Metz

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Metz

Metz ( in French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
) is a city in the northeast of France, capital of the Lorraine

Lorraine (région)

Lorraine is one of the 26 Regions of France of France. It is the only administrative region with two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy....
region and prefecture

Prefecture

Prefecture indicates the office, seat, territorial circumscription of a Prefect. The term prefecture is also used to refer to offices analogous to prefectures....
of the Moselle

Moselle

Moselle is a departments of France in the east of France named after the Moselle River....
department.

It is located at the confluence of the Moselle

Moselle River

The Moselle is a river flowing through France, Luxembourg and Germany. It is a left tributary of the Rhine river, joining it at Koblenz. A small part of Belgium is also drained by the Mosel through the Our River....
and the Seille

Seille

The Seille is a river in the France R?gions of France of Lorraine , right tributary of the Moselle River. It is also known as the Seille lorraine or the Grande Seille , to distinguish it from another Seille , a small tributary of the Sa?ne....
rivers.

Although historically Nancy

Nancy

Nancy is a city in the Meurthe-et-Moselle Departments of France in northeastern France.The city is the capital of the department. The metropolitan area of Nancy had a population of 410,509 inhabitants at the 1999 census, 103,602 of whom lived in the city of Nancy proper ....
was the capital of the duchy of Lotharingia, it was Metz which was chosen as the capital of the newly created région of Lorraine in the middle of the 20th century, because of its past history as the capital of the region of Lotharingia - an origin found much more republican-friendly than the duchy-related theory, pointing to Nancy as the region capital.

ncient times Metz, then known as Divodurum (the town at the holy mountain), was the capital of the Celt

Celt

Celts , is a modern term used to describe any of the European peoples who spoke, or speak, a Celtic languages. The term is also used in a wider sense to describe the Modern Celts of those peoples, notably those who participate in a Celtic culture....
ic Mediomatrici

Mediomatrici

The Mediomatrici were an ancient Celtic people of Gaul, who belong to the division of Belgica. Julius Caesar shows their position in a general way when he says that the Rhine flows along the territories of the Sequani, Mediomatrici, Triboci or Tribocci, and Treviri....
, and the name of this tribe, abbreviated to Mettis, formed the origin of the present name.

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Encyclopedia

Metz ( in French

French language

Lorraine (région)

Lorraine is one of the 26 Regions of France of France. It is the only administrative region with two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy....
region and prefecture

Prefecture

Prefecture indicates the office, seat, territorial circumscription of a Prefect. The term prefecture is also used to refer to offices analogous to prefectures....
of the Moselle

Moselle

Moselle is a departments of France in the east of France named after the Moselle River....
department.

It is located at the confluence of the Moselle

Moselle River

Seille

Nancy

History

Roman Divodurum

In ancient times Metz, then known as Divodurum (the town at the holy mountain), was the capital of the Celt

Celt

Mediomatrici

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. Metz became one of the principal towns of Gallia

Gaul

Gaul is the name used for the region of Western Europe comprising part of present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the River Rhine....
, more populous than Lutetia

Lutetia

Lutetia was a town in pre-Roman and Roman era Gaul. The Gallo-Roman city was a forerunner of the re-established Merovingian town that is the ancestor of present-day Paris....
, rich thanks to its wine exports and having one of the largest amphitheatres of the country. As a well-fortified town at the junction of several military roads, it soon grew to great importance. One of the last Roman strongholds to surrender to the Germanic tribes, it was captured by Attila in 451, and finally passed, about the end of the fifth century, through peaceful negotiations into the hands of the Franks

Franks

The Franks or Frankish people were a West Germanic ethnic group first identified in the 3rd century as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River....
.

Early Frankish Metz

Though the first Christian

Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
churches were to be found outside the city, the existence in the fifth century of the oratory

Oratory (worship)

In Christianity, an oratory is a room for prayer, from the Latin orare, to pray.In the Roman Catholic Church, an oratory is for all intents and purposes another word for what is commonly called a chapel....
of St. Stephen

Saint Stephen

Saint Stephen , known as the Protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Churches....
within the city walls has been fully proved. In the beginning of the seventh century the oldest monastic establishments were those of St. Glossinde and St. Peter.

