Metz

The climate of Lorraine is a semi-continental climate.[45] The summers are warm and humid, sometimes stormy, and the warmest month of the year is July, when daytime temperatures average approximately 25 °C (77.0 °F). The winters are cold and snowy with temperature dropping to an average low of −0.5 °C (31.1 °F) in January. Lows can be much colder through the night and early morning and the snowy period extends from November to February.[46]

The length of the day varies significantly over the course of the year.[47] The shortest day is 21 December with 7:30 hours of sunlight; the longest day is 20 June with 16:30 hours of sunlight. The median cloud cover is 93% and does not vary substantially over the course of the year.[46]

The inhabitants of Metz are called Messin(e)s. Statistics on the ethnic and religious make up of the population of Metz are haphazard, as the French Republic prohibits making distinctions between citizens regarding race, beliefs, and political and philosophic opinions in the process of census taking. This would otherwise document the city to be a Germanic locale, as is the rest of the province and the neighboring Alsace.[52]

The French national census of 2017 estimated the population of Metz to be 116,429, while the population of Metz urban area was about 390,600.[53] Through history, Metz's population has been impacted by the vicissitudes of the wars and annexations involving the city, which have prevented continuous population growth. More recently, the city has suffered from the restructuring of the military and the metallurgy industry.[54] The historical population for the current area of Metz municipality is as follows:

Several well-known figures have been linked to the city of Metz throughout its history. Renowned Messins include poet Paul Verlaine,[57] composer Ambroise Thomas, and mathematician Jean-Victor Poncelet; numerous well-known German figures were also born in Metz notably during the annexation periods. Moreover, the city has been the residence of people such as writer François Rabelais, Cardinal Mazarin, political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville, French patriot and American Revolutionary War hero Marquis Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, and Luxembourg-born German-French statesman Robert Schuman.

The Local Law (French: droit local) applied in Metz is a legal system that operates in parallel with French law. Created in 1919, it preserves the French laws applied in France before 1870 and maintained by the Germans during the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine, but repealed in the rest of France after 1871. It also maintains German laws enacted by the German Empire between 1871 and 1918, specific provisions adopted by the local authorities, and French laws that have been enacted after 1919 to be applicable only in Alsace-Lorraine. This specific local legislation encompasses different areas including religion, social work and finance.

The most striking of the legal differences between France and Alsace-Lorraine is the absence in Alsace-Lorraine of strict secularism, even though a constitutional right of freedom of religion is guaranteed by the French government. Alsace-Lorraine is still governed by a pre-1905 law established by the Concordat of 1801, which provides for the public subsidy of the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Calvinist churches and the Jewish religion.

The city hall on the Place d'Armes.

Like every commune of the present French Republic, Metz is managed by a mayor (French: maire) and a municipal council (French: conseil municipal), democratically elected by two-round proportional voting for six years.[58] The mayor is assisted by 54 municipal councillors,[59] and the municipal council is held on the last Thursday of every month.[60][61] Since 2008,[62] the mayor of Metz has been socialist Dominique Gros.[63]

The city belongs to the Metz Metropole union of cities, which includes the 40 cities of the Metz urban agglomeration.[64] Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle based in the former Intendant Palace.[41] In addition, Metz is the seat of the parliament of the Grand Est region, hosted in the former Saint-Clement Abbey.

The city of Metz is divided into 14 administrative divisions:[65]

