Nancy

NANCY

Nancy, the major commercial center of France's Lorraine region, is located on the Meurthe River and the Marne-Rhine Canal about 280 km (180 mi) east of Paris. The population of the city is 96,317; that of the metropolitan area is 306,982 (1982). Located in France's foremost iron-mining and industrial region, Nancy produces glassware, electrical equipment, metal products, tobacco, shoes, iron, beer, and textiles.

Nancy has long been a strategic site on the Paris-Strasbourg route. The focus of the city is an attractive public square developed by the architect Emmanuel Here in the 18th century under a commission from Stanislaw I Leszczynski, the former king of Poland who became duke of Lorraine (1737-66). On the square are the town hall, a fine-arts museum, a triumphal arch, a theatre, and hotels. The square is adjoined by a park called the Parc de la Pepiniere. The University of Nancy (1572) is in the city.

The city was the capital of the dukes of Lorraine from the 12th to the 18th century except for a short period of French control (1633-97). After the death of Stanislaw in 1766, Nancy was reunited with France. It was occupied by the Germans during both world wars, suffering heavy damage during World War I.

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