Nancy
Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière, and Place d'Alliance in Nancy are 18th century works of urban planning. The three squares and the surrounding monuments sprouted from the brain of the Polish king and duke of Lorraine, Stanislaw Leszczynsk. The responsible architect was Emmanuel Héré. He was assisted by the iron worker Jean Lamour and the sculptors Guibal and Cyfflé. The project was carried out from 1752 to 1756. The squares are embellished with statues, fountains and a triumphal arch. Characteristic are the gilded gates and ornaments.
The squares hold a public function as well: the Opera, the Town Hall, Courts of Law, a library and a botanical garden can be accessed from here. The monuments link the medieval old town of Nancy and the new town built under Charles III in the 17th century.
Visit April 2010
The wrought iron gates with gilded ornaments are the trademark of Place Stanislas. All corners of the square have these gates, so this is the first thing you see when approaching. Wow!The surrounding buildings all are in the same style, as they were carried out within a short period and by the same team.
Place d’Alliance, about 200m eastwards from Place Stanislas, is a whole different experience. It’s a small square surrounded by trees. It looks quite dilapidated, due to a lot of dog shit on the ground and the paint of the monumental Hotel d’Alsace is definitely peeled. The masterpiece here is the fountain that was modelled after the one at Piazza Navona in Rome.
Place de la Carrière is the most classical of the three squares. It lies behind the Arc de Triomphe, at the north side of Place Stanislas. It ends in a semi-circular monument which holds the Palais du Gouvernement.
I visited the squares on foot in about 1.5 hour. I used a walking tour and map that I found at my hotel. There are some other interesting sights under way, like Art Nouveau buildings and an old city gate. It's a nice walk to stretch your legs. The Place Stanislas surely is the major thing to see here.
More photos can be found in the Picture Gallery
Reviews
Ricardo Ecuador (Ecuador):
Nancy is probably one of the best city i've visited
I can't forget the stanislas place and the modern style!!
Sure, I ran out of time to do more in Nancy
Stanislas place is especially nice at the night... |
| Date posted: January 2009 |
Frederik Dawson (Netherlands):
 Nancy, the capital city of Lorraine in eastern France, does not see a lot of tourists like Strasbourg or Reims. Many tourists just use this city as a transit place and ignore its beautiful city centre.
The city looks a little bit run down and not attractive, however, the city square, the famous Place Stanislas is totally different with other parts of the city (my ideas is Nancy used its all city budget to maintain this place). Standing in Place Stanislas gives the feeling like you are in Paris, the royal capital, more than Nancy. The square is full with gilded statues, fountains, gates, lovely city hall, opera house and museums.
The history behide it is also very interesting. When the Polish King Stanislas (King Louis XV’s father in law) exiled to France, his son in law gave the title Duke of Lorraine and allowed him to rule Lorraine as his kingdom. To make the backwater Nancy as royal capital, King Stanislas built new city which has Place Stanislas as a center and use for public assemblies and festivities. This is the symbol of enlightened age and his kingship for Stanislas and his son in law who abled to understand public demands by designed this place for public. (The reason for WHS inscription)
Place Stanislas is in the centre of Nancy and not far from the central train station. From the main entrance of the train station, you will see the old and dirty arch gate which is part of Stanislas plan to like old with new city. Walkthough the gate for about 1 km. pass many somber buildings and you will see Place Stanislas at the end of the street.
In May,2010 I had revisited Nancy and Place Stanislas and discovered the old and dirty arch I mentioned was under renovated and most of the buildings along the road were clean and beautiful, a nice contrast from my previous visit. Also Nancy is now very easy to visit as a day trip from Strasbourg or Paris or even Germany with the new TGV, or stop enroute on your trip but be noted there is no luggage storage service in the Nancy Gare! |
| Date posted: September 2006 |
Pascal Mary (France):
A goog link to discover Stanislas Place :
http://www.laplusbelleplacedumonde.com |
| Date posted: April 2006 |
Klaus Freisinger (Austria):
Nancy doesn´t really belong to France´s world-class sights and cities, but it has atmosphere, charm, and culture nonetheless. By a curious twist of history, a former king of Poland came to rule Lorraine in the first half of the 18th century and set about transforming the city into something more modern than he had inherited (something like Augustus changing Rome from a city of bricks into one of marble). The result can be seen today, and the squares, palaces, residences, and parks that constitute the historic core of Nancy form a Baroque ensemble that is very pleasant and well-preserved. Again, not an absolute must-see sight, but worth a detour if you are in eastern France. |
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