Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Place de la Carrière, built in Nancy in the 16th century, was initially a place dedicated to tournaments and chivalry exercises. It was successively called " rue Neuve" (1551), " rue de la Carrière" (1573), then "place de la Carrière" in 1760. Its layout was part of the expansion of medieval fortifications, with private hotels built by the local nobility. The Royal Gate, pierced at the end of the 16th century, linked the old town to the new city to the south.

In the 18th century, Stanislas Leszczynski, Duke of Lorraine and father-in-law of Louis XV, undertook to modernize the space by integrating the Place de la Carrière with an urban complex consistent with the Place Stanislas. The architect Emmanuel Héré unified the facades of Renaissance hotels in classical style, while Jean Lamour decorated the site with remarkable ironwork. The Here Arch, the Government Palace (former Quarter), and the Beauvau-Craon Hotel (current Court of Appeal) were built to harmonize the whole.

The square was a place of symbolic representations, as evidenced by the strong waters of Jacques Callot (1605) or the engravings of Dominique Collin (1758), commissioned by Stanislas. These works illustrate his evolution, from medieval tournaments to classic arrangements, with fountains, rock vases and linden aligned. Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, it now embodies a model of urbanisation of the Enlightenment.

The emblematic buildings, such as the Here Arch (1753), the Government Palace or the Beauvau-Craon Hotel, were classified as historical monuments between 1923 and 2005. The square now hosts cultural events, such as the book fair Le Livre sur la Place (since 2004) or the 24 hours of Stan, a biannual student race. Its ground, statues and gates, protected in 2003, perpetuate the legacy of Stanislas.

The UNESCO inscription underlines its exceptional character: a "masterpiece of human creative genius" (criterion i) and a prominent example of 18th-century urban planning (criterion iv). The Place de la Carrière, with its private hotels and its hemicycle adorned with ancient deities, illustrates the fusion between medieval heritage and classical ambition, under the impulse of an enlightened monarch.

Temporary animation

LE JARDIN ÉPHÉMÈRE : Chaque année, la direction des parcs et jardins imagine une nouvelle création autour d'une thématique liée à l'actualité et dévoilée au début de l'été : les voyages, l'histoire, le patrimoine, les villes jumelées, la science? En septembre, après plusieurs mois de travail, le résultat est dévoilé pour le plus grand plaisir du public.

Comme chaque fin d'année, la Place Stanislas à Nancy accueille sa Star de Noël : le traditionnel Sapin de Noël décoré et illuminé.

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