A basin of urban ecology,[23][24] Metz gained its nickname of The Green City (French: La Ville Verte),[25] as it has extensive open grounds and public gardens.[26] The historic city centre is one of the largest commercial pedestrian areas in France.[27][28]
In ancient times, the town was known as "city of Mediomatrici", being inhabited by the tribe of the same name.[31] After its integration into the Roman Empire, the city was called Divodurum Mediomatricum, meaning Holy Village or Holy Fortress of the Mediomatrici,[32] then it was known as Mediomatrix.[31] During the 5th century AD, the name evolved to "Mettis", which gave rise to the current spelling, Metz,[31] but also spellings such as Mès, which are no longer used, but reflect its actual pronunciation in French (like "mess").[33]
With the signature of the Treaty of Chambord in 1552, Metz passed into the hands of the Kings of France.[8][36] As the German Protestant Princes who traded Metz (alongside Toul and Verdun) for the promise of French military assistance, had no authority to cede territory of the Holy Roman Empire, the change of jurisdiction was not recognised by the Holy Roman Empire until the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. Under French rule, Metz was selected as capital of the Three Bishoprics and became a strategic fortified town.[8][37] With creation of the departments by the Estates-General of 1789, Metz was chosen as capital of the Department of Moselle.[8]
Metz is located on the banks of the Moselle and the Seille rivers, 43 km (27 mi) from the Schengentripoint where the borders of France, Germany and Luxembourg meet.[6] The city was built in a place where many branches of the Moselle river create several islands, which are encompassed within the urban planning.[43]
The terrain of Metz forms part of the Paris Basin and presents a plateau relief cut by river valleys presenting cuestas in the north–south direction.[44] Metz and its surrounding countryside are included in the forest and crop Lorraine Regional Natural Park, covering a total area of 205,000 ha (506,566 acres).[45]
Climate
Lorraine has an oceanic climate.[46] tending to continental humid. The summers are warm and humid, sometimes stormy, and the warmest month of the year is July, when daytime temperatures average approximately 25 °C (77.0 °F). The winters are cold but not often snowy with temperature dropping to an average low of −0.5 °C (31.1 °F) in January. Lows can be much colder through the night and early morning and rare snow can fall during a period extending from November to February.[47]
The length of the day varies significantly over the course of the year.[48] The shortest day is 21 December with 7:30 hours of sunlight; the longest day is 20 June with 16:30 hours of sunlight. The median cloud cover is 93% and does not vary substantially over the course of the year.[47]
Climate data for Metz-Frescaty, elevation: 192 m (630 ft), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1940–present
Metz with its magnificent open countries, prolific undulating rivers, wooded hillsides, vineyards of fire; cathedral all in volute, where the wind sings as a flute, and responding to it via the Mutte: this big voice of the good Lord![51]
— Paul Verlaine, Ode to Metz, Invectives, 1896
Population
The inhabitants of Metz are called Messin(e)s. Statistics on the ethnic and religious make up of the population of Metz are haphazard, as the French Republic prohibits making distinctions between citizens regarding race, beliefs, and political and philosophic opinions in the process of census taking.[52]
The French national census of 2018 estimated the population of Metz to be 116,581, while the population of Metz metropolitan area was about 368,000.[3] Through history, Metz's population has been affected by the vicissitudes of the wars and annexations involving the city, which have prevented continuous population growth. More recently, the city has suffered from the restructuring of the military and the metallurgy industry.[53] The historical population for the current area of Metz municipality is as follows:
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1793
36,878
—
1800
32,099
−1.96%
1806
39,131
+3.36%
1821
42,030
+0.48%
1836
42,793
+0.12%
1841
39,767
−1.46%
1861
56,888
+1.81%
1866
54,817
−0.74%
1871
51,332
−1.31%
1875
45,856
−2.78%
1880
53,131
+2.99%
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1885
54,072
+0.35%
1890
60,186
+2.17%
1895
59,794
−0.13%
1900
58,462
−0.45%
1905
60,419
+0.66%
1910
54,965
−1.87%
1921
62,311
+1.15%
1926
69,624
+2.24%
1931
78,767
+2.50%
1936
83,119
+1.08%
1946
70,105
−1.69%
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1954
85,701
+2.54%
1962
102,771
+2.30%
1968
107,537
+0.76%
1975
111,869
+0.57%
1982
114,232
+0.30%
1990
119,594
+0.58%
1999
123,776
+0.38%
2007
123,580
−0.02%
2012
119,551
−0.66%
2017
116,429
−0.53%
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Several well-known figures have been linked to the city of Metz throughout its history. Renowned Messins include poet Paul Verlaine,[56] composer Ambroise Thomas and mathematician Jean-Victor Poncelet; numerous well-known German figures were also born in Metz notably during the annexation periods. Moreover, the city has been the residence of people such as writer François Rabelais, Cardinal Mazarin, political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville, artist and the inventor of the motion picture camera Louis Le Prince, French patriot and American Revolutionary War hero Marquis Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, and Luxembourg-born German-French statesman Robert Schuman.
