Saint-Nazaire facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saint-Nazaire Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer (Gallo) Sant-Nazer/Señ Neñseir  (Breton)
Subprefecture and commune
Avenue de la République
Flag Coat of arms
Saint-Nazaire Location in France Show map of France Saint-Nazaire Location in Pays de la Loire Show map of Pays de la Loire
Country	France
Region	Pays de la Loire
Department	Loire-Atlantique
Arrondissement	Saint-Nazaire
Canton	Saint-Nazaire-1 and 2
Intercommunality	CA Région Nazairienne et Estuaire
Area 1	46.79 km2 (18.07 sq mi)
• Urban	472.2 km2 (182.3 sq mi)
• Metro	741 km2 (286 sq mi)
Population  (2021)	72,057
• Density	1,540.01/km2 (3,988.6/sq mi)
• Urban  (2018)	186,760
• Urban density	395.51/km2 (1,024.37/sq mi)
• Metro  (2018)	213,675
• Metro density	288.36/km2 (746.8/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	44184 /44600
Elevation	0–47 m (0–154 ft) (avg. 6 m or 20 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Saint-Nazaire is a city in western France. It is located in the Loire-Atlantique area, which is part of traditional Brittany.

The city has a very important harbour on the Loire estuary, which is where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean. Saint-Nazaire is also south of "la Brière", which is the second-largest swamp in France. Because of its location, Saint-Nazaire has a long history of fishing and shipbuilding. The Chantiers de l'Atlantique is one of the biggest shipyards in the world. They have built famous ocean liners like SS Normandie, SS France, and RMS Queen Mary 2. They also built the huge cruise ship MS Symphony of the Seas.

Saint-Nazaire was a small village for a long time. But during the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s, it grew into a large town. This happened because new railways were built and the seaport became very busy. Saint-Nazaire slowly became the main port on the Loire estuary, taking over from the city of Nantes further up the river.

During World War II, Saint-Nazaire was a major base for German submarines. Because of this, it was attacked by the British in 1942 in a famous raid. The city was also heavily bombed by the Allies until 1945. Saint-Nazaire was one of the last places in Europe to be freed from German control, on May 11, 1945. It was one of the most damaged cities in France during the war.

History of Saint-Nazaire

Ancient Times

Experts believe that Saint-Nazaire was built on top of an ancient city called Corbilo. This was a Gaulish city, and some say it was the second-largest Gaulish city after Marseille. We know people lived here a very long time ago, even before the Stone Age. This is shown by old monuments like the tumulus of Dissignac and a dolmen in the city center.

An old story from the 1400s says that Brutus of Troy, a legendary ancestor of the Bretons, came to Saint-Nazaire. He supposedly landed here to start a new home for his people. Later, at the end of the Roman Empire, some Britons settled near the Loire river.

Middle Ages

A writer from the late 500s, Gregory of Tours, wrote that the church in Saint-Nazaire held the remains of a saint named Nazarius. A legend says that a Breton chief tried to steal these holy items. But his plan failed when he hurt his head on the church door. The chief thought this was a miracle, so he stopped trying to steal them. After this, the village was named Sanctus Nazarius, which means Saint Nazarius.

Not much is known about Saint-Nazaire's history during the Dark Ages. There were battles, like in 1380 when Jehan d'Ust defended the city against a Spanish fleet during the Hundred Years' War. After this, Saint-Nazaire became the center of a large area, including Pornichet.

Like all of Brittany, Saint-Nazaire was part of the Duchy of Brittany until 1532. Then, it became part of France. In 1756, a fort was built to protect the town, which had about 600 people at the time.

Growth in the 1800s

At the start of the 1800s, Saint-Nazaire's port was just a simple harbor. It was not mainly for fishing. Instead, it was important because it was the furthest point large ships could reach up the Loire river. In 1800, about 3,216 people lived in Saint-Nazaire.

