In the 18th century. Stanisław Leszczyński, Duke of Lorraine, having left the Polish throne, founded in Nancy a unique architectural complex inspired by Baroque art. It is precisely for this architecture that Nancy has become famous all over the world. Stanisław Leszczyński ordered to build there a square (which is on the UNESCO list of world heritage), called to this day Stanisław Leszczyński square.
Nancy is a city with many faces: the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque and Art Nouveau have all impressed themselves here. The city surprises and astonishes visitors with its rich cultural heritage.
Ten centuries divide a modest settlement adjoining Duke Thierry’s II castle from the present agglomeration with 330 thousand inhabitants. The city has an eventful history with consecutive periods of famine disasters and occupation. Nancy owes this violent history to its status of the capital of the Duchy of Lorraine at which others looked with a greedy eye. Nancy was amazing at all times: at the end of the 19th century artists representing the so-called Ecole de Nancy created in France the first modern trend of applied art. And a new style n architecture complements the heritage left behind by René II, Charles IV and Stanisław. Nancy’s three universities provide education for 48,000 students. Among them there is Institut National Polytechnique de Lorraine groups 7 national schools of higher education for engineers specialising in different fields. The students’ presence energises life in academic neighbourhoods and the whole city. Besides the great number of university research projects in history, literature and medicine, the city’s economic development is stimulated by state-of-the-art. information exchange technologies. Coordination of the city’s development with technological achievements and support for innovations is a consciously chosen direction in Nancy.
Through its history and architecture Nancy has very close ties with Poland as evidenced by a project called the Central and East European Countries’ Centre. The Ministry of Education, Regional Council of Lorraine and City of Nancy supported the implementation of this symbolic project. The Centre is also a meeting point of Poles travelling via Nancy, a place of integration and information for students and entrepreneurs. Nancy has numerous cultural, voluntary and sports organisations which set the tone of the city’s life. Their activities express the residents’ dynamism and willingness to integrate. The universities, green spaces and the busy city centre are elements of the quality of life which is both pleasurable, and comfortable. Nancy is active in the following associations of local governments: Cités Unies France (CUF) which supports decentralised cooperation of domestic and foreign local authorities, Association Française du Conseil des Communes et Régions d'Europe (AFCCRE) – the French branch of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, and "Eurocities" association of cities.
