Nancy is the capital of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in eastern France. Historically, the city was the capital of the Duchy of Lorraine, which existed from 959 to 1766, when it was annexed by Louis XV’s France. Nancy’s history goes back a long time, and the city was known as the fortified Nanciacum from the middle of the 11th century. The town burned down in 1218 during the succession war in Champagne. Over the following centuries, the city was rebuilt, and as the capital of Lorraine, the importance of Nancy grew.

The later Habsburg regent Maria Theresa married Duke François of Lorraine in 1736, who reluctantly agreed to exchange his land for the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. King Stanislaus I of Poland was then given the vacant Duchy of Lorraine, and under his nominal rule Nancy experienced growth and flourished in culture and architecture. After Stanislaus’ death in 1766, Lorraine became part of the Kingdom of France. Nancy has since then been French, also when Alsace and Lorraine became German in 1871. During World War II, Nancy was occupied by German troops from 1940 to 1944, at a time when Germany renamed the city Nanzig.

Today there is much to see in Nancy from the city’s long history. Veille Ville is the name of the old town, which is cozy and provides several sights when on a walk. The natural place to start is at the impressive Place Stanislas, laid out during the rule of Stanislaus I 1752-1756. The square, together with squares Place de la Carrière and Place d’Alliance, is on UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites. The squares form elegant urban spaces, and Place Stanislas, together with Place de la Carrière, forms a link with Nancy’s town hall and the seat of the ducal government.

It was the royal architect Emmanuel Héré de Corny who designed the buildings around Place Stanislas, and in the center a statue of Louis XV was erected. Today it is Stanislaus I that can be seen here. To the south is the Hôtel de Ville, while to the east you can see the Grand Hotel de la Reine and the Opéra National de Lorraine. To the west you can visit the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy, and to the north the square is rounded off by the Arc Héré triumphal arch. The arch was built in honor of King Louis XV, and through it the axis leads north to the ducal government building and behind it the ducal palace itself.

Nancy’s beautiful government building, the Palais du Gouvernement, was built from 1715, but mainly in the 1750s like the other parts of the elegant center that defines this part of Nancy today. Northwest of the Palais du Gouvernement is the Palais Ducal, which was the residence of the dukes of Lorraine. The residence was built from the 15th century and has been used as a museum since 1848. As an entrance to Veille Ville, north of the residence you can see the impressive Porte de la Graffe, which was built as a fortified city gate in the 14th century. The gate was expanded in the 15th century with the mighty round side towers, in which there were dungeons.

There are also several other things to see in the city. The cathedral Cathédrale Notre-Dame was built in baroque style from the 18th century, and in the interior, you can see beautiful decorations. The church is known for being the burial place of the Merovingian king Sigebert III. Among the city’s museums, you can see the Musée Lorraine in the dukes’ old residence, which, among other things, depicts the history of Lorraine, but also the interesting art museum, the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy. The museum’s collections include paintings from the 15th and 19th centuries.