The local law (French: droit local) applied in Metz is a legal system that operates in parallel with French law. Created in 1919, it preserves the French laws applied in France before 1870 and maintained by the Germans during the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine, but repealed in the rest of France after 1871. It also maintains German laws enacted by the German Empire between 1871 and 1918, specific provisions adopted by the local authorities, and French laws that have been enacted after 1919 to be applicable only in Alsace-Lorraine. This specific local legislation encompasses different areas including religion, social work and finance.
The most striking of the legal differences between France and Alsace-Lorraine is the absence in Alsace-Lorraine of strict secularism, even though a constitutional right of freedom of religion is guaranteed by the French government. Alsace-Lorraine is still governed by a pre-1905 law established by the Concordat of 1801, which provides for the public subsidy of the Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Calvinist churches and the Jewish religion.
Like every commune of the present French Republic, Metz is managed by a mayor (French: maire) and a municipal council (French: conseil municipal), democratically elected by two-roundproportional voting for six years.[57] The mayor is assisted by 54 municipal councillors,[58] and the municipal council is held on the last Thursday of every month.[59][60] Since 2008,[61] the mayor of Metz has been socialist Dominique Gros.[62]
The city is famous for its yellow limestone architecture, a result of the extensive use of Jaumont stone.[66][71] The historic district has kept part of the Gallo-Roman city with Divodurum's Cardo Maximus, then called Via Scarponensis (today the Trinitaires, Taison and Serpenoise streets), and the Decumanus Maximus (today En Fournirue and d'Estrées streets).[72] At the Cardo and Decumanus intersection was situated the Roman forum, today the Saint-Jacques Square.
The Imperial District was built during the first annexation of Metz by the German Empire.[81] In order to "germanise" the city, Emperor Wilhelm II decided to create a new district shaped by a distinctive blend of Germanic architecture, including Renaissance, neo-Romanesque and neo-Classical, mixed with elements of Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Alsatian and mock-Bavarian styles.[81] Instead of Jaumont stone, commonly used everywhere else in the city, stone used in the Rhineland, such as pink and grey sandstone, granite and basalt were used.[81] The district features noteworthy buildings including the rail station and the Central Post Office by German architect Jürgen Kröger.[21]
Under the leadership of such people as botanist Jean-Marie Pelt, Metz pioneered a policy of urban ecology during the early 1970s.[23] Because of the failure of post-warurban planning and housing estate development in Europe during the 1960s, mostly based on the concepts of CIAM,[90][91][92] Jean-Marie Pelt, then municipal councillor of Metz, initiated a new approach to the urban environment.[24]
Based initially on the ideas of the Chicago School, Pelt's theories pleaded for better integration of humans into their environment and developed a concept centered on the relationship between "stone and water".[23][93][94] His policy was realized in Metz by the establishment of extensive open areas surrounding the Moselle and the Seille rivers and the development of large pedestrian areas. As a result, Metz has over 37 m2 (400 sq ft) of open areas per inhabitant in the form of numerous public gardens in the city.[26]
Additionally, the city has developed its own combined heat and power station, using waste wood biomass from the surrounding forests as a renewable energy source.[99][100] With a thermal efficiency above 80%, the 45MW boiler of the plant provides electricity and heat for 44,000 dwellings. The Metz power station is the first local producer and distributor of energy in France.[101]
The Germans' Gate from the 13th century, one of the last medieval bridge castles found in France. Today, an exhibition hall
As a historic garrison town, Metz has been heavily influenced by military architecture throughout its history.[102] From ancient history to the present, the city has been successively fortified and modified to accommodate the troops stationed there. Defensive walls from classical antiquity to the 20th century are still visible today, incorporated into the design of public gardens along the Moselle and Seille rivers.[102] A medieval bridge castle from the 13th century, named Germans' Gate (French: Porte des Allemands), today converted into a convention and exhibition centre, has become one of the landmarks of the city. It is still possible to see parts of the 16th century citadel, as well as fortifications built in the 1740s by Louis de Cormontaigne but based on designs by Vauban.[103][104] Important barracks, mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries, are spread around the city: some, which are of architectural interest, have been converted to civilian use, such as the Arsenal Concert Hall by Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill.