Since King Sigibert I, Metz frequently was the residence of the Merovingian kings of Austrasia

Austrasia

Austrasia formed the north-eastern portion of the Kingdom of the Merovingian Franks, comprising parts of the territory of present-day eastern France, western Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands....
and especially the reign of Queen Brunhilda

Brunhilda of Austrasia

Brunhilda was a Frankish queen who ruled the eastern kingdoms of Austrasia and Kingdom of Burgundy in the names of her sons and grandsons. Initially known as a liberal ruler of great political acumen, she became notorious for her cruelty and avarice....
reflected great splendour on the town.

The town preserved the good-will of the rulers, when the Carolingian

Carolingian

File:Charlemagne denier Mayence 812 814.jpgThe Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with its origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century....
s acceeded to the Frankish throne

List of Frankish Kings

The Franks were originally led by Dux and Rex . The Salian Franks Merovingian dynasty rose to dominance among the Franks and conquered most of Roman Gaul....
, as it had long been a base of their family and one of their primal ancestors, Saint Arnulf of Metz

Arnulf of Metz

Saint Arnulf of Metz was born of an important Franks family at an uncertain date around 582. In his younger years he was called to the Merovingian court to serve king Theudebert II of Austrasia and as dux at the Schelde....
, as well as his son Chlodulf

Chlodulf of Metz

Saint Chlodulf or more commonly Saint Cloud was bishop of Metz approximately from 657 to 697.Chlodulf was the son of Arnulf of Metz, bishop of Metz, and the younger brother of Ansegisel, List of the Mayors of the Palaces....
, had been bishops of Metz. Charlemagne

Charlemagne

Charlemagne was List of Frankish kings from 768 to his death. He expanded the Franks kingdoms into a Carolingian Empire that incorporated much of Western Europe and Central Europe....
considered making Metz his chief residence before he finally decided in favour of Aachen

Aachen

is a historic spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the westernmost city of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, 65 km west of Cologne....
.

There is evidence that the earliest Western musical notation

Musical notation

Music notation or musical notation is any system which represents aurally perceived music, through the use of written Modern musical symbols....
, in the form of neume

Neume

Neumes are the basic elements of Western and Eastern systems of musical notation prior to the invention of five-line staff notation. The word neume is a Middle English corruption of the ultimately Greek language word for breath ....
s in camp aperto (without staff

Staff (music)

In standard Western musical notation, the stave is a set of five horizontal lines and four spaces, each of which represents a different musical pitch , or, in the case of a percussion staff, different percussion instruments....
-lines), was created at Metz around 800, as a result of Charlemagne's desire for Frankish church musicians to retain the performance nuances used by the Roman singers.

In the basilica, Louis the Pious

Louis the Pious

Louis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781 and Holy Roman Emperor and King of the Franks with his father, Charlemagne, from 813....
and his half-brother the Bishop Drogo

Drogo of Metz

Drogo, also known as Dreux or Drogon was an illegitimate son of Frankish emperor Charlemagne by the concubine Regina .As one of the few children to outlive his father, Drogo's prospects for political power were very favourable....
were buried and Charles the Bald

Charles the Bald

File:Charles le Chauve denier Bourges after 848.jpgCharles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith, daughter of Welf....
was crowned there.

Lotharingian Metz

In 843 Metz became the capital of the Kingdom of Lotharingia

Lotharingia

Lotharingia or Duchy of Lorraine was a short-lived kingdom in western Europe, the aggregate of territories belonging to Lothair, King of Lotharingia , who received it in 855 from his Carolingian father, Lothair I , Carolingian Empire....
, and several diets and councils were held there. Numerous Christian manuscripts, the product of the Metz schools of writing and painting, such as the famous "Trier Ada" manuscript and the Drogo Sacramentary

Drogo Sacramentary

The Drogo Sacramentary is a Carolingian illuminated manuscript on vellum, one of the monuments of Carolingian book illumination. A Sacramentary is a book containing all the prayers spoken by the officiating priest during the course of the year....
for the personal use of a bishop of the royal house (Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris), are evidence of the active intellectual lives and sumptuous patronage of Carolingian Metz.

