From gardens to music

This great Benedictine abbey, founded outside the walls and renowned throughout Europe for its cultural influence, was the burial place of St. Arnould, ancestor of the Carolingians, Hildegarde, wife of Charlemagne, and his son and successor, Louis the Pious.

The Palais de Justice de Metz is housed in the former Palais du Gouverneur de la province des Trois Evêchés. It retains a somewhat austere, majestic appearance, with decor symbolizing military power, such as trophies and the deities Mars and Minerva, gods and goddesses of war in Roman mythology. From here, La Fayette left in 1775 to fight for the independence of the United States of America.

The Arsenal militaire, completed under Napoleon III in 1864, was completely restored and transformed into an auditorium by architect Ricardo Bofill. The hall was inaugurated in 1989 by Mstislav Rostropovitch. The Arsenal has become a place for the expression of all cultures, a place for meetings and exchanges.

This chapel is located on the site of an abbey and a convent founded in the 7th century by Glossinde de Champagne who came from a family of nobles from the Court of Austrasia. The chapel, rebuilt between 1752 and 1757, and adjacent buildings, now the administrative seat of the diocese and the residence of the Bishop of Metz, are only occasionally open during European Heritage Days.

Originally, the Porte Serpenoise was a vast vault in the city wall, marking the southern boundary of the Gallo-Roman city. In 1903, the dismantling of the city's fortifications led to its relocation and redesign. The German authorities reduced it to around a quarter of its original size and crowned it with four corner towers taken from the old fortifications. This symbolic landmark in the city remains a monumental curiosity, a reminder of times gone by thanks to the engraved inscriptions recalling episodes in its history.

After Charles V's unsuccessful siege of the city in 1552, it was decided to build a formidable citadel in Metz. In the center of this immense rectangle, a granary or magasin aux vivres was built in 1569 to store the garrison's supplies. This is the oldest surviving 16th-century military building. Today, the building houses the 4-star hotel "La Citadelle" and the gourmet restaurant "La Réserve".