The extensive fortifications of Metz, which ring the city, include early examples of Séré de Rivières system forts.[105] Other forts were incorporated into the Maginot Line.[106] A hiking trail on the Saint-Quentin plateau passes through a former military training zone and ends at the now abandoned military forts, providing a vantage point from which to survey the city.[107][108]
Economy
Rue Serpenoise, in the main pedestrian area.
Although the steel industry has historically dominated Moselle's economy, Metz's efforts at economic diversification have created a base in the sectors of commerce, tourism, information technology and the automotive industry. The city is the economic heart of the Lorraine region and around 73,000 people work daily within the urban agglomeration.[109] The transport facilities found in the conurbation, including the international high-speed railway, motorway, inland connections and the local bus rapid transit system, have made the city a transport hub in the heart of the European Union.[110] Metz is home to the biggest harbour handling cereals in France with over 4,000,000 tons/year.[111]
Metz is an important commercial centre of northern France with France's biggest retailer federation, consisting of around 2,000 retailers.[112] Important retail companies are found in the city, such as the Galeries Lafayette, the Printempsdepartment store and the Fnac entertainment retail chain. The historic city centre displays one of the largest [citation needed] commercial pedestrian areas in France and a mall, the Saint-Jacques centre. In addition there are several multiplex movie theatres and malls found in the urban agglomeration.
In recent years[which?], Metz municipality have promoted an ambitious policy of tourism development, including urban revitalization and refurbishment of buildings and public squares.[113][114] This policy has been spurred by the creation of the Centre Pompidou-Metz in 2010.[115] Since its inauguration, the institution has become the most popular cultural venue in France outside Paris, with 550,000 visitors per year.[116] Meanwhile, Saint-Stephen Cathedral is the most visited building in the city, accommodating 652,000 visitors per year.[117]
The Centre Pompidou-Metz is a museum of modern and contemporary arts, the largest temporary exhibition area in France outside Paris. The museum features exhibitions from the extensive collection of the Centre Pompidou, Europe's largest collection of 20th-century art.[118]
Another of the city's churches displays a complete set of stained glass windows by French modernistJean Cocteau.[123]
In addition, Metz features other museums and exhibition venues, such as:
The FRAC Lorraine, a public collection of contemporary art of the Lorraine region. It is located in the 12th-century Saint-Liver Hôtel and organizes exhibitions of local and international contemporary artists.[124]
The Golden Courtyard (French: la Cour d'Or), a museum dedicated to the history of Metz, divided into four sections (e.g. archeology, medieval, architecture and fine arts).[125] The Golden Courtyard displays a rich collection of Gallo-Roman and medieval finds and the remains of the Gallo-Roman baths of Divodurum Mediomatricum, revealed by the extension works to the museums in the 1930s.
The Museum of the 1870 War and of the Annexion in Gravelotte, a village located within the Metz-Metropole conurbation and the site of the Battle of Gravelotte, the only museum in Europe dedicated to the Franco-Prussian War.[126] The museum exhibits military and everyday items from the period as well as artworks related to the 1870 war. A mausoleum erected in 1904 honoring the soldiers who died during the battle, the Memorial Hall (French: La Halle du Souvenir), has been included in the museum.
The House for Europe, located on the estate of Robert Schuman in Scy-Chazelles in the Metz-Metropole conurbation, transformed into a museum and convention centre.[127] Across the street is the fortified 12th Century church where Robert Schuman now rests. The Robert Schuman House for Europe organises cultural and educational events that introduce the visitor to Schuman's life and works and to the way Europe has been constructed and continues to develop today.