After the death of king Lothar II

Lothair II of Lotharingia

Lothair II , was the second son of Emperor Lothair I and Ermengarde of Tours. He was married to Teutberga, daughter of Boso the ElderUpon his father's death in 855, he received as his kingdom a territory west of the Rhine stretching from the North Sea to the Jura mountains....
the kingdom of Lotharingia, and with it Metz, was contested and changed back and forth between the Eastern and the Western Frankish kingdom until in 925 it finally became part of the East kingdom and subsequently the Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early modern Europe under a Holy Roman Emperor....
.

The increasing influence of the bishops in the city became greater when Adalbert I (928-62) obtained a share of the privileges of the counts; until the twelfth century, therefore, the history of the town is practically identical with that of the bishops (see ). In 1039 a splendid edifice was built to take the place of the old church of St. Stephen.

In the spring of 1096, Metz became one of the scenes of the Rhineland

Rhineland

The Rhineland is the general name for the land on both sides of the river Rhine in the west of Germany. After the collapse of the First French Empire in the early 19th century, the German-speaking regions at the middle and lower course of the Rhine were annexed to the kingdom of Prussia....
massacres of non-Christians as Count Emicho

Emicho

Count Emicho , was a count in the Rhineland in the late 11th century and the leader of the "German Crusade, 1096" in 1096. He is also commonly referred to as Count Emicho of Leiningen....
of Fionheim gathered followers for the First Crusade

First Crusade

The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II with the primary goal of responding to the appeal from Byzantine Emperor Alexius I. The Emperor requested that western volunteers come to their aid and repel the Seljuk Turks in Anatolia, Modern day Turkey....
. A group of these crusaders entered Metz, forcibly converting Jewish families, and killing those who resisted baptism. 22 Jewish citizens of Metz were slaughtered.

The commune of Metz

In the twelfth century, the burgesses began efforts to free themselves from the domination of the bishops. In 1180, the burgesses formed a close corporation, the Tredecem jurati, which were appointed as municipal representatives in 1207. The burgesses were still nominated directly by the bishop, who had also a controlling influence in the selection of the presiding officer of the board of aldermen (which originated in the eleventh century). The twenty-five representatives sent by the various parishes held an independent position; in judicial matters they helped the Tredecem jurati and formed the democratic element of the system of government. The other municipal authorities were chosen by the town aristocracy, the so-called Paraiges, i. e. the five associations whose members were selected from distinguished families to protect the interests of their relatives. The other body of burgesses, called a Commune, also appears as a Paraige from the year 1297; in the individual offices it was represented by double the number of members that each of the older five Paraiges had. Making common cause, the older family unions and the Commune found it advantageous to gradually increase the powers of the city as opposed to the bishops, and also to keep the control of the municipal government fully in their hands and out of that of the powerful growing guilds, so that until the sixteenth century Metz remained a purely aristocratic organization. In 1300 the Paraiges gained the right to fill the office of head-alderman, during the fourteenth century the right to elect the Tredecem jurati, and in 1383 the right of coining. The guilds, which during the fourteenth century had attained great independence, were completely suppressed (1383), and the last revolutionary attempt of the artisans to seize control of the city government (1405) was put down with much bloodshed.

The city had often to fight for its freedom; from 1324-27 against the Dukes of Luxembourg and Lorraine, as well as against the Archbishop of Trier; in 1363 and 1365 against the band of English mercenaries under Arnold of Cervola, in the fifteenth century against France and the Dukes of Burgundy, who sought to annex Metz to their lands or at least wanted to exercise a protectorate. Nevertheless it maintained its independence, even though at great cost, and remained, outwardly at least, part of the German Empire

German Empire

The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from the unification of Germany and proclamation of William I, German Emperor as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became Weimar republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of William II, German Emperor ....
, whose ruler, however, concerned himself very little with this important frontier stronghold.

