Geography of Metz
Metz, (French:), France, the capital of Moselle Department. Metz lies at the junction of the Moselle and Seille rivers, 178 miles (286 km) east of Paris. The city is the transportation center of Lorraine, a region of iron mines and steel mills. Textiles, metal products, canned foods, and leather goods are manufactured. The Cathedral of St. Étienne was built during the 13th-16th centuries. Forts built in the 1800's and repeatedly strengthened surround the city.
Metz was once a stronghold of the Romans and the Franks, and a powerful bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire. It was taken by the French in 1552. In 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, a French army of 120,000 surrendered here after a two-month siege. Germany ruled Metz as part of Alsace-Lorraine during 1871-1918, and occupied it in World War II.
Population: 123,920.