17 Best Sights in Nancy, Alsace-Lorraine

Europe's only museum devoted to Art Nouveau is in an airy turn-of-the-last-century garden–town house built by Eugène Corbin, an early patron of the École de Nancy. Re-created rooms show off original works by local Art Nouveau glassmakers Emile Gallé, Antonin and Auguste Daum, Amalric Walter, and other artisans. Immerse yourself in the fanciful, highly stylized, curlicue style that crept into interiors and exteriors throughout Nancy in the early 20th century, then became a sensation around the world.

With its severe, gleaming-white, classical facades given a touch of rococo jollity by fanciful wrought gilt-iron railings, this perfectly proportioned square may remind you of Versailles. It is named for Stanislas Leszczynski, twice dethroned as king of Poland but offered the Duchy of Lorraine by Louis XV (his son-in-law) in 1736. Stanislas left a legacy of spectacular buildings, undertaken between 1751 and 1760 by architect Emmanuel Héré and ironwork genius Jean Lamour. The sculpture of Stanislas dominating the square went up in the 1830s. Framing the northern exit, and marking the divide between the Vieille Ville and the Ville Neuve (New Town), is the Arc de Triomphe, erected in the 1750s to honor Louis XV. The facade trumpets the gods of war and peace; Louis's portrait is here.

Designed by Paris architect Henri Sauvage as a showcase for Art Nouveau, this stunning 1902 villa was built for furniture designer Louis Majorelle. Its sinuous metal supports seem to sneak up on the unsuspecting balcony like swaying cobras. The two grand windows are by Jacques Gruber: one lights the staircase (visible from the street), and the other is set in the dining room on the south side of the villa. Visitor numbers are limited (it's open to individual visits on afternoons only), so it's worth pre-booking online to explore the interior of the Majorelle's family villa, decorated with more than 100 pieces of sublime furniture, paintings, and ornaments—all mostly original.

This busy boulevard lined with mansions was laid out for Nancy's affluent 19th- and early-20th-century middle class. At No. 69, built in 1902 by Émile André, the occasional pinnacle suggests Gothic influence; André designed the neighboring No. 71 two years later. Number 41, built by Paul Charbonnier in 1905, bears ironwork by Louis Majorelle.

This vast, frigid edifice was completed in the 1740s in a ponderous Baroque style, eased in part by the florid ironwork of Jean Lamour. The most notable interior feature is a murky 18th-century fresco in the dome. The Trésor (Treasury) contains minute 10th-century splendors carved of ivory and gold but is only open to the public on rare occasions.

In a splendid building that now spills over into a spectacular modern wing, a broad and varied collection of art treasures lives up to the noble white facade designed by Emmanuel Héré. The showpiece is Rubens's massive Transfiguration, and among the most striking works are the freeze-the-moment realist tableaux painted by native son Émile Friant at the turn of the 20th century. A sizable collection of Lipchitz sculptures includes portrait busts of Gertrude Stein, Jean Cocteau, and Coco Chanel. You'll also find 19th- and 20th-century paintings by Monet, Manet, Utrillo, and Modigliani; a Caravaggio Annunciation; and a wealth of other old masters from the Italian, Dutch, Flemish, and French schools; and impressive glassworks by Nancy native Antonin Daum. A free smartphone app can be downloaded in English and can help you navigate the museum.

Built in 1901 to house the Vaxelaire department store, this imposing metallic façade is the last vestige of the work of Émile André and Eugène Vallin.

This elaborately-worked metal exoskeleton, the first in Nancy (1901), exudes functional beauty. The floral decoration is a reminder of the building's past as a seed supply store. Windows were worked by Jacques Gruber; the building was designed by Henri Gutton and his nephew Henry Gutton, while Frédéric Schertzer conceived the metal frame.

Housing the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, this 1908 building is remarkable for the Lorraine thistle (a civic emblem) and brewing hops woven into its undulating exterior. It was designed by architects Émile Toussaint and Louis Marchal, with Gruber's windows enhanced by the curving metalwork of Louis Majorelle.

Designed by architect Émile André, this lovely structure—now a bank—can be visited during business hours. You can still see the cabinetry of Louis Majorelle, the decor of Paul Charbonnier, and the stained glass windows of Jacques Gruber.

Furniture maker Eugène Vallin and architect Georges Biet left their mark on this graceful 1903 bank.

Built in the 15th century and again after a fire at the end of the 19th century, this impressive palace originally housed the dukes of Lorraine. The stunning architecture combines Flamboyant Gothic with Renaissance. Today, the palace houses one part of the expansive Musée Lorrain, along with the neighboring Couvent des Cordeliers and the Palais du Gouvernment. A major renovation project means the museum is closed to the public until 2029. Next door, a small, free exhibition from the collection is hosted in the Eglise des Cordeliers.

This picturesque, landscaped city park has labeled ancient trees, a rose garden, playgrounds, a carousel, and a small zoo.

Lined with pollarded trees and handsome, 18th-century mansions (another successful collaboration between King Stanislas and Emmanuel Héré), this UNESCO World Heritage site's elegant rectangle leads from Place Stanislas to the colonnaded facade of the Palais du Gouvernement (Government Palace), former home of the governors of Lorraine.

A fairy-tale vision out of the late Middle Ages, this 14th- and 15th-century gate is all that remains of Nancy's medieval fortifications. With its twin turrets looming at one end of the Grande-Rue, the arch served as a prison through the Revolution. Above the main portal is the two-barred Lorraine Cross.

A 275-foot spire towers over this splendid neo-Gothic church, completed in 1451 and rebuilt in the 1860s. Most of the 2,800 square yards of stained glass were created by the Geyling workshop in Vienna while many carvings are the work of Margraff of Munich. The heaviest of the eight bells was cast in Budapest, and the organ, though manufactured by Merklin of Paris, was inaugurated in 1869 by Austrian composer Anton Bruckner. It is only open to the public on Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons.

This bustling brasserie has a severely rhythmic facade that is invitingly illuminated at night. Inside, the decor continues to evoke the Belle Époque.