NANCY A GOLDEN CITY
EUROPEAN HEARTH Of HISTORY AND CULTURE

Fantastic artistic epic with a world fame, it is under the name "School of Nancy" that they got acquainted and gathered around 1900 several tens of artists and industrialists of art who made of Nancy one of the essential centers of the New Art in Europe.
European hearth of culture, Nancy had been already at the XVIIIth century, thanks to Stanislas "the beneficial one", who equipped it with a prestigious architectural unit, registered on the list of the Inheritance of Humanity by UNESCO and of which the floret, the Stanislas square, is famous in the whole world.
A long time a historical capital, Nancy preserves, in the lanes of the Old City, a heritage of its glorious last still preserved from time; the Ducal Palace, which was the residence of the dukes of Lorraine and many hotels, built in the XVIth, XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries.
Today, Nancy perpetuates its fame as a cultural hearth with its international festivals and its numerous museums where the works of the great European artists coast each other.

FROM THE CITY OF THE DUKES OF LORRAINE TO THE ROYAL CITY OF STANISLAS
There are few cities in the world which resemble to Nancy. It is absolutely necessary to stop there to live a few exceptional moments.

That begins at the middle of the city, in Stanislas square, aprivileged place of conviviality and festivals. Old Royal place, it is today the theatre of big gatherings at the time of traditional, cultural or folk events, with its animated terraces and, the evenings of summer, its sound and lights display dedicated to Stanislas. It is on this place, located between the old city of XIth century and the new city of XVIth century that stands up the Town hall, the Opera-Theatre and the Museum of the Fine arts. This exceptional museum shelters collections representative s of all the European currents from the XIVth to the XXth century (Caravage, Rubens, Delacroix, Modigliani, Picasso, Rodin, Maillol...) and attached to Lorraine with Callot, Friant, thus proving the prestigious collection of Daum glassmakings.
One will join then the old city by taking the square of Carrière, with subtle urban balance, finished by the double hemicycle of the Palace of the Governor built following the plan of Emmanuel Héré. In the old city, the narrow lanes with the numerous private mansions which sheltered the great Lorraine families invite you today to strolls.
The Ducal Palace, one of the most remarkable regional museums of Francewhich will reveal you the rich past of Lorraine, exhibits inter alia engravings of Callot and the pictures of George of the Tower. One will finish this tour of history by XIVth century with the Door of Craffe, last vestige of the fortifications of this time. In the past prison, it was also the door of honor of the Dukes of Lorraine at the time of their accession to the ducal throne.
To some steps, to join the new city built by Charles III, one will cross the park of the Seedbed. Created by Stanislas, this privileged place of walk of Nancy, will make you discover its romantic rosery and its bandstand. This new city, formerly entirely strengthened, is today the center of Nancy commercial activity. Architectural works mark its construction: Cathedrals built by Boffrand and Mansart, theSaint-Sébastien church, building of baroque style and the church Notre Dame of help, built by Héré and which contain the tombs of Stanislas and his wife as well as the heart of their daughter Marie, Reine of France.
We invite you to this walk through the history and architecture in the "southernmost" of the cities of the East of France.

Stanislas, Héré, Guibal, Jean Lamour and others...
Often we know the name of the princes patrons better than those of the creative artists. Stanislas, last duke of Lorraine and friend of the artists, therefore did not tarnish their glory. With them, this king builder gave to Nancy a splendid architectural unit registered today within the world inheritance of UNESCO: the Stanislas square, the square of the Carrière and the square of Alliance.
Emmanuel Héré, young architect of talent, drew the frontages whose order is a hyne to balance and the harmony. Jean Lamour, genious ironworker, forged the splendid grids which he raised then to the gold sheet.
Guibal carved the sumptuous fountains of Amphitrite and Neptune from where the wine ran the day of the inauguration in November 1755. Their joined together talents contributed to make Stanislas square the most beautiful place of Europe. Alive, cordial, coloured, it attracts the visitors of the whole world today. Other artists also took part to make these places magic. Cyfflé, sculptor with Guibal of the rococo fountain of the square of Alliance.
And still Jean Girardet painter of the staircase and the square living room of the Town hall. Through the admirable work of the stone, bronze, the wrought iron, of painting, all gave the ful size of their art to reach a point of perfection here.