Things to do in Metz
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St Stephen's Cathedral
The stupendous Cathédral St-Etienne, built by joining two churches together in the 14th century, is famous for being superlative in France: it has the highest nave (41m) and the greatest surface area of stained glass windows (nearly 6500sq m). Try to visit on a bright day and after dark - the cathedral is beautifully illuminated at night until 01:00.
Built between 1220 and 1522, St Stephen's Cathedral is famed for its veritable curtains of 13th- to 20th-century stained glass, among the finest in France. The superb flamboyant Gothic windows (1504), on the main wall of the north transept arm, provide a remarkable stylistic contrast with the glorious Renaissance windows on …
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Quartier de la Gare
The solid, bourgeois buildings and broad avenues of the Quartier de la Gare, including rue Gambetta and av Foch, were constructed in the decades before WWI.
Built with the intention of Germanising the city by emphasising Metz' post-1871 status as an integral part of the Second Reich, its neo-Romanesque and neo-Renaissance buildings are made of dark-hued sandstone, granite and basalt, rather than the yellow-tan Jaumont limestone characteristic of French-built, neoclassical structures.The massive, grey-sandstone train station, completed in 1908, is decorated with Teutonic sculptures - some of them quite amusing - whose common theme is German imperial might; it could detrain…
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Cathédrale St-Étienne
As delicate as Chantilly lace, the golden spires of this Gothic cathedral crown Metz' skyline. Exquisitely lit by kaleidoscopic curtains of 13th- to 20th-century stained glass, the cathedral is nicknamed 'God's lantern'. The Gothic windows, on the north transept arm, contrast with the Renaissance windows on the south transept arm.
Notice the flamboyant Chagall windows in reds, yellows and blues in the ambulatory, which also harbours the treasury. The sculpture of the Graoully ('grau-lee'), a dragon said to have terrified pre-Christian Metz, lurks in the 15th-century crypt. The cathedral looks its most radiant on a bright day and when floodlit in the evening.
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Esplanade
The formal flowerbeds of the Esplanade – and its statue of a gallant-looking Marshall Ney – are flanked by imposing buildings, including the Arsenal cultural centre and the sober, neoclassical Palais de Justice.
Originally built around 380 as part of a Gallo-Roman spa complex, Église St-Pierre-aux-Nonains sidles up to the octagonal, 13th-century Chapelle des Templiers (Chapel of the Knights Templar), the only one of its kind in Lorraine.
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Place de la Comédie
Bounded by one of the channels of the Moselle, this neoclassical square is home to the city's 18th-century Théâtre, France's oldest theatre still in use. During the Revolution, place de l'Égalité (as it was then known) was the site of a guillotine that lopped the heads off 63 'enemies of the people'.
The neo-Romanesque Temple Neuf was constructed under the Germans in 1904.
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Centre Pompidou-Metz
Opened in May 2010 to much fanfare, the architecturally innovative Centre Pompidou-Metz is the satellite branch of Paris' Centre Pompidou and the new star of the city's art scene. The gallery draws on Europe's largest collection of modern art to stage ambitious temporary exhibitions, such as the inaugural Chefs d'oeuvre (Masterpieces), which presented standouts by Picasso, Matisse and Kandinsky. The dynamic space also hosts top-drawer cultural events.
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Quartier de l'Amphithéâtre
'The wrong side of the tracks', until recently a wasteland of abandoned hangars and depots, is undergoing a complete transformation thanks to Metz' seemingly boundless cultural ambitions (and development budget). The Quartier de l'Amphithéâtre already boasts Les Arènes (Palais Omnisports), a vast steel-and-glass venue for sports events and concerts, and the green riverside lawns of Parc de la Seille.
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L'Étude
Hugely popular with local cognoscenti, this eatery is a quintessentially French mixture of the intellectual (the walls are lined with books) and the gastronomic (French, of course) - a coming together of the mind and the stomach, if you will. There's live music (jazz, chansons, Roma - the website has the schedule) from about 20:00 on Friday and Saturday (except in July and August; reservations recommended).
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Canada'Venture
So you're tired of French food, eh? How about brochettes de bison grillées (grilled bison brochettes) washed down with a Canadian beer, eh? At this themed eatery, the cuisine, like the décor - snow shoes, a wooden canoe, stuffed racoons and even a cigar store Indian straight out of 'Seinfeld' - are the Canadophilic owners' heartfelt, if cringe-inducing, homage to the Great White North.