Number	District	Sights	Location
1	Devant-les-Ponts	Desvalliere barracks
2	Metz-Nord Patrotte	Harbour zone
3	Les îles	Grand East regional parliament, University of Lorraine, Fabert High School, Cogeneration Plant
4	Plantières-Queuleu	Queuleu Fort, Museum of Resistance and Deportation of Metz
5	Bellecroix	Bellecroix Fort
6	Metz-Vallières	Robert Schuman private hospital
7	Borny	University of Lorraine, Contemporary Music Venue
8	Grigy-Technopôle	Metz Science Park, Arts et Métiers ParisTech, University of Lorraine, Georgia Tech Lorraine, Supélec
9	Grange aux Bois	Trade Fair Center
10	Sablon	Centre Pompidou-Metz, Indoor Sports Arena, Caisse d'Épargne regional headquarters, Metz-Metropole Conference Centre Hall (project)
11	Magny	Saint-Clement and Leusiotte woods
12	Nouvelle Ville	Imperial Station-Palace, INSEE and Banque Populaire regional headquarters, Central Post Office, Chamber of Commerce
13	Metz Centre	City Hall, Prefecture, Cathedral of Saint Stephen, Temple Neuf, Arsenal Concert Hall, Opera House
14	Ancienne Ville	Germans' Gate, Golden Courtyard Museum, Regional Contemporary Art Fund of Lorraine, Jazz Concert Venue

The Centre Pompidou-Metz, a symbol of modern Metz

The Music Box, a high-quality concert and recording studio venue dedicated to the modern forms of art music, in the Borny District. The venue has been erected in a cité HLM as an urban renewal effort

From its Gallo-Roman past, the city preserves vestiges of the thermae (in the basement of the Golden Courtyard museum), parts of the aqueduct,[74] and the Basilica of Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains.[20]

Saint Louis' square with its vaulted arcades and a Knights Templar chapel remains a major symbol of the city's High Medieval heritage. The Gothic Saint-Stephen Cathedral, several churches and Hôtels, and two remarkable municipal granaries reflect the Late Middle Ages.[19][75][76][77][78] Examples of Renaissance architecture can be seen in Hôtels from the 16th century, such as the House of Heads (French: Maison des Têtes).[67]

The city hall and the buildings surrounding the town square are by French architect Jacques-François Blondel, who was awarded the task of redesigning and modernizing the centre of Metz by the Royal Academy of Architecture in 1755 the context of the Enlightenment.[79][80] Neoclassical buildings from the 18th century, such as the Opera House,[22] the Intendant Palace (the present-day prefecture),[81] and the Royal Governor's Palace (the present-day courthouse) built by Charles-Louis Clérisseau, are also found in the city.[67]

The Imperial District was built during the first annexation of Metz by the German Empire.[82] In order to "germanise" the city, Emperor Wilhelm II decided to create a new district shaped by a distinctive blend of Germanic architecture, including Renaissance, neo-Romanesque and neo-Classical, mixed with elements of Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Alsatian and mock-Bavarian styles.[82] Instead of Jaumont stone, commonly used everywhere else in the city, stone used in the Rhineland, such as pink and grey sandstone, granite and basalt were used.[82] The district features noteworthy buildings including the rail station and the Central Post Office by German architect Jürgen Kröger.[21]

Modern architecture can also be seen in the town with works of French architects Roger-Henri Expert (Sainte-Thérèse-de-l'Enfant-Jésus church, 1934), Georges-Henri Pingusson (Fire Station, 1960), and Jean Dubuisson (subdivisions, 1960s).[71][83][84] The refurbishment of the former Ney Arsenal as a Concert Hall in 1989 and the erection of the Metz Arena in 2002, by Spanish and French architects Ricardo Bofill and French Paul Chemetov represent the Postmodern movement.[67]

The Centre Pompidou-Metz museum in the Amphitheatre District represents a strong architectural initiative to mark the entrance of Metz into the 21st century.[85] Designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, the building is remarkable for the complex, innovative carpentry of its roof,[86][87] and integrates concepts of sustainable architecture. The project encompasses the architecture of two recipients of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, Shigeru Ban (2014) and French Christian de Portzamparc (1994). The Amphitheatre District is also conceived by French architects Nicolas Michelin, Jean-Paul Viguier, and Jean-Michel Wilmotte and designer Philippe Starck.[88] The urban project is expected to be completed by 2023.[88][89] Further, a contemporary music venue designed by contextualist French architect Rudy Ricciotti stands in the Borny District.[90]