French Metz

Charles IV

Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor

Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the eleventh king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and Holy Roman Emperor.He was the eldest son and heir of John of Bohemia, who died on 26 August 1346, thus Charles inherited the Count of Luxembourg and the King of Bohemia....
in 1354 and 1356 held brilliant diets

Diet (assembly)

In politics, a diet is a formal deliberative assembly. The term is derived from Medieval Latin dietas, and ultimately comes from the Latin dies, "day"....
here, at the latter of which was promulgated the famous statute known as the "Golden Bull

Golden Bull of 1356

The Golden Bull of 1356 was a decree issued by a Reichstag in Nuremberg headed by Emperor Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor that fixed, for a period of more than four hundred years, important aspects of the constitutional structure of the Holy Roman Empire....
". The town therefore felt that it occupied an almost independent position between France and Germany, and wanted most of all to evade the obligation of imperial taxes and attendance at the diet. The estrangement between it and the German States daily became wider, and finally affairs came to such a pass that in the religious and political troubles of 1552 Metz found itself in the middle of the war between Charles V

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I of Spain, of the Spanish realms from 1516 until his abdication in 1556....
and the rebellious princes. By an agreement of the German princes, Moritz of Saxony, William of Hesse

William of Hesse

William of Hesse may refer to:* William I, Elector of Hesse , German nobility* Prince William of Hesse, or Landgrave William of Hesse-Cassel , German nobility...
, John Albrecht of Mecklenburg, and George Frederick of Brandenburg, with Henry II of France

Henry II of France

Henry II , of the House of Valois and the son and successor of Francis I of France, was King of France from 31 March 1547, until his death....
, ratified by the French king at Chambord

Treaty of Chambord

The Treaty of Chambord was signed on January 15, 1552 between Henry II of France and three Germany princes including Maurice, Elector of Saxony....
(15 January), Metz was formally transferred to France, the gates of the city were opened (10 April), and Henry took possession as vicarius sacri imperii et urbis protector (18 April). Francis, Duke of Guise

Francis, Duke of Guise

Francis II, Prince of Joinville, Duke of Guise, Duke of Aumale , called Balafr? , was a France soldier and politician....
, commander of the garrison, restored the old fortifications and added new ones, and successfully resisted the attacks of the emperor from October to December, 1552; Metz remained French.

The recognition by the empire of the surrender of Metz to France came at the conclusion of the Peace of Westphalia

Peace of Westphalia

The term Peace of Westphalia refers to the two Peace treaty of Osnabr?ck and M?nster, signed on May 15 and October 24, 1648, respectively, and written in Latin, that ended both the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire and the Dutch Revolt between Spain and the Dutch Republic....
. By the construction of the citadel (1555-62) the new government secured itself against the citizens, who were discontented with the turn of events. Important internal changes soon took place. In place of the Paraiges stood the authority of the French king, whose representative was the governor. The head-alderman, now appointed by the governor, was replaced (1640) by a Royalist Mayor. The aldermen were also appointed by the governor and henceforth drawn from the whole body of burgesses; in 1633 the judgeship passed to the Parliament. The powers of the Tredecem jurati were also restricted, in 1634 totally abolished, and replaced by the Bailliage royal.

Among the cities of Lorraine, Metz held a prominent position during the French possession for two reasons: In the first place it became one of the most important fortresses through the work of Vauban

Vauban

S?bastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban and later Marquis de Vauban , commonly referred to as Vauban, was a Marshal of France and the foremost military engineer of his age, famed for his skill in both designing fortifications and in breaking through them....
(1674) and Cormontaigne (1730); secondly, it became the capital of the temporal province of the three bishoprics of Metz

Diocese of Metz

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Metz is a Diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in France. In the Middle Ages it was in effect an independent state, part of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by the bishop who had the ex officio title of count....
, Toul

Diocese of Toul

The Diocese of Toul was a Roman Catholic Church diocese seated at Toul in present-day France. It existed from 365 until 1824. From 1048 until 1552 , it was also a state of the Holy Roman Empire....
, and Verdun, which France had seized (1552) and, by the Peace of Westphalia, retained. In 1633 there was created for this "Province des trois évêchés" (also called "Généralité

Généralité

Recettes g?n?rales, commonly known as g?n?ralit?s, were the administrative divisions of France under the Ancien R?gime and are often considered to prefigure the current pr?fectures....
des trois évêchés" or "Intendance de Metz") a supreme court of justice and court of administration, the Metz Parliament. In 1681 the Chambre Royale, the notorious Assembly chamber, whose business it was to decide what fiefs belonged to the three bishoprics which Louis XIV