The modern city of Saint-Nazaire really started to grow under the rule of Napoleon III. The population grew very quickly. People even called it "Little Breton California" or "Liverpool of the West" because of its fast growth.

In 1802, a road was built to help the port grow. By 1835, a breakwater (a wall to protect the harbor) with a lighthouse was added. New basins were dug so ships could unload goods onto smaller boats. These boats would then carry the goods further up the river. This made Saint-Nazaire a base for passenger steamships and an alternative port for ships that couldn't reach Nantes.

View of the "New Entrance" locks gates to Port Saint-Nazaire towards the Loire River

In 1856, the first wet dock was dug. This allowed ships to dock and turn easily. This also led to the city's first railway connection. In 1857, a railway connected Saint-Nazaire to Nantes. In 1862, the first transatlantic telegraph lines from France to South America came ashore in Saint-Nazaire. Also in 1862, large shipbuilding factories were built. These factories launched the first French ships made of metal. In 1881, a second large dock was built at Penhoët for even bigger ships. However, a lock gate built to reach this dock split the town into two parts.

In 1870, a lawyer named Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau came to Saint-Nazaire. He helped organize the city's National Defense.

In 1894, workers at the Trignac forging mills went on strike because jobs were being cut.

In 1900, the area of Pornichet became its own separate town, splitting from Saint-Nazaire.

World War I

During World War I, Saint-Nazaire became a very important port. Many Allied troops, especially from the United States Army, arrived here. When the U.S. entered the war in 1917, they improved the port. They added ponds for drinking water and a refrigeration terminal to store food for their soldiers.

Between the World Wars

After World War I, shipbuilding faced tough times. So, shipbuilders started making seaplanes from 1922. In 1926, the area of Paimbœuf joined the district of Saint-Nazaire, making the city more important along the Loire River.

Even though they built large ships like SS Paris and SS Île de France, the 1930s Great Depression caused problems. To help the economy, the French government ordered a new large passenger ship. This led to the building of the Louis Joubert dry dock between 1928 and 1934. At 1,200 m × 60 m (3,940 ft × 200 ft), it was the biggest dry dock in the world at that time. It was needed to build the huge SS Normandie. In 1936, the government took over the private shipyards and created one state-owned company, the Chantiers de l'Atlantique.

World War II

When World War II began, French and British forces could not stop the German army. Saint-Nazaire became a place where British soldiers could evacuate to England.

Sinking of the Lancastria

On June 17, 1940, about 9,000 British soldiers were on a ship called RMS Lancastria. German bombers attacked and sank the ship. Around 4,000 people died. This was the worst disaster in British maritime history. The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, did not allow news about it to be shared. There is a memorial for the Lancastria near the U-boat pens in Saint-Nazaire.

U-boat Pens

Modern day view of the Kriegsmarine Saint-Nazaire submarine base

After France surrendered to Germany in June 1940, the port became a base for the German navy, called the Kriegsmarine. The Allies wanted to destroy it. A very strong U-boat Saint-Nazaire submarine base was built by Organisation Todt. It had a concrete roof 9 m-thick (30 ft) that could survive almost any bomb.

This base was home to many famous German U-boat commanders during the war. The base is still standing today because it was built so strongly that it is too expensive to tear down. Now, it has cafes, a bar, and an exhibition about Saint-Nazaire on its roof.

The Saint-Nazaire Raid

The huge Joubert dry dock, built for the SS Normandie, was the only port on the Atlantic coast that could repair the large German battleships Bismarck and Tirpitz. This made the port very important for both sides during World War II. After the sinking of the Bismarck in May 1941, the Allies needed to stop the Germans from using this dry dock.

On March 28, 1942, 611 British Commandos and the Royal Navy launched a raid called Operation Chariot. They used an old American destroyer called HMS Campbeltown. This ship was filled with explosives and rammed into the dry dock gates. The Commandos and the ship successfully destroyed the gates and machinery of the Joubert dry dock. This stopped the Germans from using it for the rest of the war. Out of over 600 British soldiers and sailors, 220 returned, and half of them were wounded. Many awards were given for bravery. The Joubert dry dock was not fixed until 1948.