Water games on the Islands District

Under the leadership of such people as botanist Jean-Marie Pelt, Metz pioneered a policy of urban ecology during the early 1970s.[23] Because of the failure of post-war urban planning and housing estate development in Europe during the 1960s, mostly based on the concepts of CIAM,[91][92][93] Jean-Marie Pelt, then municipal councillor of Metz, initiated a new approach to the urban environment.[24]

Based initially on the ideas of the Chicago School, Pelt's theories pleaded for better integration of humans into their environment and developed a concept centered on the relationship between "stone and water".[23][94][95] His policy was realized in Metz by the establishment of extensive open areas surrounding the Moselle and the Seille rivers and the development of large pedestrian areas. As a result, Metz has over 37 m² (400 sq ft) of open areas per inhabitant in the form of numerous public gardens in the city.[26]

The principles of urban ecology are still applied in Metz with the implementation of a local Agenda 21 action plan.[28] The municipal ecological policy encompasses the sustainable refurbishment of ancient buildings,[96][97] the erection of sustainable districts and buildings, green public transport,[98] and the creation of public gardens by means of landscape architecture.[99]

Additionally, the city has developed its own combined heat and power station, using waste wood biomass from the surrounding forests as a renewable energy source.[100][101] With a thermal efficiency above 80%, the 45MW boiler of the plant provides electricity and heat for 44,000 dwellings. The Metz power station is the first local producer and distributor of energy in France.[102]

The Germans' Gate from the 13th century, one of the last medieval bridge castles found in France. Today, an exhibition hall

As a historic Garrison town, Metz has been heavily influenced by military architecture throughout its history.[103] From ancient history to the present, the city has been successively fortified and modified to accommodate the troops stationed there. Defensive walls from classical antiquity to the 20th century are still visible today, incorporated into the design of public gardens along the Moselle and Seille rivers.[103] A medieval bridge castle from the 13th century, named Germans' Gate (French: Porte des Allemands), today converted into a convention and exhibition centre, has become one of the landmarks of the city. It is still possible to see parts of the 16th century citadel, as well as fortifications built in the 1740s by Louis de Cormontaigne but based on designs by Vauban.[104][105] Important barracks, mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries, are spread around the city: some, which are of architectural interest, have been converted to civilian use, such as the Arsenal Concert Hall by Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill.

The extensive fortifications of Metz, which ring the city, include early examples of Séré de Rivières system forts.[106] Other forts were incorporated into the Maginot Line.[107] A hiking trail on the Saint-Quentin plateau passes through a former military training zone and ends at the now abandoned military forts, providing a vantage point from which to survey the city.[108][109]

Some of the cultural venues in Metz, clockwise from top: the Arsenal, the Golden Courtyard, the Opera House, and the Saint-Jacques square

The Museum of the 1870 War and of the Annexion, the only museum in Europe dedicated to the Franco-Prussian War

The choir of the Saint Stephen's Cathedral with its extensive stained glass windows, including works of Marc Chagall

Basilica of Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains, the oldest church in France and cradle of the Gregorian Chant

The Covered Market, home to traditional local food producers and retailers

Fireworks on the town square for the celebrations of Saint Nicholas, the Lorraine's patron saint

• The Centre Pompidou-Metz is a museum of modern and contemporary arts, the largest temporary exhibition area in France outside Paris. The museum features exhibitions from the extensive collection of the Centre Pompidou, Europe's largest collection of 20th-century art.[119]
• Saint Stephen's Cathedral is the Gothic cathedral of the city built during the 13th century.[18] The cathedral exhibits the collection of the Bishopric of Metz, including paraments and items used in the service of the Eucharist.[120][121][122] Metz Cathedral is sometimes nicknamed the Good Lord's Lantern (French: la Lanterne du Bon Dieu),[123] as it has the largest expanse of stained glass windows in the world: 6,500 m² (70,000 sq ft). These include works by Gothic and Renaissance master glass makers Hermann von Münster, Théobald of Lixheim, and Valentin Bousch, romantic Charles-Laurent Maréchal, tachist Roger Bissière, cubist Jacques Villon and modernist Marc Chagall.
• Another of the city's churches displays a complete set of stained glass windows by French modernist Jean Cocteau.[124]

