Spring 2022

Where to eat
El Theatris in Place de la Comédie on the
Petit Saulcy island in the centre of Metz serves
gastronomic food with an emphasis on local,
seasonal products. One of the dining rooms is
the former office of the Marquis de La Fayette,
French aristocrat and American Revolution
War hero. He was appointed commander of the
French army at Metz in 1791.
Head out of the city to Sarreguemines
(around an hour by car) for a Michelin star
feast created by Chef Stephan Schneider at
the gorgeous 4* hotel Auberge Saint-Walfrid:
stwalfrid.fr
Where to stay
4* MGallery La Citadelle Hotel in a former
16th century military building for its superb
décor and fabulous view over cathedral from
some rooms. 5 Av. Ney, 57000 Metz
Info
Trains to Metz run from Gare de l’Est, Paris
and take from 83 minutes.
tourisme-metz.com
Summer garden in the Place de la Comédie © Philippe Gisselbrecht-Ville de Metz
Did you know?
Metz is pronounced Mess which is
not a grammar thing – it’s unique
to Metz. In fact, says Vivienne
Rudd from Metz tourist office, even
most Messins (people of Metz)
don’t know why it’s pronounced this
way. Metz was called Divodorum
Médiomatricorum in Gallo-
Roman – a bit of a mouthful
and horrendous for inscribers
of the day. In the 5th century, it
was shortened to Mettis then to
Mets, Mèz, Mès, Metz and Mess in
the 14th century. A recent article
suggests that 17th century French
printers wanted to use the German
“ß” symbol to represent the
double “s”, but didn’t have one, so
replaced it with something that
looked (a bit) like it: “tz”, but the
old pronunciation stuck... why?
Because it’s easier to say!
The Good Life France | 41