16th century and the 1860s. Place Saint-Anne area Place Saint-Anne (Plasenn Santez-Anna) Saint-Aubin Church, built in the beginning of the 20th century Location of a former 14th century hospital Jacobite convent, the convention centre South-western, La Rue Saint-Michel nicknamed Rue de La Soif (Road of Thirst) because there are bars all along this street. South-eastern, the Champ-Jacquet square, with Renaissance buildings and a statue of mayor Jean Leperdit ripping up a conscription list. East: Thabor park area Area of Saint-Melaine square Notre-Dame-en-Saint-Melaine basilica, Tower and transept from the 11th century Benedictine abbey of Saint-Melaine 14th century Gothic arcades 17th century colonnade Bell tower topped with a gilded Virgin Mary (19th century) 17th century cloister Jardin botanique du Thabor (formal French garden, orangerie, rose garden, aviary) a botanical garden on 10 hectares of land, built between 1860 and 1867. 17th century promenade "la Motte à Madame", and a monumental stairway overlooking the Rue de Paris entrance to the Thabor. South city centre The south city centre is a mix of old buildings and 19th and 20th centuries constructions. South of the Vilaine The Fine Arts Museum is situated on Quai Émile Zola, by the Vilaine River. Les Champs Libres is a building on Esplanade Charles de Gaulle, and was designed by the architect Christian de Portzamparc. It houses the Brittany Museum (Musée de Bretagne), the regional library Bibliothèque de Rennes Métropole with six floors, and the Espace des Sciences science centre with a planetarium. At Place Honoré Commeurec is Les Halles Centrales, a covered market from 1922, with one part converted into contemporary art gallery. The Mercure Hotel is located in a restored building on Rue du Pré-Botté, which was the prior location of Ouest-Éclair, and then of Ouest-France, a premier daily regional newspaper. There are large mills at Rue Duhamel, constructed on each side of the south branch of the Vilaine in 1895 and 1902. Other sights To the northwest of Rennes, near Rue de Saint-Malo are the locks of the Canal d'Ille-et-Rance of 1843. There are two halls of the printer, Oberthür, built by Marthenot between 1870 and 1895 on Rue de Paris in the eastern part of the city. Oberthür Park is the second biggest garden in the city. The 17th century manor of Haute-Chalais, a granite château, is situated to the south of the city in Blosne Quarter (Bréquigny). Parks and gardens Parc du Thabor contains a