The Best Museums in Lorraine
Learn about the region’s history and heritage at these great institutions
Related article: En Passant Par La Lorraine
MÉMORIAL DE VERDUN
The Verdun Memorial commemorates the Battle of Verdun, where so many French and German soldiers died in 1916. It is situated on the battlefield and includes a museum displaying armaments, vehicles, uniforms and equipment from the conflict. www.memorial-verdun.fr
MUSÉE DE LA BIÈRE
The visitor attraction in Stenay, between the Château de Sedan and the Verdun remembrance sites, is dedicated to all things beer. Earn your tasting rights in the museum tavern by first learning about the history, science, agriculture and marketing of beer. www.museedelabiere.com
MUSÉE DÉPARTEMENTAL D’ART ANCIEN & CONTEMPORAIN
Highlights at this extensive museum in Épinal include ancient ivory zodiacal tablets, a Gallo-Roman statue of Hermaphrodite and a vase by Art Nouveau pioneer Émile Gallé. www.museedepartemental.vosges.fr
MAISON DE LA MIRABELLE
For five generations the Grallet-Dupic family has been harvesting plums from the thousands of trees on their land in the town of Rozelieures. Recently they started using the fruit to distil their very own Lorraine whisky, the region’s first. www.maisondelamirabelle.com
MUSÉE DE LA COUR D’OR
The labyrinthine museum complex in central Metz boasts an exhaustive collection of Gallo-Roman sculptures, original remains of Metz’s Roman baths and medieval artefacts – spanning 2,000 years of history across 5,000m2 of exhibition space. musee.metzmetropole.fr
MUSÉE DES BEAUX-ARTS DE NANCY
Overlooking place Stanislas, this grand building houses Nancy’s collection of 14th-20th century European art, including works by Delacroix, Manet, Monet and Modigliani. Don’t miss the Daum glassware in the basement. mban.nancy.fr
MUSÉE DE L’ÉCOLE DE NANCY
Nancy was at the centre of the Art Nouveau movement and this museum in the former property of Art Nouveau patrons the Corbin family is one of the most important collections anywhere in the world. www.ecole-de-nancy.com
MUSEUM-AQUARIUM DE NANCY
In a lovely Art Deco building are 57 aquariums housing more than 300 species of marine life, plus a natural history gallery with some 600 preserved animals. The museum also holds regular temporary exhibitions. www.museumaquariumdenancy.eu
LA MAISON DE ROBERT SCHUMAN
Robert Schuman was one of the founders of the European Union, the Council of Europe and NATO. Born in Luxembourg, he spent much of his life in Lorraine and lived in this house in Scy-Chazelles. www.centre-robert-schuman.org
MAISON NATALE DE JEANNE D’ARC
One of France’s official historical monuments, this modest house in Domrémy-la-Pucelle, now painstakingly restored in the medieval style, is where Joan of Arc was born in 1412. www.domremy.fr/village-jeanne/maison-natale
MUSÉE LES MINEURS WENDEL
Coal mining used to be a major industry in Lorraine. This museum in Petite-Rosselle celebrates the history of the black stuff from when it was first found here in the 1830s until the last mine closed in 2004. www.musee-les-mineurs.fr
MUSÉE BACCARAT
The Musée Baccarat, in the famous town of the same name, celebrates the amazing glassware that has been produced here since the 18th century. The highlight is a table adorned with glassware especially commissioned by famous monarchs and dictators. www.baccarat.fr
From France Today magazine
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