Museums and exhibition halls , the
Golden Courtyard, the
Opera House, and the
Saint-Jacques square , the oldest church in France and cradle of the
Gregorian Chant , home to traditional local food producers and retailers , the
Lorraine's
patron saint • The
Centre Pompidou-Metz is a museum of
modern and contemporary arts, the largest temporary exhibition area in France outside Paris. The museum features exhibitions from the extensive collection of the
Centre Pompidou, Europe's largest collection of 20th-century art. •
Saint Stephen's Cathedral is the
Gothic cathedral of the city built during the 13th century. Metz Cathedral is sometimes nicknamed the Good Lord's Lantern (), as it has the largest expanse of stained glass windows in the world: . These include works by
Gothic and
Renaissance master glass makers
Hermann von Münster, Théobald of Lixheim and
Valentin Bousch,
romantic Charles-Laurent Maréchal,
tachist Roger Bissière,
cubist Jacques Villon and
modernist Marc Chagall. • Another of the city's churches displays a complete set of stained glass windows by French
modernist Jean Cocteau. In addition, Metz features other museums and exhibition venues, such as: • The
FRAC Lorraine, a public collection of
contemporary art of the
Lorraine region. It is located in the 12th-century Saint-Liver
Hôtel and organizes exhibitions of local and international contemporary artists. • The
Golden Courtyard (), a museum dedicated to the history of Metz, divided into four sections (e.g. archeology, medieval, architecture and fine arts). The Golden Courtyard displays a rich collection of Gallo-Roman and medieval finds and the remains of the Gallo-Roman baths of
Divodurum Mediomatricum, revealed by the extension works to the museums in the 1930s. • The Museum of the 1870 War and of the Annexion in
Gravelotte, a village located within the Metz-Metropole conurbation and the site of the
Battle of Gravelotte, the only museum in Europe dedicated to the
Franco-Prussian War. The museum exhibits military and everyday items from the period as well as artworks related to the 1870 war. A mausoleum erected in 1904 honoring the soldiers who died during the battle, the Memorial Hall (), has been included in the museum. • The House for Europe, located on the estate of
Robert Schuman in
Scy-Chazelles in the Metz-Metropole conurbation, transformed into a museum and convention centre. Across the street is the fortified 12th Century church where Robert Schuman now rests. The Robert Schuman House for Europe organises cultural and educational events that introduce the visitor to Schuman's life and works and to the way Europe has been constructed and continues to develop today. • Verlaine's House () is a museum located in the house where the poet
Paul Verlaine was born, dedicated to his work, featuring permanent and temporary exhibitions. The
Solange Bertrand foundation, located in the artist's former house, conserves and displays her artworks. The municipal archives preserve and exhibit Metz's historical municipal records dating from medieval times to the present.
Entertainment and performing arts Metz has several venues for the performing arts. The
Opera House of Metz, the oldest working
opera house in France, features plays, dance and lyric poetry. The
Arsenal Concert Hall, dedicated to
art music, is widely renowned for its excellent acoustics. The Trinitarians Club is a multimedia arts complex housed in the vaulted cellar and chapel of an ancient convent, the city's prime venue for
jazz music. The Music Box (), familiarly known as BAM, is the concert venue dedicated to rock and electronic music. The Braun Hall and the
Koltès Theater feature plays, and the city has two
movie theaters specializing in
Auteur cinema. The
Saint-Jacques Square, surrounded by busy bars and pubs whose open-air tables fill the centre of the square. Since 2014, the former bus garage has been converted to accommodate over thirty artists in residence, in a space where they can create and rehearse artworks and even build set decorations. The artistic complex, called Metz Network of All Cultures () and familiarly known as TCRM-Blida, encompasses a large hall of while theater and dance companies benefit from a studio of with backstages.
Metz in the arts Metz was an important cultural centre during the
Carolingian Renaissance. Metz was also an important centre of
illumination of
Carolingian manuscripts, producing such monuments of Carolingian book illumination as the
Drogo Sacramentary. The
Metz School () was an art movement in Metz and the region between 1834 and 1870, centred on
Charles-Laurent Maréchal. The term was originally proposed in 1845 by the poet
Charles Baudelaire, who appreciated the works of the artists. They were influenced by
Eugène Delacroix and inspired by the medieval heritage of Metz and its romantic surroundings.
Graoully dragon as symbol of the city The Graoully is depicted as a fearsome dragon, vanquished by the sacred powers of
Saint Clement of Metz, the first Bishop of the city. The Graoully quickly became a symbol of Metz and can be seen in numerous insignia of the city, from the 10th century on. Writers from Metz tend to present the legend as an allegory of Christianity's victory over
paganism, represented by the harmful dragon. Various dishes such as jam, tart,
charcuterie and
fruit brandy are made from the
Mirabelle and
Damsons. The adjacent Chamber's Square () is surrounded by numerous restaurants serving local food.
Celebrations and events Many events are celebrated in Metz throughout the year. The city of Metz dedicates two weeks to the
Mirabelle plum during the popular Mirabelle Festival held in August. During the festival, in addition to open markets selling fresh plums, mirabelle tarts and mirabelle liquor, there are live music, fireworks, parties, art exhibits, a parade with floral floats, a competition, the crowning of the Mirabelle Queen and a gala of celebration. A literature festival is held in June. The Montgolfiades
hot air balloon festival is organized in September. The second most popular
Christmas Market in France is held in November and December. Finally, a
Saint Nicholas parade honors the
patron saint of the
Lorraine region in December. == Sport ==