Rennes (ancient Condate), city in northwestern France, capital of Ille-et-Vilaine Department, at the confluence of the Ille and Vilaine rivers. Rennes, a major intellectual and industrial city of Brittany, is a farm-trade and manufacturing center. Products include textiles, motor vehicles, chemicals, agricultural machinery, and processed food. Among the points of interest are the Palais de Justice, seat of the parliament of Brittany in the 17th century; a cathedral (rebuilt 19th century); the Museum of Brittany; and an art museum housing a notable collection of paintings (15th-20th century). The universities of Rennes I and II (1735, reorganized 1970) are in the city.
Rennes was the capital of a Celtic tribe and later became a transportation center under the Romans. It was made the seat of the duchy of Brittany in the 16th century. The city was badly damaged by fire in 1720 and by bombing in World War II (1939-1945). Population (1999) 206,229.
