The New Student's Reference Work/Nancy

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Nancy (nän' sē), capital of the French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle, lies on the left bank of the Meurthe at the foot of the hills. It comprises both the old and new towns, and contains fine squares and beautiful buildings, among them the Hôtel-de-Ville, the bishop's palace, the theater and the churches Des Cordeliers, Nôtre Dame de Bonsecours (1738) and St. Epvre. The statue of Stanislaus Leszcynski, king of Poland, who lived here from 1735 to 1766 as Duke of Lorraine, stands in the principal square. The city has manufactories of cotton and woolen goods, artificial flowers, iron etc., but its greatest industry is embroidery on cambric and muslin. From the 12th century it was the capital of the duchy of Lorraine; it also is the scene of the death of Charles the Bold, 1477, and the birthplace of Callot and Claude Lorraine. The town was occupied by the German army in 1870. Population 119,949.