Louis XIV of France

Louis XIV ruled as List of French monarchs and of King of Navarre. He ascended the throne a few months before his fifth birthday, but did not assume actual personal control of the government until the death of his prime minister , the Italians Jules Cardinal Mazarin, in 1661....
claimed for France, was made a part of this Parliament, which lasted, after a temporary dissolution (1771-75), until the final settlement by the National Assembly in 1789, whereupon the division of the land into departments and districts followed. Metz became the capital of the Department of Moselle, created in 1790. The revolution brought great calamities upon the city. In the campaigns of 1814 and 1815 the allied armies twice besieged the city, but were unable to take it.

1819: A view of Metz after the Bourbon restoration

In July 1819, the Scots born naval officer Norwich Duff

Norwich Duff

Admiral Norwich Duff was a Royal Navy officer.The son of Captain George Duff RN, and Sophia Dirom, he was born at 9 South Castle Street, Edinburgh....
visited Metz and recorded a detailed description of the town:

Metz is a large and strongly fortified town, beautifuly situated on a plain at the confluence of the Moselle
Moselle

Moselle is a departments of France in the east of France named after the Moselle River....
and Seille. It manufactures woollen goods, linen, china, paper, oil, starch and is famous for its hams, liquers, sweetmeats and artificial flowers: they also have a king's manufactory of gun powder. The Government House and the promenades round it are very fine: there is also [an] immence extent of barracks for troops, a large cathedral and a theatre. From the number of running ditches formed by the river there are a great many bridges: the streets like all French towns [!] are narrow and dirty and the houses high: the ground is also very uneven on which they stand. Some street performers gave us a little very tolerable music during our dinner

Metz and the Franco-Prussian War

During the Franco-Prussian War

Franco-Prussian War

The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between Second French Empire and Kingdom of Prussia, while Prussia was backed by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Grand Duchy of Baden, History of W?rttemberg#The Kingdom...
of 1870-71 Metz was the headquarters and rendezvous of the Third French Army Corps under Bazaine

François Achille Bazaine

Fran?ois Achille Bazaine was a French General and from 1864, a Marshal of France, "who suffered the fate of Generals who win every battle except the last"....
. Through the operations of the German army, Bazaine, after the battles of Colombey, Mars-la-Tour

Battle of Mars-La-Tour

The Battle of Mars-La-Tour was fought on 16 August 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War near the town of Mars-La-Tour in north-east France. Two Prussia corps encountered the entire French Army of the Rhine, and successfully forced the Army of the Rhine to retreat into the fortresses of Metz....
, and Gravelotte

Battle of Gravelotte

The Battle of Gravelotte was a battle of the Franco-Prussian War named after Gravelotte, a village in Lorraine between Metz and the former France?Germany frontier....
(14-18 August) was besieged in Metz

Siege of Metz

The Siege of Metz lasting from September 3 – October 23 1870 was a crushing defeat for the French during the Franco-Prussian War.After being defeated at the Battle of Gravelotte, Fran?ois Achille Bazaine, retreated into the fortifications of Metz....
. The German army of investment was commanded by Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia; as the few sorties of the garrison were unable to break the German lines, Metz was forced to surrender (27 October), with the result that 6000 French officers and 170,000 men were taken prisoners. Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th century philosophy Germans philosophy and classical philology. He wrote critical texts on religion, morality, contemporary culture, philosophy, and science, using a distinctive German language style and displaying a fondness for metaphor and aphorism....
took part in the siege of Metz as a German soldier.

By the Treaty of Frankfurt

Treaty of Frankfurt (1871)

The Treaty of Frankfurt was a peace treaty signed in Frankfurt on May 10, 1871, at the end of the Franco-Prussian War....
of 1871, Metz became a German city, and was made a most important garrison and a strong fortress. The fortifications

Fortifications of Metz

The Fortifications of Metz, a city in northeastern France, are extensive, due to its strategic position near the border of France and Germany. Below is a list of the fortifications that exist around the area of Metz....
on the south and east were levelled in 1898, securing space for growth and development. Some large neo-Romanesque buildings typical of the German Empire

German Empire

20th century and modern day Metz

Following the armistice with Germany

Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)

The armistice treaty between the Allies and German Empire was signed in a railway carriage in Compi?gne Forest on 11 November 1918, and marked the end of the World War I on the Western Front ....
ending the First World War, the French army entered Metz in November 1918 and the city was returned to France at the Treaty of Versailles

Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaty at the end of World War I. It ended the declaration of war between German Empire and Allies of World War I....
in 1919.

