Lorraine

LORRAINE is famous worldwide for its quiche, macarons, Mirabelle plum and madeleine. It is home to more than 2,3 million inhabitants called Lorrains and Lorraines. For many years, the region was synonymous with coal, iron and steel industries and was in the 1960 the 3rd economical region in France. Today, Lorraine shows a different face, thanks to its two leading and attractive cities of Nancy and Metz. The peaceful landscape of Lorraine is also ideal for those seeking peace and quiet, at only 1.30 hours from Paris.

LORRAINE

NANCY, capital of the Dukes of Lorraine is famous throughout Europe for its UNESCO World Heritage squares, dating from the 18th Century. Nancy has improved over the last 20 years with a complete refurbishment of its old town, making the Lorraine capital an even more pleasant place to stay. Beautiful squares and buildings reveal a rich historical past, when the independent Duchy of Lorraine was coveted by the Kings of France and Austrian Habsburg. The School of Nancy played a major role in the development of Art Nouveau in Europe.

Useful websites (in English):

Tourist information site of Lorraine: www.tourisme-lorraine.fr

Tourist board of Nancy: www.ot-nancy.fr

Tourist board of Metz: http://tourisme.mairie-metz.fr/en/index.php

Tourist board of Bar-le-Duc: http://www.tourisme-barleduc.fr

Tourist board of Epinal: http://www.office-tourisme-epinal.com

Our ‘French Moments’ pages on Lorraine:

Quiche Lorraine - the recipe of the authentic Quiche Lorraine.

The Legends of Saint-Nicolas - the Patron Saint of Lorraine.

Place Stanislas - the royal square, its railings and fountains.

Madeleine de Commercy - the history of the famous madeleine of Commercy.

Madeleine de Commercy - the recipe of the famous madeleine of Commercy.

Munster - a cheese from the Vosges, produced in Alsace and Lorraine.

Old Town - mansions, gateways, churches and the Duke’s Palace.

Nancy Homepage - the Golden Gates city, former capital of the Duchy of Lorraine.

The architectural ensemble of the 18th century - Place de la Carrière and Place d’Alliance. The Pépinière Park. The Cathedral of Nancy.

The most beautiful gothic cathedrals of Lorraine - Metz, Toul and Saint-Nicolas-de-Port.

Route des Crêtes - a reputed and highly frequented tourist itinerary in the Vosges mountains.

Metz - the ‘Green City’, capital of the Lorraine Région

The Old Town - the ancient cathedral city, chief town of Lorraine.

The German Imperial District - the interesting urban plan built by the Germans in Metz in the early 20th C..

Macarons de Nancy - a delicious almond biscuit from Nancy, Lorraine.

The Vosges - the mountain range is known for its rounded summits, pine forests, blueberry-covered meadows, and munster cheese.

Metz Cathedral - the Gothic cathedral Saint-Etienne of Metz, nicknamed the “Lantern of God”.

Art Nouveau in Nancy - The Ecole de Nancy played a major role in the development of Art Nouveau.

METZ is the chief town of the Lorraine region. The charming provincial city is located on the east side of the Moselle River, between Nancy and Luxembourg. Close to three international borders (Germany, Luxemburg and Belgium), Greater Metz has a population of 230,000, and is accessible from Paris by TGV within 1.30 hours.

Metz is famous for its lofty gothic Cathedral Saint Etienne and its German Imperial District around the railway station. It takes pride in being a true Garden City, with its trees, flowerbeds and green esplanades. Today, no visitors in the peaceful city would believe how turbulent Metz’ history has been over the centuries, being continually annexed by France and Germany. After the first visit to this seductive town most people go back again.

Metz and Nancy are surrounded by a peaceful rural landscape: the Natural Regional Park of Lorraine. The park is made up of forest and fields, covering 200 villages, as well as a wide range of heritage sites: museums, castles, forts, abbeys...
The area is ideal for rest and relaxation with sports and water activities, horse trails, hiking, nature tours, shows and much more.

The Natural Regional Park of Lorraine based is divided into 2 non-adjoining parts on each side of the Moselle River. On the west side, it encircles some hillside villages, where the wine growers used to live, large forests of broad-leafed trees and borders the WWI battlefield of Verdun. As for the eastern side, it is located around the Saulnois region and the “Pays des Etangs” (land of ponds).

To the east of the region, the Vosges Mountains are synonymous with softness thanks to the rounded shape of their peaks, the “ballons” (rounded summits). This mountainous mass still offers a variety of landscapes, including glacial lakes, wet and high altitude meadows, deep valleys, forests, waterfalls, cliffs and rocks.

The Vosges Mountain range marks the border between Lorraine and Alsace to the east. The crest line was a real linguistic and cultural barrier between the two regions. As such, the term “Alsace-Lorraine” refers not to a homogenous region, but rather the contrary; it was used to describe the geographic entity corresponding to the annexation of Alsace and of the Lorraine département of Moselle by Prussia.

Nancy Cathedral - the classical cathedral built in the 18th century.

Toul Cathedral - a beautiful Gothic cathedral in the Lorraine region.