional ships at the docks in Rouen's port - of course there will be activities, performances and even a firework display!

The church is alive with the sound of music.

Church concerts give people the opportunity to experience moving music, but also to appreciate the cultural and architectural value of these religious monuments.

Take the time to enjoy some fine classical music in a venue with unique acoustics and a perfect setting for such grandiose performances.

Going once, going twice, and SOLD!

Passionate collectors and other curious persons, lend me your ears: a grand auction for furniture, artwork and paintings is is scheduled to take place at the Artcurial in Deauville.

Items on auction will be showcased before bidding starts. This auction will be a great opportunity to find that original decorative piece that you've been hunting for all these years…

Today and tomorrow in Breton music.

The Kann al Loar festival has become a Breton institution. Once again this year this event will be focused on revealing the handful of performers who make up the past and future of this unique musical culture.

The festival is not afraid to cross the genre border and you can expect to hear a range of styles (rock, jazz, electro…) blended with the distinct sounds of Breton music.

Art, Music and Fun!

Once again this year the [F]Estivales is back. The now-famous "café de l'été" (or "summer café"), which has been going for 19 years, is a series of free concerts every Thursday and Friday (July 3rd to August 15th) on the lush lawn of the town hall's garden.

Another great event, the "terrasses Nap" (or "Nap terraces", short for Napoleon): 7 concerts by talented local performers, completely free of charge, taking place every Friday (July 11th to August 22nd) on the place Napoléon.

That's already quite a programme, but there's more: theatre, exhibitions, open-air dancing balls, outdoor movie projections, a fireworks display, guided tours… The [F]Estivales isn't just an event, its a whole season of art, music and fun!

Street art and music in the streets.

For this 15th edition, "La Déferlante" Festival takes over 8 major towns of the Atlantic coast: Saint-Brévin-les-Pins, Barbâtre, Notre-Dame-de-Monts, Saint-Jean-de-Monts, Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, Les Sables d’Olonne, and La Tranche-sur-Mer.

Enjoy an intense, rich festival program which swings from street performances to concerts. Everyone will find something that tickles their fancy.

See the city in a different light.

UNESCO was quick to honour the architectural splendour of Le Havre, thanks in particular to two emblematic edifices. Designed by two masterful 20th-century architects, namely Auguste Perret and Oscar Niemeyer, they will for this event become a giant stage to host a performance signed by the famed team of scenographers known as Skertzo.

The Hôtel de Ville boasts a 92-metre facade and a 72-metre tower that defy the imagination - both of these will become a canvas for a 1950's-inspired show, while the gentle, harmonious curves of the "Volcano" will become a gateway into a dreamlike wonderland.

Transformations, video projections, sound effects, musical interludes, optical illusions and wordplay… With these tools, Skertzo transcends our perception of architecture and puts the city's "history in the spotlight" (or patrimoine en lumière).

For locals, this performance will be like a fresh coat of paint over their familiar city, while for visitors it will be a unique vision of a place which is world-renowned for its unique, ultramodern architecture.

The Nautilus awaits you.

In tune with the transportation revolution of his time, SF pioneer Jules Verne was obsessed with vehicles and motion. In his mindscapes, sailboats, trains and steamers of the real world cohabited with imaginary vehicles.
Courtesy of Jean-Marc Deschamps, these vehicles have been brought to life through perfect scale-models based on the information in the novels. A unique experience to discover the Nautilus and other fantastic craft…

Photo-ethnography…

This exhibition of forty large-scale black and white photographs, introduced by Pierre de Vallombreuse, appears a moving homage to the Gwitchin, a community of Native Alaskans that has to fight for survival every day.

This exhibition is a part of Vallombreuse's overriding photo project entitled "Hommes Racine" (or "Root Men"). This massive undertaking represents 5 years of exploration and dialogue; 12 indigenous peoples, 12 completely different environments - 12 examples of how climate change can affect human lives.

The "Hommes Racine" project is a photographic journey, an awakening. It aims to depict the intimate connection between man and his environment and in doing so promotes a sustainable vision of humanity, where nature is protected in the name of human life.