Metz was again annexed by Nazi Germany between 1940 and 1944 during the Second World War, and was reverted to France after the war.

Nowadays, the military importance of Metz has decreased, and the city has diversified its economic base. Expansion has continued in the recent decades despite the economic crisis that besets the rest of Lorraine. However, Metz is in the heart of a new economic region known as the SaarLorLux

SaarLorLux

SaarLorLux or Saar-Lor-Lux, , a portmanteau of Saarland, Lorraine, Luxembourg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Wallonia, is a Euroregion of five different municipalities located in four different European states....
Which combines the culture and economic aspects of this unique region in Europe. The City has developed its University and overall infrastructure for the EU's 2007 "Culture Region" (GER: Kultur Großregion). The Metz Technopôle is also an example of the economic revival of Metz and its region. The Technopôle, a high-tech park spread over 180 hectares, was established in 1983 and has attracted over 200 companies, 4000 employees and 4500 students. World-class academic institutions such as Arts et Métiers ParisTech, Georgia Tech and Supélec

Supélec

?cole sup?rieure d'?lectricit?, commonly known as Sup?lec, is one of the most prestigious and selective grandes ?coles in France, and one of the finest institutions in the field of electric energy and information sciences....
along with established companies including ProConsultant, SFR

SFR

SFR is a France mobile phone company. It has 19 million clients, including over 3 million using 3G technology.It also offers services on the island of R?union through SRR although the company is branded as SFR R?union....
and TDF

TDF Group

TDF is a French company which provides radio and television transmission services, services for telecoms operators, and other multimedia services: digitization of content, encoding, storage, etc....
are located at the Technopôle.

Sights

The city is famous for its yellow limestone architecture: la Pierre de Jaumont

Pierre de Jaumont

The Pierre de Jaumont is an Oolite limestone of the Upper Jurassic, found in Malancourt-la-Montagne, part of the commune in France of Montois-la-Montagne, in Lorraine , France....
and for its nickname "The Green City" (25m2 - 270sqft of park/garden/playground per inhabitant). Metz is the 39th place to go in 2009 according to The New York Times

The New York Times

The New York Times is an American daily newspaper published in New York City. The largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States, "The Gray Lady"?named for its staid appearance and style?is regarded as a national newspaper of record....
.

St. Etienne
Metz Cathedral

Metz Cathedral or St. Stephen's Cathedral in Metz , in the d?partement of Moselle, France, is the seat of the Bishop of Metz. It was formed in the 14th century by joining together two churches: the nave of Saint-Etienne, built in the 13th century, was attached to the north side of an older Romanesque architecture church....
, Gothic
Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late Middle Ages. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
cathedral
Cathedral

A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop. It is a Religion building for worship, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Roman Catholic Church, Anglicanism, Orthodox Christian and some Lutheranism churches, which serves as a bishop's seat, and thus as the central church of a dioc...
featuring stained glass window
Stained Glass Window

Stained Glass Window is the third and final studio album released by American country music artist Mila Mason. It was her first album after a five-year hiatus from the music industry....
s designed by Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall

Marc Chagall ; [shuh-GAHL] , was a Jewish Russians artist, born in Belarus and naturalized France in 1937, associated with several key art movements and was one of the most successful artists of the twentieth century....
)
St-Pierre-aux-Nonnains, the oldest church in France, built between 380 and 395AD as a Roman gymnasium; converted to a Christian church in the 7th century.
Ste-Segolene church, (built 13th-14th century)
St-Martin church
St-Vincente church
St-Pierre-de-la-Citadelle church
St-Euchaire church
St-Maximin church
Ruins of city walls
City gates: Porte Serpenoise, Porte des Allemands (German Gate)
Opéra-Théâtre de Metz
Opéra-Théâtre de Metz

