Guérande

Guérande (French pronunciation: ​[ɡeʁɑ̃d]; Breton: Gwenrann) is a medieval town located in the département of Loire-Atlantique in western France. The inhabitants are referred to as Guérandais, for men, and Guérandaise, for women.

The Guérande Peninsula overlooks two contrasting landscapes: the "Pays Blanc" (White Land), because of its salt marshes, and the "Pays Noir", with the Brière peat bog.

Since 2004, the medieval town of Guérande has been a member of a national network of 120 towns, the Villes et Pays d'Art et d'Histoire (Towns and Regions of Art and History). The fortified wall of Guérande is one of the best preserved and complete in France. Its circumference stretches 1434 meters.

Geography

Location

The main towns around Guérande are Saint-Nazaire and Nantes to the East ( 19 km (11.81 mi) and 80 km (49.71 mi) away), and Vannes (70 km (43.50 mi) to the North).

The Guérande Peninsula is surrounded by water. It stretches out from the Atlantic Ocean (West) to the Brière Regional Nature Reserve (East), and from the river Vilaine (North) to the Loire's estuary (South).