Spring 2022

“Anyone been to Metz?” I asked in my local bar in the
Seven Valleys, Pas de Calais. There was silence. Even
in France, Metz is not well known and if you’re from
outside of France you might not even have heard of it.
Metz is in the north-east of France, in the
Moselle department. It is the capital of the
region formerly known as Lorraine, now
joined up with Champagne, Ardennes and
Alsace and called Grand Est.
Metz is one of France’s oldest cities with a
history going back some 3,000 years and
the fact that it is rather under the tourism
radar is astonishing. Close to Luxembourg
and Germany, it is a superbly gastronomic
city. It is historic, architecturally glorious,
home to arguably France’s oldest church -
the basilica of Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains
which began life in the 4th century, and
a Cathedral which has one of the largest
expanses of stained glass windows in the
world. There are magnificent museums
including a branch of the Pompidou, the
city is surrounded by glorious, mountainous
countryside – and yet, it’s less than an hour
and a half from Paris.
48 hours in Metz
Metz is steeped in history and character.
It’s a city of architectural contrasts, with
a medieval district, classical 18th century
architecture in the Place d’Armes and Palais
de Justice, the enormous neo-Romanesque
train station built by the Germans at the
start of the 20th century, and a modern side
too including the extraordinary Pompidou
centre behind the station.
It’s a compact city that’s easy to discover on
foot, but if you want to take it easy there's a
free hop-on-hop off navette bus, and there
are loads of cosy café’s and funky bars to
tempt you to stop awhile.
The must-sees
The great Gothic cathedral of Metz
In medieval days, Metz was a mecca for
artists and the Cathedral St Etienne, the
third highest nave in France, beautifully
illustrates the skill of stone masons and
artisans of the day. Made from golden local
Jaumont stone it has stood for more than
800 years (built between 1220-1522). The
vast stained glass windows (69,920 sq ft)
have earned it the nickname ‘God’s Lantern’.
The windows here range from medieval
masterpieces by Hermann de Münster and
Thiébauld de Lixheim to striking modern
panes by Jacques Villon and Marc Chagall.
During WWII windows were removed and
stored in crates, sent to Château de Dissay,
near Poitiers. This didn’t save them however,
they were discovered and sent to Germany.
Miraculously they were found in a salt mine
and returned to their home after the war.
At night the cathedral is illuminated and is
one of the reasons the city is known as the
Ville Lumières.
Museums
Housed in an old Carmelite convent, Le
Musée de la Cour contains three museums.
The Musée Archaeologique has one of
the most important collections of Gallo-
Romain archaeology in France including
ancient baths preserved in situ. The Musée
d’Architecture showcases Romanesque
and Gothic pieces. And the Musée des
Beaux Arts includes works by a range of
prominent artists including Delacroix,
Corot and Sargent.
The Good Life France | 37