|
Nantes and its region offer tremendous assets to expand
your business in Europe. Whatever industry you are in, you will find
opportunities that will make your company more profitable. With half of
the companies less than ten years old, investors and candidates to
acquisitions will be needed to help these companies increase their
market share in the European Community. The French Economy is the fourth
largest in the World behind, the US, Japan and Germany. It is now
particularly attractive because of the development of the European
Market place. Tariffs are a thing of the past within the continent, and
it is easier and easier to do business between Nantes and the rest of
Europe.
The comprehensive infrastructure that extends from the
Nantes St-Nazaire port complex to all the major places of Europe will
convince you that Nantes is the place where you should be.
Another major reason to expand your business in Nantes is the quality of
the workforce in the region. You will find skilled workers for your
industry that are the most productive workers in Europe. Numerous
talented engineers are anxious to develop new products or to localize
your current ones for the European Market.
The government bodies of Nantes are taking great care to
create a friendly environment for businesses. The Nantes Atlantique
Developpement association (See Contact Information) will give you
further details in setting up your business. Business people attend
frequently conferences at the World Trade Center and shows at the Park
de la Beaujoire.
The Chantiers de l'Atlantique is the last great naval shipyard of
France, that can build liners. It employs 4,500 people in St-Nazaire.
However, its future is uncertain and cuts in the job force are scheduled
within three years. Agriculture is a major industry in the region. The
Pays de la Loire produced 4 million tons of cereal, 300,000 tons of
beef, 200,000 of pork and 300,000 of poultry meat, and finally, its
fishermen caught 40,000 tons of fish in 1994.
The cities of Nantes and St-Nazaire have decided to join
their destiny, to become a significant European metropolis. St-Nazaire
at the estuary of the Loire River is the home of numerous industries
around its port.
Nantes is the capital of the administrative region of Pays de la Loire,
in the West of France. The Pays de la Loire counts more that 3 millions
inhabitants, living on an area that is exactly a fifth of Washington
State, which has a population of a little more than 4.5 millions. It is
divided into five departments, Loire-Atlantique, Mayenne, Sarthe, Maine
et Loire and Vende. Nantes and its suburbs have a population of half a
million people.
Located 30 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, on the Loire River, Nantes has
given up its most important harbour activities to the city of St-Nazaire,
better situated to accommodate modern ships of this coming millennium.
The Atlantic Ocean influences the climate, which gives mild winters and
warm summers. This allows the production of the muguet, the lily of the
valley on the shores of the Loire. This unique flower is sold throughout
France on the 1st of May.
In summer, tourists invade the Atlantic coast, and the prestigious
resort of La Baule welcomes visitors from all over Europe. Inland, the
north of the Loire is used to grease cattle of cows, pigs and poultry.
The south allows the growth of cereal, wheat, corn and sunflower, thanks
to the sunshine that is abundant in summer museum.
|
 The Nantes Fine Arts Museum is built around a square inner
courtyard, which has natural lighting. This museum houses a great
collection of European paintings starting from the 13th century.
Italian, Flemish and French schools are widely represented in it's
collection. Three paintings of Georges de la tour, portrait of Madame Senonnes by Ingres, and The
wheat sifters by Courbet are a few examples to judge the museums
collection. You can as well admire Monet, Kandinsky, Max Ernst, Gerhard
Richter and there is a lot more.
Many interesting temporary exhibitions are as well organized here.
Kandinsky and Turner were recent themes. The museum's collection is
chronologically divided into Ancient art, XIX century, Modern art and
Contemporary art. This museum building, opened in 1900, was designed by
Clιment-Marie Josso and reflects the eclectic approach of this
period. The ground floor houses modern and contemporary arts and a
bookshop. The first floor is dedicated to the ancient and XIX century
collections.
|