Sing and dance like the professionals…

The Festival musique et danse en Pays de Falaise is a unique concept quite unlike any other festival. It is in fact a series of concert/performance workshops. The background for this event is a boarding school, and participants can sing, dance, play sports…

It will be a one-of-a-kind experience.

The days of William the Conqueror.

Bayeux adorns its finest attire for a trip back in time into the heart of the Middle Ages. The historic town centre will be alive with festivities thanks to jesters, jugglers and troubadours, kings, knights and old-style artisans… Enjoy this 2-day escape from modernity.

A Medieval marketplace, street performances, a book fair, a medieval dancing ball, and a costume parade… Feast and indulge like the kings of yore!

The people of Bayeux will for two whole days flock to the centre near the ancient cathedral in an almost completely preserved historical quarter, while troubadours and bufoons spread laughter and cheer throughout the crowds.

Every year, over 40 000 visitors climb into this time machine called Carcassonne and return two days later, bellies filled and a smile on their lips.

A story to commemorate the fallen.

This expo will be telling a story. The story of the World Trade Center, of the attack on September 11th 2001, of the firemen and rescue workers and construction workers, of the police force and hospital workers, of the 2 700 people who lost their lives, and finally of the response that these events brought about…

These powerful themes are the subject of this exhibition comprised of personal objects, pictures, films, testimonies and remains found amidst a mountain of rubble. The tale of rescue operations will be told through various things… Things that we all use in everyday life, objects, fragments, debris, a crooked steering wheel, a souvenir…

And in the darkness you shall see!

The abbey perched atop the Mont Saint-Michel is open non-stop from 9AM to 11:30PM. From 7PM onwards, when the twilight creeps across the mythical Mont Saint-Michel bay, the abbey organises nocturnal guided tours. The visitor can thus discover unique architecture thanks to subtle, delicate lighting, and in this treasure-trove of history he is confronted with his own modernity.

This new take on one of France's most visited monument is definitely worthwhile, the twilight and soft lighting emphasising the pure, minimalistic character of these age-old stones.

Non-neutral, no-nonsense virtuosos.

This quartet took its definite shape in 2000 in the Berne conservatory. Working with Walter Levin and the Musik Akademie of the Basel Conservatory, this group of musicians has grown into a full-scale, talented ensemble over the years.
The Amaryllis quartet has been in the spotlight since 2002 and has proved its mastery of a challenging Baroque repertoire: Charpentier, Campra, Brossard, Lorenzani, Rossi…

The magical curiosity of a child.

The cause for this event: a place. The book-lined walls of Château-Gaillard, a place filled with mysteriously locked cupboards, bring to mind a society of intellectuals and their obsessive collections - that was more than enough to convince Jean-Luc Parant to recreate his own personal collection of curious things…
His fake-libraries are home to strange books, crafted from wax, with words rolled up into little balls, and writing tablets covered with embossed symbols that one longs to touch… The curious aspect of this collection echoes the obscure 19th century "savant" journals that sit along side it.

Jean-Luc Parant is a curious man. He has been worrying clay since the 70's when he decided that, with this primal, eternal element, he could conquer the world. The erudite scholars of history share with Parant that ambition to embrace the universe as a whole, to collect treasures. Unusual animals, or the perfect shape of an egg - worth their weight in gold, Parant recreates them himself, crafting clay to trick the eye. Deep down, Jean-Luc Parant has that elusive trait of character that once killed the colloquial cat..

Electronica fever.

The Bar in the Bénodet Casino will come alive every night this summer with a live DJ mix to rock the night away…

Expect a different DJ taking over the turntables every week for a great night of fun among friends. Practise your steps because on Saturday Night at the Bénodet Casino there will be an epidemic of electronica fever!

A blend of Brittany.

This forty-person dance ensemble is one of the oldest in Brittany. The performance will be accompanied by a Breton orchestra (with all the traditional instruments such as the bombard or biniou-coz…) playing a blend of old-style Breton tunes with some modern sounds (harp, violins).

Italian-style dinner and show.

Clisson will be dancing to the beat of Italian culture for this great festival.

Les Italiennes Festival in Clisson is definitely the-place-to-be this summer, taking place in one of the town's most beautiful "Italian" sites: the Garenne Valentin, a renovated convent. Other historic sites in Clisson will also be overrun by performers and eager audience members. The two main themes will be dance and photography, all drenched in a delicious Italian sauce!

