GREC'97 Location
Version française
Version française
Nancy (around 100 000 inhabitants, almost 330 000 for the urban area) is the capital of the French department Meurthe-et-Moselle. It is one of the main urban centers in the Lorraine region. An ancient capital of the Dukes of Lorraine, Nancy was besieged by Charles le Téméraire, who died in the battle of Nancy in 1477. Extended by duke Charles III, Nancy knew a time of splendor during the reign of Stanislas Leszczynski, former king of Poland and last duke of Lorraine (1783-1766). In 1766, Lorraine became a part of France.
At the end of the 19th century, Modern Style flourished in Nancy as in many other European cities (including Barcelona, Vienna, Brussels, Munich and Paris). Nancy was an important cradle for this style between 1870 and 1914, with the École de Nancy, using flexible lines and sinusoids inspired by nature (flower and animal motifs). The style bloomed in architecture, cabinet work, painting and glass-making, with artists such as Prouvé, Majorelle, Vallin, Gallé, Daum, Grüber, Weissenburger, etc.
The welcome reception on Thursday evening was held in a restaurant built during this period, with a beautiful architecture.
Here are some pointers about the city and its surroundings:
Nancy is also a scientific city, with two universities, several engineering schools, and more than 30 000 students. The workshop was held on the scientific campus, in the LORIA building, which houses most of the city's research activity in computer science (shared by INRIA Lorraine and CRIN/CNRS).