Place Stanislas

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière and Place d'Alliance in Nancy
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, iv
Reference	229
UNESCO region	Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription	1983 (7th Session)

The Place Stanislas, known colloquially as the place Stan', is a large pedestrianized square in Nancy, Lorraine, France. Since 1983, the architectural ensemble comprising the Place Stanislas, the extension of its axis, the Place de la Carrière, and the Place d'Alliance, has been on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

History

Background

After the War of the Polish Succession in 1737, the Duchy of Upper Lorraine, of which Nancy was the capital, was given to Stanisław I Leszczyński, former King of Poland and father-in-law to King Louis XV of France. An earlier ruler, Leopold, Duke of Lorraine, had undertaken a lot of reconstruction in Lorraine, which had been ravaged by a series of wars. He had surrounded himself by artists and architects, including Germain Boffrand, who trained Emmanuel Héré. Hence, Stanisław found a pool of talent and experience to draw from on his arrival.

Design and construction

Plan of the square, 1752

The square was a major project in urban planning dreamt up by Stanisław I as a way to link the medieval old town of Nancy and the new town built under Charles III in the 17th century. The square would also be a place royale to honour his son-in-law, Louis XV. The design linked two handsome buildings that already existed: the Hôtel de Ville (now centred on its grand square) and the Hôtel du Gouvernement. The seat of city government and the seat of ducal government faced each other as complements through a series of rational, symmetrical but varied urban spaces, unequalled in Europe at the time.

The square and the surrounding buildings, unified by their colossal orders, were designed by the royal architect Emmanuel Héré de Corny (1705–1763). Construction began in March 1752 and ended in November 1755. Barthélémy Guibal and Paul-Louis Cyfflé created a bronze statue of Louis XV, which stood in the middle of the square until it was removed during the Revolution and was replaced with a simple winged figure. The square was renamed "Place du Peuple" and later "Place Napoléon".

In 1831, a bronze statue of Stanisław (Stanislas in French) was placed in the middle of the square, since then known as the "Place Stanislas".

The square has always been used for public assemblies and festivities, but it has undergone several makeovers in its history, even serving as a parking lot between 1958 and 1983. In 2004 and 2005, the square underwent a massive restoration, inspired by the original 18th-century plans. The ten-month project cost approximately 9 million euros. The inauguration of the new Place Stanislas, in May 2005, coincided with the square's 250th anniversary.

Description

Layout of the square

The Place Stanislas is 125 m long and 106 m wide. It is paved with light ochre stones, with two lines of darker stones forming a diagonal cross motif. The square is surrounded by an architecturally harmonious ensemble of buildings, most notably these:

• The City Hall (Hôtel de Ville) of Nancy, which occupies the entire south side of the square, with the prefectural office of Meurthe-et-Moselle at the south-east corner;
• To the east, the Operahouse (formerly the bishop's palace) and the Grand Hôtel (originally the Hôtel de la Reine, actually occupied by the Intendant Alliot);
• To the west, the Fine Arts Museum (originally the Collège de médecine) and the Pavillon Jacquet (originally a commercial/residential building, now mostly offices);
• On the north side, the buildings were kept lower for defensive purposes (to permit crossfire between the Vaudemont and the Haussonville bastions).

The Arc Héré ("Héré Arch") at night

An arc de triomphe, by Emmanuel Héré, stands in the centre of the fourth side, leading to the adjoining Place de la Carrière, where the main axis is developed as a double avenue of trees, with symmetrical buildings facing each other down its length.

The far end is defined by the hemicycles of colonnades that enclose the sides and are carried across the preexisting façade of the Palais du Gouvernement.

The four corners and the west and east sides of the square feature gilded wrought iron gates and lanterns, created by Jean Lamour (1698–1771), who was also responsible for the wrought iron balustrade on the main staircase in the Hôtel de Ville and the balcony across the centre of its main façade. The northwest and northeast corners also feature ornate fountains designed by Barthélémy Guibal (1699–1757).

Panorama of Place Stanislas after a renovation in 2004–2005.

Panorama of Place Stanislas in 2014.

Central statue

The statue in the centre of the Place Stanislas, created by Georges Jacquot, represents Stanislas standing, dressed in flowing robes, holding a sword in his left hand and pointing towards the north with his right hand. The inscriptions on the high marble pedestal read:

• South face :	Stanislas Leszczynski, Roi de Pologne, Duc de Lorraine et de Bar, 1737-1766
	(Stanislas Leszczynski, King of Poland, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, 1737–1766)
• North face :	À Stanislas le Bienfaisant, la Lorraine Reconnaissante, 1831, Meurthe-Meuse-Vosges
	(To Stanislas the Benefactor, Lorraine [is] grateful, 1831, Meurthe-Meuse-Vosges)

Hôtel de Ville

Plan of the façade of the Hôtel de Ville, presented by Emmanuel Héré.

The Hôtel de Ville (City Hall), also known as Palais de Stanislas (Stanislas's palace), is the largest building in the square and is 98 m long, it occupies the whole south side of the square. It was built in 1752-1755 and has served as the city hall since its construction. It was designated as a monument historique on 12 July 1886.

See also

• List of World Heritage Sites in Europe

References

• Simon, Pierre. 1994. Nancy : la ville de Stanislas. Metz: Editions Serpenoise. ISBN 2-87692-209-6

External links

• Entry in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites
• Place Stanislas, the Tourist Information Office in Nancy