After the Raid

Because German U-boats in Saint-Nazaire were a threat to supply ships crossing the Atlantic, the city was constantly bombed by Allied air forces. On January 3, 1943, Colonel Curtis LeMay led 85 American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers against the U-boat pens.

To protect civilians, the Allies decided to make people leave the town before a big bombing raid. For three days in 1943, British and American planes dropped leaflets. These papers warned people about a planned fire-bombing raid. On the third day, the raid happened and burned the entire city to the ground. Not many people were hurt because most civilians had left. After that, Saint-Nazaire was mostly empty until the end of the war, except for the U-boat base.

After D-day and the liberation of most of France in 1944, German troops in Saint-Nazaire refused to give up. They stayed hidden in their submarine base. Since the Germans couldn't use the bases for major submarine operations without supplies, the Allied commander, U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, decided to just go around these ports. Saint-Nazaire and other German "pockets" stayed under German control until May 8, 1945, the last day of the war in Europe.

After World War II

The city of Saint-Nazaire was rebuilt in the late 1940s. It was designed in a simple, practical style.

The submarine base was used by the French Navy from 1945 to 1948. Then, different companies used it. As of 2016, a French diesel submarine called Espadon is docked inside the U-boat pens. People can take tours of the submarine.

After the SS France was built in 1961, the Chantiers de l'Atlantique started building large oil tankers. These included  Batillus and  Queen Mary 2. The RMS Queen Mary 2 was built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique in 2003.

Geography of Saint-Nazaire

Saint-Nazaire is on the north side of the Loire estuary, about 50 km west of Nantes. It is close to the Brière marshes, which is a large natural park with many animals and plants. It is the second-largest wetland in France.

Saint-Nazaire is the main city of an "urban unit" (a group of connected towns) that had 186,760 people in 2018. This unit includes 17 towns along the Loire estuary. The eastern part of the city is on flat land between the Brière and the Loire estuary. The western part is hillier and higher up.

Climate in Saint-Nazaire

Saint-Nazaire is close to the Atlantic Ocean, so it has a mild oceanic climate. Winters are not very cold, and summers are warm. Snow rarely falls, but it rains often (about 116 days a year). However, the rain is usually not very heavy. The city gets about 1,892 hours of sunshine each year.

Saint-Nazaire mostly gets winds from the southwest, which are linked to Atlantic storms. It also gets winds from the northeast when the weather is more stable. The average wind speed is 4.5 meters per second, and there are about 60 days a year with strong winds.

Education in Saint-Nazaire

Schools

Saint-Nazaire has many primary schools, teaching almost 8,000 students in 30 school groups. The junior high schools have nearly 7,000 students in 12 different colleges. Public colleges include Albert Vinçon, Pierre Norange, Manon Roland, Jean de Neyman, and Jean Moulin. Each of these schools has about 1,350 students. Private colleges include Saint-Louis (which used to be for boys) and Sainte-Therese (which used to be for girls).

The high schools teach 6,000 students in 11 different schools. Aristide Briand is one of the largest high schools in France, with about 2,500 students. There is also an experimental high school run by teachers and students together. The Cité Scolaire of Saint-Nazaire is one of the biggest school campuses in France, with almost 4,000 high school students.

University

The University of Saint-Nazaire is part of the University of Nantes. The University of Nantes is the second-largest university in France, with about 35,000 students. Nearly 5,000 of these students are on the Saint-Nazaire campus.

Transport in Saint-Nazaire

The Pont de Saint-Nazaire, which crosses the Loire

The Route nationale N165/N161 (E60 route) connects Saint-Nazaire to Nantes and Rennes. This road crosses the Loire river using the Pont de Saint-Nazaire (Saint-Nazaire Bridge). From Nantes, you can reach Paris by highway.

