Guide to Lorraine

Lorraine

Eastern region comprising the départements of:
Meurthe-et-Moselle (54),
Meuse (55),
Moselle (57) and
Vosges (88)

Population: 2.3 million
Principal city: Metz
Tourist board

Although much of the region is given to small-scale farming and forestry, Lorraine is essentially reliant on coal and steel, both of which have been in decline over many years. Historically it has swung between Germany and France and its current borders date only from the Second World War.

Everyone is at least acquainted with the history and human geography of Lorraine: as a key industrial centres and a territory lost and gained throughout modern European history. But Lorraine was also open to waves of art and artistry from western and eastern Europe, and it was home to a coterie of uncommonly gifted craftsmen sponsored by local bishops and the French court.

Although in this it is frequently bracketed with Alsace, the two regions are very different. The inhabitants of Lorraine never cease to talk of the role of the Maquis in the mountains and refer to Alsace as being 'full of Germans'. With their fierce patriotism it is fitting that Joan of Arc came from this frontier region and De Gaulle adopted the Cross of Lorraine as the emblem of the Free French.

Since the Middle Ages, throughout Lorraine, 6 December has been the feast of le Saint Nicolas; in St-Nicolas-de-Port, thousands of pilgrims gather to celebrate the patron saint of children and of Lorraine itself with music, pageants and a visit from the saint himself! Children are said to be especially happy in this part of the world: for they receive presents at the beginning and at the end of December.

The outstanding culinary tradition in the area is, of course, the quiche, whose etymology comes from the German Küche, meaning 'cake'. The mirabelle plum is another speciality of the area … and is particularly appreciated when fermented and distilled into eau-de-vie! Lorraine is also home to a selection of beers and VDQS wines.

Meurthe-et-Moselle (54)

Population: 712,000
Principal city: Nancy
Tourist board

Lorraine is an important centre for luxury crystal and enamelware, les arts de la table, with Nancy at the hub. Nancy was as important a centre for Art Nouveau as Paris, Brussels or Vienna, being home to a school of crystalware founded by the genius of glass, Émile Gallé. His interest in botany produced richly coloured, florid designs, sensuous almost to the point of eroticism. His colourful works in pâte de verre are amongst the most sought-after objets d'art in the world. Also in Nancy, the Musée Historique Lorrain displays a vast panorama of regional ceramic art, most notably faience and porcelain from the Argonne area, Lunéville and Niderviller.

Former capital of the dukes of Lorraine, Nancy is also famous for its architecture, notably that around the place Stanislas (1752), a great place to see and be seen. In 1477 the Duke of Burgundy, the warlike Charles the Bold, was defeated at Nancy as he tried to capture Lorraine; it was an outcome that led to Burgundy being absorbed by the French crown. A plaque in Nancy's Grand'Rue marks the spot where Charles was found, half-eaten by wolves

Longwy, right on the border with Belgium and Luxembourg in the north, enjoys a great reputation for its artistic faience in relief, a technique introduced around 1874 and which really spurred on contemporary creativity.

The château de Lunéville (called 'Little Versailles' for reasons easy enough to deduce) bears witness to the intense activity of its local faïenceries, who ensured a continuing popularity at the end of the 19th century with their adoption of Art Nouveau.

For all its refined craftsmanship, the département is also a centre for heavy industry, and the small town of Pont-à-Mousson is famous throughout France for a factory that produces drains and manhole covers.

Meuse (55)

Population: 196,000
Principal city: Bar-le-Duc
Tourist board

Ownership of Lorraine has been a contentious issue for centuries; as a consequence, there are many military-related tourist sites, including the now-peaceful citadel of Montmédy in the north of the département.

By far the most notorious military-related site, however, is Verdun, scene of the bloodiest battle in history, and now home to the The World Centre for Peace. The Battle of Verdun (1916) is commemorated by the 46-metre Douaumont monument, in the form of a missile, which contains the bones of 130,000 unidentified soldiers, in addition to the scores of thousands of bodies buried in the outlying land. The battle lasted for ten months, and completely destroyed nine villages.

Another important visit is la Citadelle, kilometres of underground galleries dug late in the 19th century to accommodate 2,000 soldiers. During WWI the galleries were further enlarged to include facilities such as an infirmary and accommodation for 10,000 men. Other sites of remembrance are the Vaux fort, the scene of an appalling six-day battle between French and German troops during WWI.

