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Metz has a rich 3,000-year history, [8] having variously been a Celtic oppidum, an important Gallo-Roman city, [9] the Merovingian capital of Austrasia, [10] the birthplace of the Carolingian dynasty, [11] a cradle of the Gregorian chant, [12] and one of the oldest republics in Europe. [13]
Roman Empire. As a well-fortified town, Divodurum, at the junction of several military roads, Metz became one of the principal towns of Gaul, more populous than Lutetia (ancestor of present-day Paris), and rich thanks to its wine exports. [7]
- Metz Old Town: Main Sights
- The Gothic St. Stephen Cathedral of Metz
- The Place D’Armes
- The Place St. Jacques
- The Place de La Comédie
- Around The Esplanade
- The Porte Serpenoise
- The Tour Camoufle
- The German Imperial District of Metz
- Place Saint Louis
The historic town of Metz includes not-to-be-missed sights such as: 1. the Gothic cathedral St Etienne and place d’Armes 2. the medieval place Saint-Louis 3. the Germans’ Gate (porte des Allemands) 4. the medieval Grenier de Chèvremont (Cour d’Or museum) 5. the medieval-looking streets near the Récollets cloister 6. the St-Pierre-aux-Nonnains churc...
Metz Cathedralstands out like the crown of the city. With its well-balanced proportions and its fine stained-glass windows, the lofty Cathedral is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture in France. The nave of Saint-Etienne (41.41m) is the third-highest of any church in France after that of Amiens and Beauvaisand the 10th in Europe, and it displays th...
The cobbled place d’Armesis one of Metz old town’s beautiful squares. It is elegant and majestic as it is bordered by the Gothic cathedral on one side and the Town Hall on the other. When planned in the 18th century, it was the centrepiece of the town planning commissioned by Marshall Belle-Isle and his successor the Marshall d’Estrées. It followed...
Place Saint-Jacquesis situated at the heart of Metz old town near the Cathedral and the centre of the city centre’s shopping precinct. It is well known by locals for its many cafés and restaurants whose terraces are popular in summer. The square takes its name from a church (église Saint-Jacques) which used to stand here until it was dismantled in ...
Another interesting square worth mentioning is Place de la Comédie. Located on the Ile du Petit Saulcy, it borders the Moselle River, just a stone’s throw from the Cathedral. The square is bordered by the oldest working opera theatre in France, which was inaugurated in 1752 with a ball. Until the French revolution, it staged plays of contemporary p...
Strolling down from the Cathedral towards the Esplanade, make sure you stop by the Moyen-Pont where the view of the Moselle River, the Temple-Neuf, and the Cathedral is delightful:
The Porte Serpenoiseis a sort of triumphal arch which used to mark the South limit of the city of Metz from the 3rd until the early 20th centuries. During the Roman era, the gate was guarding the road to Scarpone(now Dieulouard, near Nancy). In the 19th century, the gate was incorporated into the rampart, as a tunnel dug into the counterscarp. When...
Many other witnesses of Metz’s medieval past can be seen whilst strolling in the Old Town. One of the last examples is the “Tour Camoufle” (Camouflaged Tower), beautifully positioned at the centre of a public park on Avenue Foch, which was merged into the German Imperial Districtin the early 20th century. A vestige of the medieval walls surrounding...
At the end of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, Metz’s destiny changed dramatically as the city and its département (Moselle) were annexed by Bismarck to Germany. Kaiser Wilhelm IIpersonally oversaw the new town planning project around the railway station, to the South of the Old Town, in order to make Metz a model of German prestige and elegance...
In the heart of the Old Town, the 14th to 16th century Place Saint-Louisis a remarkable place to stroll. The medieval square, recently renovated, is lined on one side with buttressed arcaded houses which are built on the original Roman ramparts (some of the ramparts’ stones were used for the building’s foundations). During the Middle Ages, the squa...
Mar 3, 2020 · Metz History: Roman Divodurum. Roman remains in the Musées de la Cour d’Or © French Moments. Metz is a striking city due to its natural and architectural heritage, mostly due to a rich history. The site was inhabited during the Roman era.
Article History. Metz, city, Moselle département, Grand Est région, northeastern France, situated at the confluence of the Moselle and Seille rivers, northwest of Strasbourg and south of the Luxembourg frontier. It was partly rebuilt and its suburbs considerably extended after World War II.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Metz is a large town in north-east France, to the south of Luxembourg and north of Nancy: it is the prefecture town for the Moselle department. The border between France and Germany is a short distance to the east. Metz is an important regional centre with a substantial number of historic monuments and sites.
Metz was spared from the conflicts which shook Europe during the modern era. The city has preserved a large part of its heritage: around a hundred historic monuments testify to its rich past, from the Roman era to today.
