Vitré (Breton: Gwitreg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in north-western France. Vitré, a sub-prefecture until 1926, is the seat of a canton of around 17,000 inhabitants (2006). It lies on the edge of Brittany, near Normandy, Maine, and Anjou. The town has been designated a ville d’art et d’histoire, a town of artistic and historic significance, by the Ministry of Culture in recognition of its rich cultural inheritance. Vitré is the 37th French city with the most historic buildings and has 14% of the historical monuments of the department.
“If I was not King of France, I want to be bourgeois from Vitré!” Henry IV, King of France, surprised by the richness of the city in 1598.
The city is located on the slopes of the Vilaine river, along an east-west geographic depression which the national railway on the Paris-Rennes route follows. Vitré commune is home to 90,000 inhabitants spread throughout seven cantons: Vitré-East, Vitré-West, Argentré-du-Plessis, Châteaubourg, La Guerche-de-Bretagne, Janzé and Retiers. Since 1 October 2010, Vitré has withdrawn from the arrondissement of Rennes and joined the arrondissement of Fougères.
From 1950 on, Vitré grew extensively. During “the thirty glorious years”, Vitré experienced massive rural migration, like many other towns of France. This migration triggered new building developments, including modern six-story buildings in the “Maison Rouge” district. The city has considerably developed and extended with industrial areas and suburbs. The population of Vitré expanded from 9,611 inhabitants in 1954 to around 17,000 today, an increase of 80% over half a century. Inner-city areas are protected to conserve the town’s rich heritage of art and architecture. In 1999, Vitré obtained the label “Town of Art and History” because of its rich cultural inheritance. The town’s monuments attract many tourists each year.
The heritage of the town of Vitré is a tremendous wealth. This is one of the cities of Brittany that has best preserved its original appearance with its houses with porch or timber-framed (the third city after of Rennes and Vannes in Brittany), its ramparts, its religious heritage, old streets, etc.. Vitré is a perfect example of a town of 500 years ago.
