Metz

Metz, city in eastern France, capital of the Moselle Department, at the confluence of the Moselle and Seille rivers, in Lorraine near Germany and Luxembourg. It is a manufacturing and transport centre; factories here produce machinery, leather goods, textiles, tobacco, and processed food. Historical landmarks include the cathedral of Saint-Étienne (primarily 13th-16th century); the basilica of St Pierre de la Citadelle; and the Porte des Allemands (13th-15th century), a large fortified gate with crenellated towers. The University of Metz (1971) is here.

Metz dates from pre-Roman times and became the capital of the kingdom of Austrasia in the 6th century ad. It was made a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire in the 12th century. Metz was captured by King Henry II of France in April 1552 and was successfully defended by François de Lorraine, 2nd duc de Guise, against Charles V, the Holy Roman emperor, from October 1552 to January 1553. Metz was ceded to France by the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 and was subsequently heavily fortified. In 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, Metz was besieged by the Germans for two months until, in late October, the French marshal François Bazaine surrendered. From 1871 to 1919, Metz was part of the German Empire; it was returned to France after World War I, during which it was badly damaged. The city again suffered much damage in World War II, when it was occupied by the Germans from 1940 to 1944. Population 124,500 (2005 estimate).