Lorraine
Heir to the Kingdom of Lotharingia and later the Duchy of Lorraine, this region of France has a rich cultural heritage. Its renowned cities - Nancy, Metz, Toul or Verdun - were the subject of intense political rivalry and left their mark on history. Despite the many wars, Lorraine was a dynamic artistic centre at the far reaches of influences coming from the North and the German Empire, with the sculptor Richier in the 16th century, Callot and La Tour in the 17th century and under Dukes Leopold and Stanislas Leszczynski at Nancy and Luneville before it was annexed by France. Lorraine, for so long a rural region, underwent profound economic changes with the development of the steel industry in the 19th century.