In addition, Metz features other museums and exhibition venues, such as:

• The FRAC Lorraine, a public collection of contemporary art of the Lorraine region. It is located in the 12th-century Saint-Liver Hôtel and organizes exhibitions of local and international contemporary artists.[125]
• The Golden Courtyard (French: la Cour d'Or), a museum dedicated to the history of Metz, divided into four sections (e.g. archeology, medieval, architecture, and fine arts).[126] The Golden Courtyard displays a rich collection of Gallo-Roman and medieval finds and the remains of the Gallo-Roman baths of Divodurum Mediomatricum, revealed by the extension works to the museums in the 1930s.
• The Museum of the 1870 War and of the Annexion in Gravelotte, a village located within the Metz-Metropole conurbation and the site of the Battle of Gravelotte, the only museum in Europe dedicated to the Franco-Prussian War.[127] The museum exhibits military and everyday items from the period as well as artworks related to the 1870 war. A mausoleum erected in 1904 honoring the soldiers who died during the battle, the Memorial Hall (French: La Halle du Souvenir), has been included in the museum.
• The House for Europe, located on the estate of Robert Schuman in Scy-Chazelles in the Metz-Metropole conurbation, transformed into a museum and convention centre.[128] Across the street is the fortified 12th Century church where Robert Schuman now rests. The Robert Schuman House for Europe organises cultural and educational events that introduce the visitor to Schuman's life and works and to the way Europe has been constructed and continues to develop today.
• Verlaine's House (French: la Maison de Verlaine) is a museum located in the house where the poet Paul Verlaine was born, dedicated to his work, featuring permanent and temporary exhibitions.[57][129] The Solange Bertrand foundation, located in the artist's former house, conserves and displays her artworks.[130] The municipal archives preserve and exhibit Metz's historical municipal records dating from medieval times to the present.[131]

Metz has several venues for the performing arts. The Opera House of Metz, the oldest working opera house in France, features plays, dance, and lyric poetry.[132] The Arsenal Concert Hall, dedicated to art music, is widely renowned for its excellent acoustics.[133][134] The Trinitarians Club is a multi-media arts complex housed in the vaulted cellar and chapel of an ancient convent, the city's prime venue for jazz music.[135] The Music Box (French: Boite à Musique), familiarly known as BAM, is the concert venue dedicated to rock and electronic music.[136] The Braun Hall and the Koltès Theater feature plays, and the city has two movie theaters specializing in Auteur cinema. The Saint-Jacques Square, surrounded by busy bars and pubs whose open-air tables fill the centre of the square.

Since 2014, the former bus garage has been converted to accommodate over thirty artists in residence, in a space where they can create and rehearse artworks and even build set decorations.[137] The artistic complex, called Metz Network of All Cultures (French: Toutes les Cultures en Réseau à Metz) and familiarly known as TCRM-Blida, encompasses a large hall of 3,000 m² (32,000 sq ft) while theater and dance companies benefit from a studio of 800 m² (8,600 sq ft) with backstages.

Metz was an important cultural centre during the Carolingian Renaissance.[12] For instance, Gregorian chant was created in Metz during the 8th century as a fusion of Gallican and ancient Roman repertory. Then called Messin Chant, it remains the oldest form of music still in use in Western Europe. The bishops of Metz, notably Saint-Chrodegang promoted its use for the Roman liturgy in Gallic lands under the favorable influence of the Carolingian monarchs. Messin chant made two major contributions to the body of chant: it fitted the chant into the ancient Greek octoechos system, and invented an innovative musical notation, using neumes to show the shape of a remembered melody.[138] Metz was also an important centre of illumination of Carolingian manuscripts, producing such monuments of Carolingian book illumination as the Drogo Sacramentary.[139][140]