Let the race begin!

On July 1st 1903, Géo Lefèvre and Henri Desgrange, a journalist and director of L'Auto, decided to organise the first ever Tour de France. Starting in the town of Montgeron, 60 cyclists took to the streets for a 2 500km circuit travelling the entire country and broken into six stages. The first celebrities appeared thereafter: Pélissier, Pottier, Vietto, Magne, Petit-Breton, Leducq; followed in later years by the greats, the heros who went down in history: Poulidor, Anquetil, Bobet and Coppi. The Tour is the country's emblematic major summer sporting event, a scenic race passing through the country's many tourist hotspots. The Tour de France is back once again!

The Tour de France is the subject of huge, riotous and highly popular festivities in every town left in its wake, offering fun and excitement for all the family as these athletes rush through beautiful scenic areas, driven by the will to win at least one stage… Step by step, the scores begin adding up.

After almost a month of hard riding on the French roads, the traditional arrival on the Champs-Elysées is the final flourish of the competition.

Whether watching television at home or lined up along the roads, Tour supporters are there to cheer and give courage to these exceptional athletes..

Ze festival for zeatrical arts.

This 7th edition of Z'estivales boasts an eclectic program chock-a-block full of events, in particular street performances and theatre arts.

Regional, National and International companies - over 50 troupes of professional performers - will be lined up for seven whole weekends from June 28th to August 10th 2008.

This amounts to over a hundred performances over the festival, with at least 20 by amateur troupes, the "Off" performances, will be taking place on their own stage (called the zizanie or "madness" stage).

Representations will this year be facing the horizon, with 5 stages set up on the seafront. Other stages will be set up in important locations: the Saint-Roch square, the Théâtre de l'hôtel de ville, the courtyard of the Malleraye school, the town's pedestrian zone, the forecourt of the town hall, the harbour

The program includes a number of plays, classical and modern music, circus arts, puppet shows, and much more…

A hidden gem.

Charles Frechon is one of the landmark painters of 19th and early 20th-century art scene in Rouen. Unfortunately, his was what one could call a regional reputation.

When he exhibited his work, the highly-conservative art world in Rouen would scoff and lift their noses… And yet today, paradoxically, he has become an emblematic figure associated with "the country"; he is the salt of the earth on the French artistic landscape.

This retrospective exhibition will be an opportunity to consider this artist's career in depth, and from there to understand how this hidden gem was at the forefront of the "school of Rouen", one of the more unexpected fruits of the impressionist movement.

May the best art win!

The Journée des peintres dans la rue is in fact an art competition open to amateurs and professionals alike (adults only). From 10AM, artists will be free to set up their easels in the streets of Coutances (within a predefined sector) and paint the monument or landscape of their choice.

The award ceremony will take place in the early evening at 5:30PM on the Saint-Nicholas square.

Let yourself be spirited away…

France and Japan have at least one thing in common: a passion for cartoons, comics and animation. The art of animation has become a major and respected form of expression in which realism and fantasy touch upon each other in ever-evolving alternate realities.

Three great names stand out on the animation landscape: Paul Grimault, Takahata Isao and Miyazaki Hayao. These artists, from completely different parts of the world, are nevertheless connected at a higher level and speak the same artistic language. The curator for this expo, Jean-Pierre Pagliano, is an expert critic of Paul Grimault's art and is also familiar with Japanese animation and cinema.

This unique exhibition will be a journey into parallel universes, those of Grimault's Le Roi et l'Oiseau ("The King and the Mockingbird"),Takahata's Pompoko and Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke. To complement the exhibits there will be a full programme of workshops, discussions and outdoor film screenings in the Abbey gardens.

Divine music, sacred sites…

This new edition of the Lyrique en mer festival is respecting traditions by providing some of the best lyrical music to an ever-widening audience. Operas, church music and concerts will be taking place in historic sites: the Vauban citadel, the Ouvrage de Beausoleil, the Fouquet château and the Belle-Ile church…

Open your ears!

Some of the most beautiful homes of Coutances Country will open their doors to the public for a series of exceptional concerts. These convivial evenings will close with a cocktail. Each soirée will begin with a tour of the property with a licensed tour-guide.

