Metz (pop. 117,890; met. area 391,187) is a French manufacturing center located about 175 miles (280 kilometers) northeast of Paris. The city serves as the capital of the metropolitan department of Moselle and lies within the Grand Est region. The factories of Metz produce munitions, muslin, hats, and hosiery. An art museum called Pompidou-Metz, a branch of the Georges Pompidou National Center of Art and Culture in Paris, opened in Metz in 2010.
The history of the city dates back to the Roman conquest. The city became known as Divodurum, then Mediomatrica, and finally, Metz. The Huns plundered Metz in A.D. 451. It was part of the Holy Roman Empire from 962 until the French captured the city in 1552. But France did not get formal possession of Metz until 1648. The Germans captured Metz in 1870 and held it until the Treaty of Versailles returned the city to France after World War I (1914-1918). German troops captured Metz early in World War II (1939-1945). Allied forces freed the city in 1944.
