7 Best Sights in Alsace-Lorraine, France

Built in 1529, this former goldsmith’s house is notable for the five sculpted heads (têtes) protruding above the second-floor windows. The central figure is thought to depict the owner, while the outer characters represent the exotic countries he traded with. The building façade is original, but the heads themselves are copies. You can see four of the originals in the Musée de la Cour d’Or while the fifth is displayed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

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.

An elaborate Renaissance well near the belfry, the Puits à Six-Seaux was constructed in 1579. Its name recalls the six buckets suspended from its metal chains.