This 5th edition of the Musique a Demeure will be a window into the architectural riches of the Coutances area. Furthermore, it will be an opportunity for locals and visitors, young and old, to experience a range of quality music at very affordable prices.

Inside the coffers of France's cathedrals.

Just a mention of the word "treasure" will set off an cascade of jewels and gold coins in our imaginations, all the more fascinating because they are inaccessible. The treasures of the clergy are all these things at once, with mostly precious objects from the Christian liturgy, such as chalices, patens, ciboriums and vases, but also ecclesiastic garments and manuscripts.
A few other items may be of interest, such as royal emblems and unusual objects, but it is relics of the saints - which drove myriad believers to attempt pilgrimage - which are the heart of this treasure.

These objects were kindly lent by the Vannes Cathedral, the churches of the Morbihan region and the Vanne Museum's collections.

Fire and thunder in the night sky.

Your local commune is organising a fantastic fireworks display to celebrate Bastille Day! This shower of colour and thunder will be an amazing experience and will literally light up your night. Young and old will be in awe of the technical abilities of these pyrotechnic artists. Expect a thrilling show.

The Dark Side of Authouart.

Discover the complete collection of Daniel Authouart's "dark period" (période noire).

This series of paintings was produced in Le Havre in the 70s and is marked by a distinct sense of tragedy, even of violence. They provided the foundations to build his current style of artwork.

This collection as a whole will be displayed on the day of the vernissage. The exhibition will be added-to over the months, progressively shifting from Authouart's darker style to his more recent works.

Pragmatic art.

Wolfgang Winter et Berthold Hörbelt have been an "artistic duet" since 1992.

They work mostly with resine, plastic and metallic materials and their sculptures are often created with industrial processes in mind. It is in this way that the Winter-Hörbelt team made a name for itself with Crate Houses, architectural projects that were inspired by the aesthetic and structural properties of plastic crates made from recycled bottles.

These artists are ever-concerned with the notion of breathing new life into public spaces. Subsequently their projects, both indoor and outdoor, represent an effort in aesthetic improvement and practicality from a social point of view. Usage and pragmatism are central to their artistic ambitions, which is why we see their works taking the shape of purely functional complexes: bus stops, newspaper kiosks or movie theatres…

The Winter-Hörbelt creations represent an invitation to experience and question the dual concept of inside/outside.

The beat goes on!

The Angers d'été festival will have the Toussaint Abbey Cloister invaded by a horde of talented, prestigious and highly entertaining performers!

The team of organisers (from the local council) are attempting to turn the long, warm summer evenings into a series of fantastic musical experiences. Additionally, the Jazz Pour Tous association ("Jazz for All") has also been working hard to bring you literally itinerant jazz performances. The "Jazzambar" and the "Summer Jazz Workshops" are a series of vagabonding concerts and workshops meant to break the elitist mould associated with this jazz music in general.

Fresh and mature all at once.

Lizz Wright has a warm, rich voice full of soul and swing. Her act has the freshness of youth and the maturity of experience - her gospel and rythm'n'blues training was a solid foundation for her career and now, when it come to jazz, Lizz Wright truly sings her heart out.

Salt, her first album, combined her own compositions with works signed by some of the big names of contemporary jazz. After Dreaming Wide Awake in 2005, she is back with a brand new 2008 opus: The Orchard.

Art and the business world.

Cultural life in Rennes will have an additional artistic event to give the city a greater cultural presence than it already has. May 2008 will be the birth date of the very first edition of the Rennes Workshops: Valeures Croisées (or Crossed Values) - this contemporary art event will be centred on the relationship between art and the business world.
Numerous pieces will be exhibited: some specially created for the event by artists in Breton companies and some from public and private collections.
Altogether, over 60 French and international artists will be pesenting their artwork in seven artistically-significant locations throughout the city, including the Jacobean Convent.

Artistic homage.

The "Appartement témoin Perret" is a museum in Le Havre dedicated to the work and life of architect and interior designed Auguste Perret, the mind that practically redesigned the city in the post-war era. Plastic artist Pascal Monteil decided to honour Perret's aesthetic ideal by creating a photographic exhibition based on The Human Voice, a one-act opera by Jean Cocteau. This photographic diptych will give a sense of drama and depth to this fascinating museum-apartment.