The Op?ra-Th??tre de Metz is a theatre and opera house located in the city of Metz in North-Eastern France.In is the oldest working theatre in France having been constructed between 1732 and its inauguration on 3 February 1752 with a ball....
- Theatre and Opera House, built between 1732 and 1752 and the oldest in France
Railway Station (built in 1908) and the imperial area build during German occupation
The city's botanical garden, the Jardin botanique de Metz
Jardin botanique de Metz

The Jardin botanique de Metz , also known as the Jardin botanique de la Ville de Metz, is a botanical garden located at 27 ter, rue du Pont-?-Mousson, Montigny-l?s-Metz, Moselle, Lorraine, France....

Transport

Motorway

Metz is ideally located at the intersection of two majors axes: A4 motorway (going from Paris to Strasbourg)Also the A4 is a part of the E50 Motorway connecting Paris, France to Prague, Czech Republic and the A31 motorway (going to Luxembourg at the North and towards Nancy, Dijon and Lyon at the South).

High speed train (TGV)

Metz is connected to the French high speed train (TGV

TGV

The TGV is France's high-speed rail service. It was developed during the 1970s by GEC-Alsthom and SNCF, the French national rail transport operations, and is now operated primarily by SNCF....
) network, which provides direct train to Paris and Luxembourg cities. The time from Paris (East station) to Metz train station is 82 minutes. Additionally Metz is served by the 'Lorraine TGV' train station, located at Louvigny

Louvigny, Moselle

Louvigny is a Communes of France in the Moselle Departments of France in Lorraine in northeastern France.It had a registered population of 728 in 2004....
, to the south of Metz, for high speed trains going to Nantes, Rennes, Lille or Bordeaux (without stopping in Paris). 'Lorraine TGV' is at 75 mn of train from Paris Airport (Roissy - Charles de Gaulle).

Regional trains

Metz is one of the main stations of the regional express trains systems named . One of the main lines is the Nancy-Metz-Luxembourg line, completed by many lines going to main cities of the area.

Local transportation

Local transportation in the agglomeration is carried out by buses.

Sports and events

FC Metz
FC Metz

Football Club de Metz is a France football team, playing in the town of Metz, in the Lorraine region, which has played in the French Ligue 1 for most of its history....
, a football team in Ligue 2
Ligue 2

Ligue 2 is the second division of France Football . It is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 1, which is France's top division....
, the second league in French football
The Open de Moselle
Open de Moselle

The Open de Moselle is a professional tennis tournament played on Tennis court#Indoor courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour....
, a tournament of the ATP World Tour 250 series
ATP World Tour 250 series

The ATP World Tour 250 series is a new series for tennis tournaments of the Association of Tennis Professionals from the 2009 ATP World Tour....
, is played in Metz.
Europe's largest hot air balloon festival, hosted by Metz every other year - http://www.pilatre-de-rozier.com/

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project

The town of Metz has the distinction of being the location over which the first international handshake in space occurred. On July 17, 1975 an American Apollo Spacecraft

Apollo spacecraft

The Apollo spacecraft was designed as part of the Project Apollo, by the United States in the early 1960s to land men on the moon before 1970 and return them safely to earth....
docked with a Soviet Soyuz

Soyuz

Soyuz is Russian language for "Union", and was often used as an abbreviation for the "Soviet Union" during the Communist era. In English, the term is left untranslated in the names of several Soviet-related concepts....
Spacecraft in the first joint international mission in history. When the two spacecraft docked, the hatch was opened and Commanders Thomas P. Stafford and Aleksei Leonov

Aleksei Leonov

Alexey Arkhipovich Leonov , , is a retired Soviet Union/Russian astronaut and Soviet Air Forces General who, on March 18, 1965, became the first human to Extra-vehicular activity....
shook hands which happened to occur over the town of Metz.

