Nancy Tourist Attractions
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Nancy, the old capital of Lorraine and now chief town of the département of Meurthe-et- Moselle, the see of a bishop and a university town, lies on the left bank of the Meurthe and on the Rhine-Marne Canal. Its main glory is its magnificent 18th century Baroque architecture.In the 12th century Nancy became capital of the Duchy of Lorraine. About 1475 Charles the Bold of Burgundy occupied the duchy and expelled Duke René; but two years later René reconquered Lorraine and Charles was killed outside the town while trying to escape. Under the peace of Vienna after the War of the Polish Succession (1733-1738) Lorraine was assigned to Stanislas Leszczynàski, the deposed king of Poland and brother-in-law of Louis XV, who drew many artists to his court and gave the town its present splendid Roccoco aspect. After his death in 1766 the duchy reverted to France.
Cathedral
Nancy old town is centered on the Point Central, the intersection of the town's three main traffic arteries (Rue St-Dizier, Rue St Georges and Rue St-Jean). In Rue St- Georges is the twin towered cathedral (1703- 1742), with a Baroque interior (tombs, beautiful grilles, treasury). At the end of the street is the Porte St-Georges (1608).
Place Stanislas
In Nancy, a little way north of the cathedral is Place Stanislas (originally the Place Royale), which along with the adjoining squares was mainly built by Emmanuel Héré between 1752 and 1760. Around the square are five imposing palaces, with balconies and balustrades. In the center of the square is a statue of King Stanislas. Along its north side are single-story galleried buildings, which continue along Rue Héré. The most characteristic feature of the square is the magnificent gilded wrought-iron railings (by Jean Lamour) at the ends of the streets entering the square and round the Fountains of Neptune and Amphitrite (both by Barthélemy Guibal). The largest of the palaces round the square is the Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall), with magnificent banisters by Lamour on the staircase.
Musée des Beaux-Arts
In Nancy, on the west side of Place Stanislas square is the Musée des Beaux-Arts, with a representative collection of European paintings of the 16th-20th centuries and a fine collection of modern art, including works by Dufy, Utrillo, Modigliani and Zadkine.
Triumphal Arch
Adjoining the Musée des Beaux-Arts is a triumphal arch, erected in honor of Louis XV in 1757, which leads into the Place de la Carrière. At the near end of this square are two palaces of 1715 and 1753, followed by a series of town houses of uniform design. At the far end of the square are two richly decorated semicircular colonnades preceding the handsome Palais du Gouvernement (1760).
Palais Ducal
In Nancy, to the left of the Palais du Gouvernement is the Grande Rue, in which is the former Ducal Palace (1502-1544, heavily restored in 1871), the most important secular building of the Late Gothic period in Lorraine, with a doorway and three balconies in richly decorated Flamboyant style.
Lorraine Historical Museum
The Ducal Palace is now occupied by the Lorraine Historical Museum, with archeological finds, medieval sculpture and rich collections of material on the history and folk traditions of Lorraine. On the first floor is the Galerie des Cerfs, with relics of the ducal period, tapestries, etchings by Jacques Callot, prints by Jacques de Bellange and pictures by Georges de la Tour and Claude Deruet.
Église des Cordeliers
In Nancy, just beyond the Ducal Palace is the 15th C. Eglise des Cordeliers, the burial church of the ducal house of Lorraine. It contains the fine tombs of Duke René II, his wife Philippa of Guelders (by Ligier Richier) and Cardinal de Vaudémont. In the octagonal Chapelle Ducale (1607) are the sarcophagi of the dukes of the Baroque period.Around the Ducal Palace are a number of fine town houses - at 29 rue Haut-Bourgeois the 18th C. Hôtel Ferrari (by Boffrand), at 12 rue de la Source the Hôtel de Lillebonne and at No. 10 the Hôtel du Marquis de Ville.
Porte de la Craffe
In Nancy, the Grande Rue continues from the Eglise des Cordeliers, lined by old houses, to the Porte de la Craffe (C. 1360), a double town gate protected by two massive round towers. Until the French Revolution it contained a prison; it is now an annex of the Lorraine Historical Museum.
St Epvre
In Nancy, to the east of the Ducal Palace is the massive neo-Gothic church of St Epvre (1865-1870), with an 87m/285ft high tower and a fine interior.
Pépinière
In Nancy, east of the Place de la Carrière is the Pépinière, a beautiful English-style park with rose-beds, a zoo and a tropical aquarium.
Notre Dame
In the southeast of Nancy is the small but richly decorated Baroque church of Notre-Dame de Bon-Secours, with the tomb of Stanislas Leszczynàski and the mausoleum of his wife Catharina Opalinska.
Musée de l'Ecole de Nancy
In the southwest of Nancy is the Musée de l'Ecole de Nancy, displaying the work of a loose group of artists who dedicated themselves to the establishment and development of Art Nouveau in Lorraine. The museum, appropriately housed in an Art Nouveau villa, contains glass, furniture and jewellery by Victor Prouvé, Emile Gallé, Antonin Daum, Louis Majorelle and Eugène Vallin.
Cristallerie Daum
In Nancy, in the Cristallerie Daum, in Rue des Cristalleries, visitors can observe the process of manufacture of articles in crystal.
Contemporary Music Festival
This annual week-long festival takes place in mid-May and includes world-renowned performers. The newest musical and video technologies are on display during the festival, as are new groups, new songs and new dances.
Spring Carnival
Nancy's annual Spring Carnival is held in March.
St Nicholas Procession
The annual St Nicholas Procession takes place on December 3 in Nancy.
Map of Nancy Attractions
Map - Nancy Center