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Musée La Cour d'Or
Delve into the past at this trove of Gallo-Roman antiquities, hiding remnants of the city's Roman baths and a statue of the Egyptian goddess Isis unearthed right here in Metz. Your visit continues with art from the Middle Ages, paintings from the 15th century onwards, and artefacts revealing the history of Metz' ancient Jewish community. A room-by-room brochure in English is available.
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St Peter of the Novitiates
The oldest church in France, Église St-Pierre-aux-Nonnains has incredibly escaped destruction numerous times. Built pre-AD 400 as part of a Gallo-Roman spa complex (note the red-brick striped walls), it was a women's monastery in the 7th century, periodically expanded and from 1556 used for weapons storage. Today it hosts concerts and exhibitions.
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L'Appart
The house in which poet Paul Verlaine was born in 1844 is now a lively, mixed (gay and hetero) bar with a retro 1950s ceiling. Events move from DJ nights to drag shows. Industrial-style club L’Endroit spins house under the same roof.
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Arsenal
Bearing the hallmark of Catalan postmodernist architect Ricardo Bofill, this striking Jeumont-stone building sits on the site of the former arsenal. It hosts dance, theatre and music performances.
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Café Jehanne d'Arc
Dating to the 13th-century, this watering hole oozes history from every fresco and beam. The soundtrack skips from Gainsbourg to classical, and there's often free live jazz. The terrace is a chilled spot for summertime imbibing.
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El Theatris
Serves traditional French cuisine with 'echoes from ailleurs' (elsewhere). The neoclassical décor mirrors the architecture outside. The candles are calming and so is the music, which ranges from Glenn Miller to light opera.
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Crêperie Le Chouchen
Gussied up like a Breton village, this restaurant - named after Breton honey wine - is the best place in town for sweet and savoury crêpes washed down with cidre (cider) or a beer from Brittany. Salads are also available.
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Restaurant Thierry
Walking into this spice-scented, lantern-lit restaurant is like stepping into the glammest of Marrakchi riads. An open fire crackles in the salon, where an aperitif works up an appetite for Asian- and Moroccan-inflected dishes, such as delicate prawn nems (spring rolls), seafood tagines and beautifully cooked sole with tempura. Often full, so call ahead if possible.
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Église St-Pierre-aux-Nonains
Originally built around 380 as part of a Gallo-Roman spa complex, Église St-Pierre-aux-Nonains sidles up to the octagonal, 13th-century Chapelle des Templiers, the only one of its kind in Lorraine.
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Le Tiffany
The gyrating bodies at sleek, modern Le Tiffany would have knocked the socks off the medieval people who built the vaulted cellar it has occupied since 1972. Friday and Saturday are theme nights.
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L'Endroit
A gay-friendly disco with industrial style interior design, including a stainless-steel dance floor, and House music on the turntable. Male strippers go the full Monty every other Sunday night.
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Place St-Louis
On the eastern edge of the city centre, triangular place St-Louis is surrounded by medieval arcades and merchants' houses dating from the 14th to 16th centuries.
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La Baraka
Fancy a change? This unassuming North African place rustles up just-right tagines, meltingly tender lamb and couscous properly infused with saffron.
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Temple Neuf
The neo-Romanesque Temple Neuf was constructed under the Germans in 1904.
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L'Appart
The house in which poet Paul Verlaine was born in 1844 is now a lively, mixed (gay and hetero) bar with a retro 1950s ceiling. Events move from DJ nights to drag shows. Industrial-style club L'Endroit spins house under the same roof.
reviewed
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Fort du Hackenberg
The largest single Maginot Line bastion in the Metz area was the 1000-man Fort du Hackenberg, 30km northeast of Metz, whose 10km of galleries were designed to be self-sufficient for three months and, in battle, to fire four tonnes of shells a minute. An electric trolley takes visitors along 4km of tunnels – always at 12°C – past subterranean installations. Tours last two hours.
Readers have been enthusiastic about the tours (www.maginot-line.com) of Fort du Hackenberg, other Maginot Line sites and Verdun led by Jean-Pascal Speck, an avid amateur historian and owner of the romantic Hôtel L'Horizon in Thionville. If he's unavailable, he can put you in touch with other …
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