Notable people from Metz

Metz was the birthplace of:

Rabbenu Gershom (960 – 1040?), rabbi
Charles Ancillon
Charles Ancillon

Charles Ancillon was a France jurist and diplomat.Ancillon was born in Metz into a distinguished family of Huguenots. His father, David Ancillon , was obliged to leave France on the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and became pastor of the French Protestant community in Berlin....
(1659 – 1715), prominent Huguenot
Huguenot

The Huguenots were members of the Protestantism Reformed Church of France of France from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries....
Adam Philippe de Custine
Adam Philippe, Comte de Custine

Adam Philippe, Comte de Custine , was a France general. Born in Metz, he began his military career as a captain in the Seven Years' War, where he learned to admire the modern military organisation of Prussia....
(1740-1793), general
Pierre-Louis Roederer (1744-1835), politician and economist
François Barbé-Marbois
François Barbé-Marbois

Fran?ois Barb?-Marbois, Marquess de Barb?-Marbois was a France politician....
(1745 – 1837), politician in the French Revolutionary government
Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier (1754 – 1785), first man to fly in a hot air balloon
Hot air balloon

The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first manned flight was made by Jean-Fran?ois Pil?tre de Rozier and Fran?ois Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air balloon created by the Montgolfier brothers....
François Étienne de Kellermann
François Étienne de Kellermann

Francois ?tienne de Kellermann, 2nd Duc de Valmy was a France cavalry general noted for his daring and skillful exploits during the Napoleonic Wars....
(1770-1835), general of Napoléon
Antoine Charles Louis Lasalle (1775-1809), general of Napoléon
Ambroise Thomas
Ambroise Thomas

Ambroise Thomas was a France opera composer, best-known for his operas Mignon and Hamlet and as Director of the Conservatoire de Paris from 1871-1896....
(1811-1893), composer
Marie-Eugénie de Jésus
Marie-Eugénie de Jésus

Saint Marie-Eug?nie de J?sus, born Anne-Eug?nie Milleret de Brou, was a Catholic sister who founded the congregation of the Religious of the Assumption in 1839....
(1817 - 1898), founder of the Religious of the Assumption
Louis Le Prince
Louis Le Prince

Louis Aim? Augustin Le Prince was an inventor who is considered by many film historians as the true father of motion pictures who shot first moving pictures on paper film using a single lens camera....
(1841 – 1890), first man to shoot moving images
Paul Verlaine
Paul Verlaine

Paul-Marie Verlaine was a French poet associated with the Symbolism movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the fin de si?cle in international and French poetry....
(1844 – 1896), poet
Max Braubach (1899 – 1975), German historian
S. M. Stirling
S. M. Stirling

Stephen Michael Stirling is a France-born Canada-United States science fiction and fantasy author.Stirling is probably best-known for his Draka series of alternate history novels and the more recent time travel/alternate history Nantucket series and The Emberverse series....
(1953 – ), science fiction
Science fiction

Science fiction is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology. Science fiction is found in books, art, television, films, games, theatre, and other media....
author

Sister cities

Metz is twinned with:

Trier
Trier

Trier is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle River. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC. Trier is not the only city claiming to be Germany's oldest, but it is the only one that bases this assertion on having the longest history as a city, as opposed to a mere settlement or army camp....
, Germany, since 1957
Karmiel
Karmiel

File:Karmiel city hall.jpgKarmiel is a city in northern Israel. Established in 1964 as a development town, Karmiel is located in the Beit HaKerem Valley which divides upper and lower Galilee....
, Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
, since 1984
Yichang
Yichang

Yichang is a prefecture-level city in Hubei province of China....
, China, since 1991
Hradec Králové
Hradec Králové

Hradec Kr?lov? is a city of the Czech Republic, in the Hradec Kralove Region of Bohemia. The city's economy is based on food-processing technology, photochemical, and electronics manufacture....
, Czech Republic, since 2001
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson County, Missouri, Clay County, Missouri, Cass County, Missouri, and Platte County, Missouri counties....
, United States, since 2003
Saint-Denis, Réunion
Saint-Denis, Réunion

Saint-Denis is the pr?fecture of the France r?gion d'outre-mer and d?partement d'outre-mer of R?union, in the Indian Ocean. It is located at the island's northernmost point, close to the mouth of the Rivi?re Saint-Denis....
, France
Gloucester
Gloucester

Gloucester is a city status in the United Kingdom, Non-metropolitan district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England region of England....
, United Kingdom
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a small landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany....