Metz is a large and strongly fortified town, beautifully situated on a plain at the confluence of the Moselle and Seille. It manufactures woolen goods, linen, china, paper, oil, starch and is famous for its hams, liquors, sweetmeats and artificial flowers: they also have a king's manufacture of gun powder. The government house and the promenades round it are very fine: there is also [an] immense extent of barracks for troops, a large cathedral and a theater. From the number of running ditches formed by the river there are a great many bridges: the streets, like all French towns [sic], are narrow and dirty and the houses high: the ground is also very uneven on which they stand.[1]

            Legends have settled in the heart of the narrow streets and come to life in the very stones. The Graoully, legendary dragon, dominates the fantasy world of Metz. Saint Nicolas and Pierre Perrat follow in its footsteps in a merry-go-round through the centuries…[2]

[1] Source Wikipedia

[2] Official website of Metz Tourist Office