Nancy Attractions, France

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.

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 (photo - right)
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.

Palais Ducal (photo - left)
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.

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.

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.

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