Metz: a cathedral of light in French Lorraine

In the heart of Lorraine, Metz preserves a Gothic cathedral with the largest surface area of stained glass in France, including works by Chagall.

The center, with the cathedral famous for its stained glass, can be comfortably visited on foot.

The Cathedral of Saint-Étienne, nicknamed the 'Lantern of the Good God', houses over six thousand square meters of stained glass, among the greatest surface of Gothic stained glass in France.

A few steps away, the Centre Pompidou-Metz, with its undulating roof inspired by a Chinese hat, displays contemporary art in bold architecture.

Continuing along the Moselle, you walk in the Imperial Quarter, built by the Germans during the annexation of Lorraine at the end of the Nineteenth century.

Toward evening, the Plan d'Eau, an artificial lake in the city center, animates evening walks along its tree-lined banks.

The stained glass windows of Metz Cathedral include works created by painter Marc Chagall in the nineteen sixties, one of the few examples of contemporary art integrated into a medieval Gothic cathedral, alongside much older windows.

Metz changed nationality between France and Germany four times between 1871 and 1945, a legacy still visible in the architecture of the Imperial Quarter constructed during German rule, with well-preserved Wilhelmine-style buildings.