I.

Introduction

Lorraine, administrative region and former province in north-east France, located directly east of Paris, bordered on the north by Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany, on the east by Alsace, on the south by Franche-Comté, and to the west by Champagne-Ardenne. The region is today divided into the four departments of Meuse, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Moselle, and Vosges and has a total land area of 23,547 sq km (9,092 sq mi).

II.

Physical Geography

Lorraine is crossed by several well-known waterways including the Meuse, Mosel, Aisne, Meurthe rivers, and the Canal de l’Est. The River Saône rises in the Faucilles Mountains, in the extreme south-west of the region and flows south-west into Franche-Comté. The Vosges mountains dominate the south-east of the region and extend into Alsace and Franche-Comté; Hohneck (1,362 m/4,469 ft), the highest point in Lorraine, is at the heart of the range around 1 km (0.6 mi) from the border with Alsace. Nearby are the mountain lakes of Gérardmer and Longemer. In the west of the region is the Argonne Massif, a hilly, wooded plateau that stretches for some 64 km (40 mi) along the border with Champagne-Ardenne.

III.

Population

Lorraine has 2,343,000 inhabitants (2007 estimate), with an average population density of 99 people per sq km (256 per sq mi). The administrative centre is the historic city of Metz (population, 2005 estimate, 124,500), located in the north of the region. Around 45 km (28 mi) to the south is Nancy (2005 estimate, 105,400), an important industrial and manufacturing centre. Other major cities and towns include Thionville (2005 estimate, 42,100); Épinal (2005 estimate, 35,100); Saint-Dié (2005 estimate, 21,900); Lunéville (2005 estimate, 19,400); and Verdun (1999, 19,624).

Higher education opportunities in the region include the University of Metz (1971) and the universities of Nancy I and II (founded 1572, reorganized 1970). Three large public squares in Nancy—the Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière, and Place d'Alliance—were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983. The village of Domrémy, about 40 km (25 mi) south-west of Nancy, was the birthplace of St Joan of Arc. A large military cemetery and memorial to US soldiers who lost their lives during World War II is located in the town of Saint-Avold.

IV.

Economy

Lorraine is a leading agricultural region; dairy farming predominates, although an important wine-growing area is centred around Toul, in the Mosel Valley. Specialities of Lorraine include wild boar, quiche Lorraine (an open pastry filled with beaten eggs, pieces of bacon, and rich cream), sumptuous tarts, and fruit brandies. The region is rich in mineral deposits—iron ore is mined near Briey and Thionville; there is a large salt works at Dombasle-sur-Meurthe; and there are coalfields around the north-eastern town of Forbach, although the industry has significantly declined since the 1960s. The thermal spa town of Vittel is a popular tourist resort and local bottled mineral water is exported in large quantities.

V.

History

Historically, Lorraine includes the portion of the empire of Charlemagne that fell in ad 843 to Lothair I, Holy Roman Emperor, by the Treaty of Verdun. It consisted of the lands between the Schelde, Meuse, and Rhine rivers, called Lotharingia, Lothringen, or Lorraine. In 954 it was divided into two duchies; in the 12th century it became one duchy that was united with the rest of France in 1766. The district between Metz and the Vosges, later called German Lorraine, was ceded to Germany in 1871 after the Franco-Prussian War. It reverted to France after World War I, was annexed (1940-1944) by Germany, and was then liberated. See Alsace-Lorraine.