Verlaine's House (French: la Maison de Verlaine) is a museum located in the house where the poet Paul Verlaine was born, dedicated to his work, featuring permanent and temporary exhibitions.[56][128] The Solange Bertrand foundation, located in the artist's former house, conserves and displays her artworks.[129] The municipal archives preserve and exhibit Metz's historical municipal records dating from medieval times to the present.[130]
Entertainment and performing arts
Metz has several venues for the performing arts. The Opera House of Metz, the oldest working opera house in France, features plays, dance and lyric poetry.[131] The Arsenal Concert Hall, dedicated to art music, is widely renowned for its excellent acoustics.[132][133] The Trinitarians Club is a multimedia arts complex housed in the vaulted cellar and chapel of an ancient convent, the city's prime venue for jazz music.[134] The Music Box (French: Boîte à Musique), familiarly known as BAM, is the concert venue dedicated to rock and electronic music.[135] The Braun Hall and the Koltès Theater feature plays, and the city has two movie theaters specializing in Auteur cinema. The Saint-Jacques Square, surrounded by busy bars and pubs whose open-air tables fill the centre of the square.
Since 2014, the former bus garage has been converted to accommodate over thirty artists in residence, in a space where they can create and rehearse artworks and even build set decorations.[136] The artistic complex, called Metz Network of All Cultures (French: Toutes les Cultures en Réseau à Metz) and familiarly known as TCRM-Blida, encompasses a large hall of 3,000 m2 (32,000 sq ft) while theater and dance companies benefit from a studio of 800 m2 (8,600 sq ft) with backstages. [citation needed]
Metz in the arts
Metz was an important cultural centre during the Carolingian Renaissance.[12] For instance, Gregorian chant was created in Metz during the 8th century as a fusion of Gallican and ancient Roman repertory. Then called Messin Chant, it remains the oldest form of music still in use in Western Europe. The bishops of Metz, notably Saint-Chrodegang promoted its use for the Roman liturgy in Gallic lands under the favorable influence of the Carolingian monarchs. Messin chant made two major contributions to the body of chant: it fitted the chant into the ancient Greek octoechos system, and invented an innovative musical notation, using neumes to show the shape of a remembered melody.[137] Metz was also an important centre of illumination of Carolingian manuscripts, producing such monuments of Carolingian book illumination as the Drogo Sacramentary.[138][139]
The Graoully is depicted as a fearsome dragon, vanquished by the sacred powers of Saint Clement of Metz, the first Bishop of the city. The Graoully quickly became a symbol of Metz and can be seen in numerous insignia of the city, from the 10th century on.[142] Writers from Metz tend to present the legend as an allegory of Christianity's victory over paganism, represented by the harmful dragon.[142]
Cuisine
Local specialties include quiche, potée, Lorraine pâté and also suckling pig.[143][144] Various dishes such as jam, tart, charcuterie and fruit brandy are made from the Mirabelle and Damsons.[143][144] Metz is the home of some pastries, such as Metz cheese pie and Metz Balls (French: boulet de Metz), a ganache-stuffed biscuit coated with marzipan, caramel and dark chocolate.[143] Local beverages include Moselle wine and Amos beer.[143][144] The Covered Market of Metz is one of the oldest and most grandiose in France and is home to traditional local food producers and retailers. It was originally built as the bishop's palace but the French Revolution broke out before the Bishop of Metz could move in and the citizens decided to turn it into a food market.[145] The adjacent Chamber's Square (French: Place de la Chambre) is surrounded by numerous restaurants serving local food.
Celebrations and events
Many events are celebrated in Metz throughout the year.[146] The city of Metz dedicates two weeks to the Mirabelle plum during the popular Mirabelle Festival held in August. During the festival, in addition to open markets selling fresh plums, mirabelle tarts and mirabelle liquor, there are live music, fireworks, parties, art exhibits, a parade with floral floats, a competition, the crowning of the Mirabelle Queen and a gala of celebration.[147]
Metz is home to the Football Club of Metz (FC Metz), a football association club in Ligue 1, the highest division of French football (as of 2019–2020 season). FC Metz has won three times the Ligue 2 (1935, 2007 and 2014), twice the Coupe de France (in 1984 and 1988) and the French League Cup (in 1986 and 1996), and was French championship runner-up in 1998.[149] FC Metz has also gained recognition in France and Europe for its successful youth academy, winning the Gambardella Cup 3 times in 1981, 2001 and 2010.[149] The Saint-Symphorien stadium has been the home of FC Metz since the creation of the club.
Metz Handball is a Handball club. Metz Handball has won the French Women's First League championship 23 times, the Women's France Cup nine times, and the French Women's League Cup eight times.[150] The Metz Arena has been the home of Metz Handball since 2002.
Metz has numerous high schools, including the Fabert High School and the Lycée of Communication. Some of these institutions offer higher education courses such as classes préparatoires (undergraduate school) or BTS (technician certificate).
