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 Author | Topic: Place Stanislas (Read 508 times) |
kerouac2
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|  | Place Stanislas
« Thread Started on May 5, 2012, 4:01pm » | ![[Quote]](http://images.proboards.com/buttons/quote.gif "[Quote]") |
Most residents of France know where Place Stanislas is, even if they have never seen it. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, but even before it was designated as such, it was repeatedly cited in various publications as being perhaps the most beautiful square in France, for which there is nevertheless quite a bit of competition.
Anyway, Place Stanislas is in the city of Nancy in Lorraine. It was named in honour of the Duke of Lorraine, Stanislas Leszczyński. He was the deposed king of Poland and received the title from his son-in-law, Louis XV. The province of Lorraine was given to Stanislas in 1737, and he absolutely loved it, and the people of Lorraine loved him back -- basically because as a former king, he had very kingly projects and made war-ravaged Lorraine a showplace.
He had just about all of Nancy rebuilt, but Place Stanislas (called Place Royale originally) was his masterpiece. It was designed by Emmanuel Héré. One of the big innovations of this project was to put it in the center of the city and group the administrative services and places of entertainment around it, contrary to what had been done in Paris at Place des Vosges, which was built out of the way and almost in secret.
At the Revolution, it became Place du Peuple. During the Empire, it was Place Napoléon, and then during the Restauration it became Place Royale again. 
It didn't become Place Stanislas until 1831.
You can approach the square from any direction.
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan300.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan297.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan298.jpg "[image]")
The Hôtel de Ville (City Hall)
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan299.jpg "[image]")
You really have to wait until dark to begin to appreciate how nice it is.
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan304.jpg "[image]")
Here is Stanislas, Duke of Lorraine.
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan310.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan306.jpg "[image]")
This is the municipal opera/theatre.
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan307.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan308.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan309.jpg "[image]")
more to come
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kerouac2
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| | Re: Place Stanislas
« Reply #1 on May 5, 2012, 4:08pm » | |
Among the principal highlights of the square are the fountains in two corners of it -- the fountain of Neptune and the fountain of Amphitrite.
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan311.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan301.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan302.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan303.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan317.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan318.jpg "[image]")
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kerouac2
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| | Re: Place Stanislas
« Reply #2 on May 5, 2012, 4:17pm » | |
When I was little, streets ran through this square and it was used as a parking lot! The current version of the square was renovated over a 2-year period and inaugurated in 2005 in the presence of President Jacques Chirac of France, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder of Germany and Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of Poland during a summit of the "Weimar Triangle."
At the moment, the museum of fine arts is closed for renovation.
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan312.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan313.jpg "[image]")
The cafés and restaurants were quite busy.
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan399.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan401.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan319.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan321.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/Nancy/Sed-Nan398.jpg "[image]")
I urge you not to miss it if you are in the area.
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bjd
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| | Re: Place Stanislas
« Reply #3 on May 5, 2012, 4:54pm » | |
Thanks for this -- I had always heard that the square was the nicest thing to see in Nancy.
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lagatta
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| | Re: Place Stanislas
« Reply #4 on May 5, 2012, 5:06pm » | |
Oh, thanks for visiting Nancy!
Very different in character from nearby Metz...
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deyana
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| | Re: Place Stanislas
« Reply #5 on May 5, 2012, 5:27pm » | |
Just fantastic. And it looks just that much more magical taken at the end of the day/evening.
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kerouac2
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| | Re: Place Stanislas
« Reply #6 on May 5, 2012, 5:39pm » | |
May 5, 2012, 5:06pm, lagatta wrote:Oh, thanks for visiting Nancy!
Very different in character from nearby Metz... |
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Metz and Nancy vie for the title "capital of Lorraine," but of course Nancy wins, because it was never annexed by Germany and it retains a far more French flavour.
I have always been a bit torn between the two because Metz was the closest city to my grandparents' village and I feel very much at home there. But my mother went to the University of Nancy (at a time when female university students were extremely rare) and she had so many stories about what a wonderful time she had there that I have always felt a bit guilty not to know the city better.
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lugg
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| | Re: Place Stanislas
« Reply #7 on May 10, 2012, 5:02am » | |
What a lovely place, especially the twilight photos. intrigued by the sculpture of the chair . Does that have a specific significance ?
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kerouac2
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| | Re: Place Stanislas
« Reply #8 on May 10, 2012, 5:20am » | |
It is just to mark where the museum is.
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nycgirl7664
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| | Re: Place Stanislas
« Reply #9 on May 10, 2012, 6:00pm » | |
It is a gorgeous plaza, especially at night. Love the ornate fountains and gates. I also like the modern chair sculpture. It makes a nice "old v. new" photo.
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kerouac2
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| | Re: Place Stanislas
« Reply #10 on May 11, 2012, 9:09am » | |
Returning some of these places to their full glory is a huge challenge. The 20th century pretty much turned every square in Europe into a car park.
![[image]](http://images.forum-auto.com/mesimages/386663/IMG_0007.jpg2..jpg "[image]")
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bjd
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| | Re: Place Stanislas
« Reply #11 on May 11, 2012, 11:18am » | |
When we arrived in Toulouse, the Place du Capitole had buses all over, plus cars, although it wasn't a parking lot. Now cars can still go along one side so they can enter the underground parking lot. But no more buses -- there is a subway station nearby called Capitole.
I see that earlier it was indeed a parking lot!
![[image]](http://www.francecartophilie.fr/img/p/9/8/98-thickbox.jpg "[image]")
After: http://www.flickr.com/photos/privatepigg/4372557187/
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lola
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| | Re: Place Stanislas
« Reply #12 on May 11, 2012, 11:58pm » | |
Wow. Breathtaking, Kerouac. Also glad that civic properties can be taken back in a good direction.
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