At the confluence of the Meurthe and Vezouze, Lunéville is less than 2 hours from Paris by TGV, at 30 km from Nancy and near the Vosges ski slopes. First city of Meurthe-et-Moselle to have been labeled City of Art and History, in April 2019, Lunéville was particularly noted for the architectural quality of its downtown, its landscapes and its rich intangible heritage.
Lunéville has on its territory a castle, called the little Versailles of Lorraine. Built in the eighteenth century, it is the heart of the history of Lorraine, but also from France and Europe. Historical figures have stayed there, like Mary Leszczynska and Marie Antoinette (Queens of France, Louis XV and Louis XVI wives).
Built in the 18th century on the site of an old feudal castle, Lunéville Castle was the residence of Stanislas Leszczynski, Duke of Lorraine. Restored after a terrible fire that took place in 2003, this historic monument, known as the Lorraine Versailles, and its park form one of the finest architectural and landscape ensembles of the Enlightenment period.
The Church of St. James, with its remarkable organ, the Church of St. Joan of Arc with its impressive stained glass windows, the 18th-century synagogue and the contemporary Church of St. Leopold are examples of its religious heritage.
As well as its architectural treasures, Lunéville is also renowned for its faience pottery and embroidery. You can't visit Lunéville without passing by the Embroidery Conservatory: the town created the beaded embroidery scattered with sequins that was embraced by the fashion world in the Art Nouveau period and the 1920s. The same goes for the museum about faience pottery, another of the town's glories since the 17th century. It has superb collections of pottery from Lunéville, Saint-Clément, Sarreguemines and Delft.
The Abbot's Garden, an 18th-century kitchen garden where vegetables and aromatic plants are still grown, is lively all summer long with classical music concerts and contemporary art exhibitions.
Saint-Jacques church contains a single hidden pipe organ in Europe. The Merchant's House is a remarkable building with finely chopped facade in red sandstone typical of the Vosges. The synagogue is the first to be built in France since the Middle Ages. Rue de Lorraine, the Italian theater and the Treaty House, where Joseph Bonaparte signed the Treaty of Lunéville with Austria in 1801, are also part of curiosities to discover.
The traces of an industrial past turned to crafts are still very present. The earthenware and the royal factories Embroidery Conservatory remain living witnesses of that period. For dining, two specialties listed in the French culinary heritage, were invented Lunéville for King Stanislas rum baba and bite to the Queen.
Each year, major regional events, or national, are organized, including oily Fair, saddle Scenes (equestrian festival), Lorraine is Great, the Livestock party, the pumpkin festival, or the International autumn Exhibition (paintings and sculptures). Exhibitions are offered throughout the year including the castle and in both museum spaces that are the Abbey Hotel and the Bell Tower (in the Saint-Jacques).
