Discovering Nancy… Nancy, a beautiful history Founded in the 11th century, Nancy was first and foremost the capital city of the Dukes of Lorraine. Perhaps the most famous of these, Stanislas, who was offered the city as a life-time gift, embellished it with magnificent treasures. The defeat of France in 1870 and the annexation of Alsace and Moselle were paradoxically quite advantageous for Nancy, since the resulting influx of people proved to be quite beneficial to the economy of the city and its artistic production. The old town is a beautiful reminder of the epoch of the Dukes of Lorraine. Stanislas an architect King Stanislas Lezczynski, King of Poland and Duke of Lorraine, was removed from power twice and subsequently sent into exile. Fortunately his daughter Marie married the King of France, Louis XV, who offered lands in France to his new father-in-law as a life-time possession. The new Duke of Lorraine transformed his capital city by adding the magnificent ‘Place Royale’, an architectural complex formed today by the Place Stanislas, the existing Place de la Carrière and the Place d’Alliance. The Birthplace of the Art Nouveau School Population growth after the annexation of 1870 was accompanied by a period of economic prosperity which encouraged artistic patronage. It was in this context that the Nancy School, an exceptionally rich movement in European Art Nouveau, was born. At the spearhead of this Alliance of art and art industries, Emile Gallé, its first president, set out the movement’s philosophy : to make art available to the greatest number of people by utilizing industry to reproduce the fruits of artistic creation. A glass-making tradition : the Daum crystal works Since 1878, the artistic talent and skills of the Daum crystal works have given glass-making the noble recognition that it deserves in the world of French decorative art. The Nancy glass-works was created in 1878 by Jean Daum. Then in 1891, his son Antonin set up an art department, which was the starting point for a unique production much sought after throughout the world. The first vases, decorated with colored, finely detailed flowers, were produced, precursors of what would become, in its maturity, the Art Nouveau style. Taking nature as a source of inspiration for artistic creation has been one of the characteristic features of the Daum style since the early 1900’s. The Daum family, with increasing inventions and patents, were the first to embellish electric lamps with glass, recruiting the skills of other artists of the period such as Majorelle or the talented designer Henry Bergé. for more information : http://www.daum.fr/ Fine eating in Nancy: Bergamots and Macaroons A speciality which is exclusive to Nancy is the bergamot. This translucent candy, golden orange in color is a successful mix of sugar and essential oils of bergamot, a hybrid of citrus oranges originating in Calabria. The bergamot has become the gastronomic emblem of the ducal city. As for the macaroon, although it is now manufactured and enjoyed almost everywhere, the truly original one is the one created by the Macaron sisters of Nancy, for which the recipe is a well-guarded secret. for more information : www.macaron-de-nancy.com The ‘musts’ of Nancy The Place Stanislas (Stanislas Square) The main square in Nancy, the Place Stanislas, with its gilded portals at each corner created by Jean Lamour, is the masterpiece of Emmanuel Héré. It fully deserves its place among the UNESCO World Heritage sites, together with the 18th century quarter which surrounds it (Place de la Carrière and Place d’Alliance). The Nancy City Hall, the Fine Art Gallery (Musée des Beaux Arts) and the Lorraine National Opera, all located on the Place Stanislas, combine to form a wonderful balance of design and architecture. The Musée des Beaux-Arts (Fine Art Gallery): a showcase for the Daum collection Located in the Royal College of Medicine, this museum has benefitted from two successive extensions which now mean that it can exhibit numerous masterpieces: paintings, drawings, engravings and sculptures. The Daum collection illuminates the lower levels of the building. for more information : http://mban.nancy.fr/ The Musée de l’Ecole de Nancy (School of Nancy Museum) The Musée de l’école de Nancy is located in the house of Eugène Corbin, founder of the Magasins Réunis and generous patron of the arts. The interior of the villa serves as a depository for the works of the masters of Art nouveau. The collections illustrate the diversity of the techniques deployed by artists from the Nancy School. Yet the museum has successfully retained the charm of a private dwelling. for more information : http://www.ecole-denancy.com/web/index.php?page=presentation-men The Musée Lorrain (Lorraine Museum). The Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine. Since the end of the middle ages, the occupants of the palace have continued the tradition of embellishing it. The façade facing the street is an example of Renaissance art in Nancy. The museum also houses documents tracing the history of the Lorraine area, which are remarkable for their quality and their rich variety. Memorabilia of the Dukes of Lorraine can be seen, along with the painting by Georges de la Tour ‘La femme à la puce’ as well as engravings by Jacques Callot for more information : http://www1.nancy.fr/culturelle/musees/museelorrain.html The Eglise des Cordeliers (Franciscan Church) Adjoining the Musée Lorrain is the Eglise des Cordeliers, considered to be the Saint Denis of Lorraine. In the crypt of the church lie the remains of the Dukes of Lorraine. This sanctuary also served as a holy setting for the marriage in 1954 of Otto von Hapsburg, son of the last Emperor of Austria, and Regina von Saxe Meiningen. The Cathedral Although at first sight it has a somewhat modest appearance, the Baroque structure of the Nancy Cathedral is nevertheless home to impressive works of art such as a 16th century Virgin with Child in polychrome stone, and liturgical artifacts belonging to Saint Gauzelin The Eglise Saint Epvre (Saint Epvre Church) The Eglise Saint Epvre holds a prominent position in the old town (vieille ville). It has 5 entrance portals, 74 windows and 3 rose windows of stained glass. On the frontal square of the church, groups of figures in bronze represent the evangelists. Nothing remains of the original 15th century church. It had become too small for the needs of the cult and was replaced by a larger building, completed in 1875. The internet site of the Nancy Tourism Office provides more information on the richness of Nancy’s heritage and the opportunities for visiting the city and its surroundings: http://www.ot-nancy.fr/