PIAZZA DELLA REPUBBLICA

The Republic Square will be reborn in 2025. For the moment, it is this vast crossroads of buses and pedestrians that pass through the city's most central metro station. Here stands the Palace of Commerce, built between 1885 and 1929, which housed the Posts and Telegraphs on the one hand and the Trade Exchange on the other. It is the work of Jean-Baptiste Martenot and Emmanuel Le Ray. The central pavilion, square in plan, open to traffic on the ground floor, surmounted by a floor, housed the city's festival hall. The Palais du Commerce currently houses the Central Post Office, the city has launched a call for projects to transform the functions of this building by 2025. In the centre, the layout of the square offers small shops, benches and vegetable shelves, you can stop in the heart of the Rennes hustle and bustle. But more than just talking about the square, it is the neighbourhood that is of great interest. It is true that the whole district revolves around the Palace of Commerce (Post Office building) up to the Emile Zola High School, where the review of the trial of Captain Dreyfus was held. Behind the Place de la République, there is the Marché Central, a daily market renamed the Auction, and the semi-pedestrian rue Vasselot, which is full of small restaurants and shops. Also discover the remains of the former Carmelite convent at number 34. Walk along the rue du Pré-Botté in which the Ouest-France building stands. Don't forget to take a detour to the Musée des Beaux-Arts on Quai Emile-Zola, which traces the history of painting from the 14th century to the present day.