The man who spoke vocalese…

After a rather timid beginning in the 70s, Al Jarreau suddenly exploded onto the music scene with his hit song "We're in this love together" from his highly-successful 1981 album Breakin' Away.

Jarreau is an eclectic musician, having won prestigious awards for both Jazz and R'n'B music. He took a great deal of inspiration from the famed trio of vocalists, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross whose achievement was to adapt instrumentals into vocals, mastering the style now known as "vocalese".

Yet it really is on the stage, as seen during his countless performances at the Montreux festival, that Al Jarreau truly distinguishes himself.

The once and future king.

This first ever exhibition dedicated to the legend of King Arthur aims to retrace, understand and explain the mythology related to Arthur. This event boasts the prestigious "Exposition d'intérêt national" label (or "exhibition of interest to the nation") which is granted by the ministry of culture.

This legend is one if not the most important literary and artistic theme in European culture, and it has always been a highly-popular story. The Champs Libre exhibition aims to reveal the actual King arthur, the keystone of a veritable literary institution that blends magic, war and love… Aside the actual historical fact, this expo refers to old sources as much as contemporary adaptations, in order to better understand the birth of an almost universal legend.

Over 200 works linked to the myth will be on display, along with a number of historical and iconographical documents.

Digging into the past

For 20 years now, archeological research has been taking place at Mez Notario, located at the center of the Isle of Ouessant. The site and the dig have been managed by Jean-Paul Le Bihan, director of the Finistère Center for Archeological Research (CRAF), which called upon 400 professional and civilian diggers to help bring to light some amazing finds about the origins of Ouessant.

The Armoric Regional Natural Park and the CRAF have organized an exhibit which retraces the history of the digs at Mez Notario to be presented at the Museum of "Phares and Balises." Numerous objects plus articles from the planning stages and several models will be on display. Visitors will be able to easily reconstruct the history of this fascinating island with the materials to be presented. A project that took 20 years to bring to the surface!

Down in the crushing depths where man has no place…

A new attraction is available for visitors of the Cité de la Mer. From February 2nd, you can enjoy this fantastic experience thanks to cutting-edge 3D-animation and simulator technology: discover the abyss from the point of view of a submarine surrounded by deep-sea creatures!

From there you can enjoy an hour-long virtual tour… Open your eyes and admire the riches of Neptune's Kingdom!

Bon voyage!

Expect an intense, joyous experience as this ensemble takes you on a journey across the steppes of Caucasus and into the heart of Georgian culture.
This performance will be an opportunity to discover a unique and fascinating cultural legacy thanks to a talented team of 60 singing and dancing performers. This unforgettable event will be a feast for the eyes, the ears, and the soul…

Blown on an easterly wind.

The Orientales festival is a chance to explore completely different lifestyles and mentalities and develop a different perception.

Through a variety of artforms, this festival brings out a rich, intense emotional response, thanks to a program which features contemporary gamelan from Sunda, fakirs of the Mekong region, the mystical lamentations of Afghan sufis and some Kurdish epic poetry.

Unsurprisingly, this rare event attracts large crowds who are drawn to the exoticism and strangeness of these art forms and performances. Oriental music thus travels from the banks of the Loire to Saint-Florent-le-Vieill, carried by a festive air.

With concerts, an oriental cafe, exhibitions and dances, you simply won't believe your senses...

A journey into the past.

Once a month, the "Map of Rome - Ancient sources and Multimedia Technologies" team of researchers and computer-specialists give visitors a glimpes of Antiquity thanks to a highly-detailed 3D model of Ancient Rome. This cyber-world was created using the 70m² plaster scale-model designed and put together by architect Paul Bigot at the beginning of the 20th century.

When you feel like browsing and bargaining…

Looking for a collector's item, a pair of vintage shoes or a first edition by one of your favorite authors? The flea market, whether open to professionals (like the 3 markets in the Parisian area) or just to individual vendors, is the place to go if you're looking for diamonds in the rough!

Furniture, textiles, decoration, tools, toys, works of art, kitch items or high design, antiques or new objects at low cost, this market offers a great variety of goods…just make sure you have the time to find them!