Metz is also home to the University of Lorraine (often abbreviated as UL).[159] The university is divided into two university centers, one in Metz (material sciences, technology and management) and one in Nancy (biological sciences, health care, administration, management and law). The University of Lorraine, which ranks in 2016 among the top 15 of French universities and among the top 300 of universities in the world according to the 2016 Academic Ranking of World Universities,[160] has a student body of over 55,000 and offers 101 accredited research centers organized in 9 research areas and 8 doctoral colleges.[161]
Graduate schools
At the end of the 1990s, the city expanded and the Metz Science Park was created in the southern area. Along with this expansion, several graduate schools took the opportunity to establish campuses in the park. At first, facilities were grouped around the lake Symphony, like Supélec in 1985 and Georgia Tech Lorraine in 1990.[162] In 1996, the engineering school Arts et Métiers ParisTech (ENSAM) built a research and learning center next to the golf course.[163] This opened the way to the development of a new area, where the Franco-German university (ISFATES) and the ENIM moved in 2010. These graduate schools often cooperate with the University of Lorraine. For instance, the university and ENSAM share research teams, laboratories, equipments and doctoral programs. The École supérieure d'ingénieurs des travaux de la construction de Metz is also located in the city.
Transport
The Mettis hybrid bi-articulated busThe Station Palace in the Imperial District, built 1905–1908 during German rule.
Local transport
Public transport includes a bus rapid transit system, called Mettis.[164] Mettis vehicles are high-capacity hybrid bi-articulated buses built by Van Hool,[165] and stop at designated elevated tubes, complete with disability access. Mettis has its own planned and integrated transportation system, which includes two dedicated lines that spread out into the Metz conurbation. Mettis lanes A and B serve the city's major facilities (e.g., city centre, university campus and hospitals), and a transport hub is located next to the railway station.
Metz Railway Station is connected to the French high speed train (TGV) network, which provides a direct rail service to Paris and Luxembourg. The time from Paris (Gare de l'Est) to Metz is 82 minutes. Additionally, Metz is served by the Lorraine TGV railway station, located at Louvigny, 25 km (16 mi) to the south of Metz, for high speed trains going to Nantes, Rennes, Lille and Bordeaux (without stopping in Paris). Also, Metz is one of the main stations of the regional express trains system, Métrolor.
Metz is located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers, both navigable waterways. The marina connects Metz to the cities of the Moselle valley (i.e. Trier, Schengen and Koblenz) via the Moselle river.
Saint Maximin's church featuring stained glass windows by French artist Jean Cocteau,[168] and the Sainte-Thérèse-de-l'Enfant-Jésus church built by French architect Roger-Henri Expert.[82]
the Northeast France defence headquarters (former Kaiserheadquarters), built by German architects Schönhals and Stolterfoth in a neo-Flemish style.[81]
Military heritage
the German's Gate from the 13th century, the last medieval bridge castle in France. The fortification played a crucial defensive role during the siege of Metz in 1552–53 by Emperor Charles V.
the Fort of Queuleu, also called the Hell of Queuleu (French: l'Enfer de Queuleu), used by the Germans as a detention and interrogation centre for members of the French Resistance during the Second World War.[170]
^ abcCollectif (2009) Monumental 2009 – semestriel 1. Coll. Monumental. Eds. Guides archeologiques de la France. ISBN978-2-7577-0055-6(in French)
^ abcDelestre X. (1988) Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains (Metz – Moselle): de l'époque romaine à l'époque gothique. Eds. Guides archeologiques de la France. ISBN978-2-85822-439-5(in French)
^A law from 1872 forbids the collection by the state of census data based on questions about religious beliefs. The French Third Republic considered that kind of information to be private and that any citizen of the Republic should be considered as equal of his mates, regardless his provocative and potentially divisive[clarification needed]. In accordance with the concept of laïcité, this principle was reaffirmed by the current French Fifth Republic in a law from 1978, stating that "it is forbidden to collect or process data of a personal nature related to racial or ethnic origins as well as political, philosophic, or religious opinions."
^Wagner P.E. and Jollin J.L. (1987) 15 siècles d'architecture et d'urbanisme autour de la cathédrale de Metz. Eds. Serpenoise. ISBN978-2-87692-004-0 pp. 123–276 (in French)
^Collectif (2006) L'hôtel de l'Intendance, Préfecture de la Moselle et de la région Lorraine, Metz, N°310. Coll. Itinéraires du patrimoines. Eds. Serpenoise. ISBN2-913411-22-3(in French)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Metz". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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