France-Nancy

Central square in Nancy, Place Stanislas

Leave it to the French to take a big pile of stone and arrange it into a spacious square flanked by elegant, symmetric buildings, a couple of fountains and a statue of somebody famous smack in the middle. In Nancy this is the Place Stanislas (1755) , named after the Polish king Stanislas who became Duke Lorraine after being exiled from his native country. Around the sqaure are situated City Hall, the Opera building and the chamber of commerce. I cannot think of any square in Holland that has the same monumentality.

Gentleman reducing the surrounding monumentality with his presence

Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine

Stanislas, the last Duke of Lorraine

A tombstone on the city cemetery

The inside of a tomb's chapel, Nancy cemetery

One could argue that most provincial towns have tried to copy something from Paris. Palaces squares, opera buildings. In Nancy there's a cemetery that is reminding of Pere Lachaise (see elsewhere on this blog). I could spend a full day on a place like this, but the other member of the team can definitely not.

Last one.

A bar tabac

A gentleman on a bridge in Pont a Mousson
It doesn't get any better

Quality may be substandard but the form is ok.