Meurthe-et-Moselle is the Lorraine department of the dukes, a region that for centuries formed the heart of the Duchy of Lorraine, a virtually independent principality that was only incorporated into France in 1766 upon the death of Stanislas Leszczynski, the father-in-law of Louis XV. This unique history has produced an architectural heritage of remarkable originality, blending Polish Rococo, Lorraine Baroque and Versailles Classicism.
Nancy, the historic capital of Lorraine, is home to Place Stanislas, a masterpiece of 18th-century Baroque art listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its gilded railings by Jean Lamour and its allegorical fountains. The Ducal Palace of Lunéville, nicknamed the ‘Versailles of Lorraine’, was Stanislas’s favourite residence and now houses a museum and hosts cultural events in its rooms, which were restored following the fire of 2003.
Toul, a fortified town whose Vauban fortifications are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside the other citadels in the network of Vauban’s major sites, and Pont-à-Mousson, with its Premonstratensian abbey converted into a cultural centre, bear witness to the rich heritage of a department long overlooked by tourist circuits.