Place du Parlement-de-Bretagne, Public square in Rennes, France
Place du Parlement-de-Bretagne is a cobbled square in the heart of Rennes, surrounded by 18th-century buildings with arcaded ground floors and stone mansard roofs. The facades on all sides give the space a regular shape, with a statue standing at the center.
A large fire in 1720 destroyed much of central Rennes, including many buildings around this area. Royal architect Jacques Gabriel was tasked with rebuilding the neighborhood, and his design of matching facades and regular street patterns is what still defines the square today.
The square takes its name from the nearby parliament building of Brittany, which still stands at one end of the space. On sunny days, people sit at café terraces tucked under the arcades and watch others cross the open cobbled ground.
The square is easy to reach on foot and sits close to the main shopping and restaurant streets of the old town. It is fully flat, and the arcades offer cover from rain while walking around the perimeter.
A fountain once stood at the center of the square before it was replaced by the current statue. Some of the original stone balustrade bases that framed the fountain are still visible around the center of the space.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