A riot of colour.

Firework shows will be igniting the heavens throughout the summer… Young and old will stand side by side, gazing up in wonder at the eruption of colours, their noses tickled by the familiar scent of gunpowder.

Lit up in a thousand hues, the Tour de Vauban will be an even more beautiful sight than it is in daylight. This sentinel tower, one of five identical structures in the Manche county, was designed by military genius Vauban to protect the coastal areas of Normandy.

Printing art the old-school way.

Denise Delouche is the kind of professor who goes out into the field to make better sense of her subject, namely artists, painters in particular, in Brittany in the 19th century. It is in this manner that she began to research a particular artform: the art print (engraving, embossment and other techniques).

A very common variation of the traditional painted canvas, the art print appears as a highly interesting and revealing practise. Delouche asked herself the following questions: "what does this art form tell us about Brittany and 19th-century Bretons? Who would buy art prints? And how did they affect tourism and travels?"

Skimming wave-tops and riding Aeolus…

For the fifth consecutive year, the La Tranche Raid is back - this thrilling event will have participants racing from La Tranche-sur-Mer to the Isle of Ré and back barely touching the water's surface. Over the years, this promotional sport event has become increasingly popular among the kite-surf community, and remains a truly spectacular experience for the public.

Got your hiking boots on?

July 20th 2008, in Bacqueville-en-Caux - hikers should be ready for this exceptional sport event. For this 5th edition, participants will be hiking along two 10-kilometre circuits throughout the region.

You can sign up for this event in the tourism offices in Quiberville, Saâne and Vienne.

3 brothers, 3 instruments, 1 language: music.

Expect a vibrant, intense musical experience, with compositions forever rewritten thanks to near-perfect teamwork and innate improvisational skills…

Wissam Joubran made the band's instruments with his own hands, three "ouds" (an round, short kind of guitar) which form the words, the notes, with which they communicate on stage, wordlessly, with a knowing half-smile on their lips.

When the three brothers play together and reach those rare but furious peaks of musical intensity, the listener cannot help but fall into a dreamlike state.

This trio's adventures began with Samir, who managed to rise from a local performer in the Arabic world to a musician of international repute. In 2002, Samir brought his brother Wissam on stage and together they made magic; the duet performed over a hundred concerts in 2003-2004, to the delight of an ever-growing fan base.

The third brother in the family, Adnan, made the duet a trio in 2004, and in 2005 Samir even began his own record label in Palestine, "Randana". This allowed the production of their first album and opened a gateway for Palestinian music to reach the world.

This is the first Palestinian label to be distributed in France.

Gorillas in today's world.

The Museum of Natural History in Nantes, working together with the Rennes Espace des sciences and the Palais de la découverte, is organising an expo dedicated to the king of primates, the elusive, mysterious gorilla.

This animal, born out of the African forest, is an important symbol for many faiths and religious systems. The exhibition will be broken into two sections, both of which attempt to reveal the true nature of these fascinating creatures.

Five themes underpin this event: "Brute or BFG (Big Friendly Giant)?"; "Gorilla and man, a common heritage"; "Gorillas and the tropical forest"; "Watching Gorillas"; and finally "Gorillas in Danger".

This last theme will be a stepping stone onto the next section of the exhibition which aims to discuss what is affecting the life and habitat of the gorilla and what the future holds for this awe-inspiring animal.

For the love of Rock.

The Terre Neuvas Festival in Bobital will once again this year be bringing you the best of rock music.

Bretons are indeed known for their festive spirit and they will be living up to this reputation throughout the whole of July… Some star performers (Travis, Sex Pistols, Hushpuppies, etc.) will be there to rock your socks off in Bobital.

Art and artistry.

This event will allow you to experience art and crafts in all shapes and sizes, all colours and styles…

Every kind of skill and every form of creation has a place here, whether on wood, canvas or metal; whether woven, carved or sewn; whether baked, assembled, chiselled, painted, brushed, moulded…

The foundations of a city…

The Thomas Dobrée Archeological Museum in Nantes will for the duration of this exhibition become a gateway allowing you to travel back in time. Discover the history of Nantes and the region, from prehistory to the year one thousand.

From the apparition of humans to the first settlement, witness the birth and evolution of a city.