There are plans to build a second bridge or crossing over the Loire between Nantes and Saint-Nazaire by 2025.

Railway

The old Saint-Nazaire station building

The Saint-Nazaire railway station is served by both high-speed trains (TGV) and regional trains and buses (TER Pays de la Loire). TGV trains can take you to Paris in just over 2 hours. They also go to Lyon, Marseille, Lille, and Strasbourg. Regional trains connect Saint-Nazaire to Nantes, Angers, Le Mans, and other nearby towns.

Air Travel

Saint-Nazaire airport is about 5 km (3 mi) southeast of Saint-Nazaire. It can handle about 150,000 passengers each year. It is also a base for Eagle Aviation France.

For international travel, people use Nantes Atlantique Airport. This is the biggest airport in western France. It has flights to many French and European cities, as well as to Montreal in Canada (at certain times of the year) and some cities in North Africa.

Economy of Saint-Nazaire

The shipyards of Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire

The city's economy is mainly based on its port. This includes exporting manufactured goods and providing services. Commercial fishing, which used to be big, has almost disappeared.

Saint-Nazaire faced economic problems in the 1960s and 1970s when shipbuilding slowed down. For a long time in the 1980s, many people in Saint-Nazaire were unemployed. Today, the local economy is more varied, and the situation is better. The main industries are:

Airbus A380 transporter ship Ville de Bordeaux

• Shipbuilding – Chantiers de l'Atlantique used to build navy and cargo ships. Now, they mostly build cruise ships and are one of the world leaders in this area. They built the Cunard Line's new main ship, the RMS Queen Mary 2.
• Airbus – Saint-Nazaire is one of the European centers for Airbus. Here, they fit out parts of aircraft bodies. For the Airbus A380, a special ship called  Ville de Bordeaux brings large parts of the plane from other places.
• Aeronautical Engineering – Famat, a company that works with Snecma and General Electric, has a factory in Saint-Nazaire. About 450 people work there, making parts for jet engines.
• Mechanical Engineering – SEMT Pielstick makes diesel engines for ships, trains, and for making electricity. In 2006, 670 people worked at their factory in Saint-Nazaire.

The Saint-Nazaire wind farm from space.

• Port – Saint-Nazaire has the most important French port on the Atlantic coast. It is now busier than Nantes. The port handles a lot of food products, methane, and oil.

Saint-Nazaire is also home to the first French offshore wind farm. It has 80 wind turbines that will make enough power for about 700,000 people.

AMYNTAS, a large oil tanker, docking at Donges / Saint-Nazaire (France) in February 2019.

Rear view of the AMYNTAS.

International Connections

Twin Towns and Sister Cities

Saint-Nazaire is connected with these cities:

• Avilés, Spain
• Saarlouis, Germany, since 1969
• Sunderland, England, United Kingdom, since 1953

Cooperation Agreements

• Kribi, Cameroon
• Mahdia, Tunisia

Famous People from Saint-Nazaire

• René-Yves Creston (1898–1964), an artist and ethnologist.
• Odette du Puigaudeau (1894–1991), an ethnologist.
• Fernand Guériff (1914–1994), a scholar and historian.
• Yann Goulet (1914–1999), a sculptor.
• Marie Léra (1864-1958), a journalist and writer.
• Roger Lévêque, (1920–2002), a professional cyclist.
• Colonel Moutarde (born 1968), an illustrator.
• Stéphane Hoffmann, (born 1958), a writer.
• Tony Heurtebis, (born 1975), a football goalkeeper.
• Pierre R. Graham (born 1922), a former US ambassador.

• Sandra Gomis (born 1983), an athlete.
• Bryan Coquard (born 1992), a professional cyclist and Olympic silver medalist.

Population Changes

Breton Language

In 2008, a small number of children (0.41%) attended primary schools where they learned in both French and Breton.

See also

In Spanish: Saint-Nazaire para niños