Less harrowing attractions abound in the département, however: for instance, in the north of the Département is the European Beer Museum at Stenay, in an adapted malt-house. It tells the story of brewing in Lorraine with impressive displays of equipment and advertising material.

Of course, quiche is Lorraine's most famous export, but many other local specialities are to be sniffed out and enjoyed, particularly desserts based on red fruits. You should also try Ambroseille, a delicious drink made from redcurrants.

Commercy is considered the home of the madeleine: it is supposed to have been served to the Polish King Stanislas in the 18th century, when a servant named Madeleine quickly rescued a meal after the chef resigned. The madeleines are shell-shaped in reference to the pilgrims who passed through the town on their way to Santiago de Compostela.

Also in the north of the départment is the église Notre-Dame in Avioth, one of the most important architectural specimens in the region, in a village of just 300 inhabitants. The church has been a site for pilgrimages for more than 800 years, and is noteworth for both its imposing exterior and finely crafted interior.

Moselle (57)

Population: 1 million
Principal city: Metz
Tourist board

Although not as famous as Nancy, Metz, standing on a hill above the Moselle Valley, has some of the most beautiful architecture in France, and well deserves to be visited. It is particularly noted for its cathedral, with extensive stained glass, including work by Chagall. Other sites include the 4th-century St-Pierre-aux-Nonnains, amongst the oldest Christian edifices in France, and the église St-Maximin, whose stained glass windows were designed by Jean Cocteau in the 1960s. The musée de la Cour d'Or has beautiful examples of ceramics.

The city was an important Gallo-Roman site (larger in its day than Paris), and there are many Roman remains, including an aqueduct and thermal baths. It was the capital of the Dagobert's kingdom of Austrasie. Lorraine fell under the control of the French in the 17th century. Metz (in French pronounced mess) is not only the cultural, commercial and administrative focus of Lorraine; it is also a major manufacturing city in its own right. It was was besieged by the Prussians for two months in 1870, and subsequently annexed with the rest of Lorraine until WWI.

Sarreguemines was the doyen of faience during the 19th century. The town's municipal museum examines the riches and the diversity of the industry, which has now disappeared (except for the manufacture of ceramic tiles). There is an abundance of tableware, vases, mantels and original frescoes, such as Le Boulevard.

The parc régional de Lorraine contains countless lakes and watercourses; water sports and le tourisme vert are popular here.

There are several Maginot Line forts, including Hackenberg, the largest on the line and now a fascinating (if humbling) museum that impresses all who visit. Hackenburg remained uncaptured until the French armistice with the Nazis in 1940.

Vosges (88)

Population: 386,000
Principal city: Épinal
Tourism in Vosges

The département of Vosges in Lorraine contains a very old chain of mountains with distinctive tops worn away and rounded. Only one mountain is over 1,400m; they are distinctive for their heavily wooded slopes with pine trees up to 40m high and for the profusion of their lakes.

The capital, Épinal, is renowned for its printing and textiles, and in particular for the popular Images d'Épinal, popular since the 17th century. They were brightly coloured, hand-tinted prints of everyday life, sometimes funny, sometimes satirical, that travelling merchants would sell across the country. A museum is dedicated to the image industry in the town.

Deep in the heart of this land of thick forests and sparkling rivers lies Vittel, whose grande source was discovered by Louis Bouloumie a century and a half ago. Thanks to the wealth its internationally famous water has brought it, the station thermale, with its attractive architecture and 'English' gardens, offers a polished welcome to the visitor. One in six of the beds in Vittel are for visitors.

The Foire aux grenouilles, which takes place in Vittel at the end of April, was written about by Peter Mayle in his book Bon Appétit!: "Solemnity didn't last long. The ritual of initiation starts with some brief and not always flattering comments about each of the new confrères, the more embarrassing the better, and Roussel had done his homework. One after the other, he called his victims up onstage to describe their backgrounds and achievements, their follies and idiosyncracies, even their physical appearance (with a special emphasis on the state of their thighs). The confrère was then asked to eat a small dish of frogs' legs, drink a glass of Chardonnay and swear fidelity to the frog before receiving his medal and retiring to welcome obscurity at the back of the stage."

Gérardmer, known as la Perle des Vosges, is a small town by a beautiful valley lake amidst a thick forest. The pronunciation of the town sometimes fools even the French, who assume the town is named after its lake (or mer); in fact it takes its name from Gérard, the first Duke of Lorraine, and a local patois word moué, meaning 'garden'. True enough, the lake is a relatively little-known Eden.