METZ

Among the many old churches, monuments, and public buildings in Metz are the Gothic Cathedral of Saint Etienne (13th-16th centuries), the Palais de Justice begun in the 18th century, the 4th-century Church of Saint Peter, and the Porte des Allemands (13th-15th centuries). There are also several museums exhibiting Roman artifacts.

Metz was the capital of the Mediomatrici, a Gallic tribe, and then a Roman military post until the 5th century when it was taken by the Franks. After the division of the Carolingian empire in the 9th century, it became the capital of Lotharingia. The seat of a powerful bishop, Metz was a free city within the Holy Roman Empire from the 12th century. Protestantism was adopted during the Reformation and, afraid of persecution, Metz accepted the protection of the French crown, which annexed it in 1552. The city withstood a long siege by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in that year. The Treaty of Westphalia (1648) provided for the formal cession of Metz, with Toul and Verdun, to France. During the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), Metz fell to the Prussians after a 2-month siege. At the end of the war it was ceded to Germany. The Peace of Versailles after World War I returned Metz to France, but it was occupied by the Germans during World War II. Metz suffered much destruction during both world wars, and has been extensively rebuilt.

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