Spring 2022

Train station of Metz © Philippe Gisselbrecht
Pompidou Centre
A regional branch of Paris’s Pompidou
Centre opened in Metz in 2010. The
avante-garde building, which is highlighted
by an undulating roof, houses an extensive
collection of modern art. The 77-meter
high spire is a nod to the year 1977, when
the Paris Center Pompidou opened.
Modern and contemporary art exhibitions
are regularly updated. The centre has a
café and a very nice restaurant with a
terraced area.
The Graoully – Metz’s dragon
The legend goes that a terrible dragon named
the Graoully terrorised the people of Metz
until the city’s first Bishop, Saint Clement,
drowned it. It’s said that the Bishop led the
dragon from its lair, along a narrow road to
the River Seille, warning onlookers “Taisonsnous/keep
quiet, don’t wake the monster.’
Stroll along the pretty cobbled street of what
is now called rue Taison, and look up, away
from the many boutiques and cafés, and
you’ll spot the Graoully, hanging over you!
The Imperial Quarter
Between 1902 and 1914, the Imperial
Quarter around the train station was built
to strict Germanic town planning principals.
Originally called Neue Stadt (new city)
the area has some of the best preserved
examples of German Empire urbanism,
especially the luxurious villas on Avenue
Foch and the remarkable train station.
Don’t miss
Porte des Allemands and the ramparts:
The old city gate (Gate of the Germans)
and a miniature fortified medieval castle
spans the river Seille. The ramparts once
formed a 5.5km enclosure enclosure
punctuated by 12 gates and 76 towers.
You can follow the ramparts path along the
river Moselle.
The Good Life France | 39