The Metz School (French: École de Metz) was an art movement in Metz and the region between 1834 and 1870, centred on Charles-Laurent Maréchal.[141] The term was originally proposed in 1845 by the poet Charles Baudelaire, who appreciated the works of the artists. They were influenced by Eugène Delacroix and inspired by the medieval heritage of Metz and its romantic surroundings.[141] The Franco-Prussian War and the annexation of the territory by the Germans resulted in the dismantling of the movement. The main figures of the Metz School were Charles-Laurent Maréchal, Auguste Migette, Auguste Hussenot, Louis-Théodore Devilly, Christophe Fratin, and Charles Pêtre.[141] Their works include paintings, engravings, drawings, stained-glass windows, and sculptures.

A festival named "passages" takes place in May. Numerous shows are presented to it.[142]

The Graoully is depicted as a fearsome dragon, vanquished by the sacred powers of Saint Clement of Metz, the first Bishop of the city. The Graoully quickly became a symbol of Metz and can be seen in numerous insignia of the city, from the 10th century on.[143] Writers from Metz tend to present the legend as an allegory of Christianity's victory over paganism, represented by the harmful dragon.[143]

Local specialties include the quiche, the potée, the Lorrain pâté, and also suckling pig.[144][145] Different recipes, such as jam, tart, charcuterie and fruit brandy, are made from the Mirabelle and Damson plums.[144][145] Also, Metz is the cradle of some pastries like the Metz cheese pie and the Metz Balls (French: boulet de Metz), a ganache-stuffed biscuit coated with marzipan, caramel, and dark chocolate.[144] Local beverages include Moselle wine and Amos beer.[144][145]

The Covered Market of Metz is one of the oldest, most grandiose in France and is home to traditional local food producers and retailers. Originally built as the bishop's palace, the French Revolution broke out before the Bishop of Metz could move in and the citizens decided to turn it into a food market.[146] The adjacent Chamber's Square (French: Place de la Chambre) is surrounded by numerous local food restaurants.

Many events are celebrated in Metz throughout the year.[147] The city of Metz dedicates two weeks to the Mirabelle plum during the popular Mirabelle Festival held in August. During the festival, in addition to open markets selling fresh plums, mirabelle tarts, and mirabelle liquor, there are live music, fireworks, parties, art exhibits, a parade with floral floats, a competition, the crowning of the Mirabelle Queen and a gala of celebration.[148]

A literature festival is held in June. The Montgolfiades hot air balloon festival is organized in September. The second most popular Christmas Market in France is held in November and December.[149] Finally, a Saint Nicholas parade honors the patron saint of the Lorraine region in December.

Metz has numerous high schools, including the Fabert High School and the Lycée of Communication. Some of these institutions offer higher education programs such as classes préparatoires (undergraduate school) or BTS (technician certificate).

Metz is also home to the University of Lorraine (often abbreviated as UdL).[160] The university is divided into two university centers, one in Metz (material sciences, technology, and management) and one in Nancy (biological sciences, health care, administration, and management). The University of Lorraine, which ranks in 2016 among the top 15 of French universities and among the top 300 of universities in the world according to the 2016 Academic Ranking of World Universities, [161] has a student body of over 55,000 and offers 101 accredited research centers organized in 9 research areas and 8 doctoral colleges.[162]

At the end of the 1990s, the city expanded and the Metz Science Park was created in the southern area. Along with this expansion, several graduate schools took the opportunity to establish campuses in the park. At first, facilities were grouped around the lake Symphony, like Supélec in 1985 and Georgia Tech Lorraine in 1990.[163] In 1996, the engineering school Arts et Métiers ParisTech (ENSAM) built a research and learning center next to the golf course.[164] This opened the way to the development of a new area, where the Franco-German university (ISFATES) and the ENIM moved in 2010. These graduate schools often cooperate with the University of Lorraine. For instance, the university and ENSAM share research teams, laboratories, equipments, and doctoral programs.

Public transport includes a bus rapid transit system, called Mettis.[165] Mettis vehicles are high-capacity hybrid bi-articulated buses built by Van Hool,[166] and stop at designated elevated tubes, complete with disability access. Mettis has its own planned and integrated transportation system, which includes two dedicated lines that spread out into the Metz conurbation. Mettis lanes A and B serve the city's major facilities (e.g., city centre, university campus, and hospitals), and a transport hub is located next to the railway station.

Metz Railway Station is connected to the French high speed train (TGV) network, which provides a direct rail service to Paris and Luxembourg. The time from Paris (Gare de l'Est) to Metz is 82 minutes. Additionally, Metz is served by the Lorraine TGV railway station, located at Louvigny, 25 km (16 mi) to the south of Metz, for high speed trains going to Nantes, Rennes, Lille and Bordeaux (without stopping in Paris). Also, Metz is one of the main stations of the regional express trains system, Métrolor.

Metz is located at the intersection of two major road axes: the Eastern Motorway, itself a part of the European route E50 connecting Paris to Prague, and the A31 Motorway, which goes north to Luxembourg and south to the Mediterranean Sea towards Nancy, Dijon, and Lyon.

The Luxembourg International Airport is the nearest international airport, connected to Metz by Métrolor train. The Lorraine TGV Station is 75 minutes by train from France international Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. Finally, Metz-Nancy-Lorraine Airport is located in Goin, 16.5 km (10.25 mi) southeast of Metz.

Metz is located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers, both navigable waterways. The marina connects Metz to the cities of the Moselle valley (i.e. Trier, Schengen, and Koblenz) via the Moselle river.

• the Gothic Saint Stephen's cathedral built during the 13th century. The cathedral is nicknamed the Good Lord's Lantern (French: la Lanterne du Bon Dieu),[19] as it has the largest expanse of stained glass windows in the world and the tenth-highest nave in the world.[168]
• the Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains basilica, one of the oldest churches in the world and cradle of the Gregorian Chant.[20]
• Saint Maximin's church featuring stained glass windows by French artist Jean Cocteau,[169] and the Sainte-Thérèse-de-l'Enfant-Jésus church built by French architect Roger-Henri Expert.[83]
• the 13th century Romanesque Knights Templar's chapel, once part of the Templar commandery of Metz, the oldest Templar institution in the Holy Roman Empire.

• The opera house of Metz Metropole built during the 18th century in Tuscany-influenced neo-Classical style.[67] It is the oldest working opera house in France and one of the oldest in Europe.[22]
• The birthplaces of Paul Verlaine,[57] Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, André Schwarz-Bart, Gustave Kahn, Gabriel Pierné, the sculptor Charles Pêtre, and Antoine Charles Louis de Lasalle.
• The house of François Rabelais, when he came to Metz - then a free imperial city and a republic - to escape condemnation for heresy by the University of Paris.
• Numerous medieval edifices, including two granaries and several Hôtels.[67]

• the town square and its surrounding Neoclassical buildings, built by French architect Jacques-François Blondel.[170]
• the Neoclassical courthouse (former Governor's Palace), built by French artist Charles-Louis Clérisseau,[67] location in 1775 of the Diner of Metz when Lafayette met Marquis of Ruffec and Duke of Gloucester and decided to support the American Revolutionary War.
• the Romanesque Revival Station-Palace and Central Post Office, built by German architect Jürgen Kröger.[21]
• the Northeast France defense headquarters (former Kaiser headquarters), built by German architects Schönhals and Stolterfoth in a neo-Flemish style.[82]

• the German's Gate from the 13th century, the last medieval bridge castle in France. The fortification played a crucial defensive role during the siege of Metz in 1552–1553 by Emperor Charles V.
• the ruins of the city's defensive walls dating from ancient history to the 18th century,[104] and the extensive 19th- and 20th-century fortifications of Metz.
• the Fort of Queuleu, also called the Hell of Queuleu (French: l'Enfer de Queuleu), used by the Germans as a detention and interrogation centre for members of the French Resistance during the Second World War.[171]
• the war memorial, art deco sculpture by French sculptor Paul Niclausse representing a mother cradling the dead body of her son.