Orleans vs Metz

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Orléans (UK: ; US: , French: [ɔʁleɑ̃] (listen)) is a prefecture and commune in north-central France, about 120 kilometres (74 miles) southwest of Paris. It is the capital of the Loiret department and of the Centre-Val de Loire region. Orléans is located on the Loire River nestled in the heart of the Loire Valley, classified as a World Heritage Site, where the river curves south towards the Massif Central. In 2017, the city had 116,685 inhabitants within its municipal boundaries. Orléans is the center of Orléans Métropole that has a population of 286,257, the 20th largest in France. The largest metropolitan area has a population of 444,681. Former capital of the kingdom of France in the 5th century after its conquest by Clovis. The figure of Joan of Arc is inseparable from the history of the city, since she played a decisive role on May 8, 1429 in liberating the city from the English during the Hundred Years War. Her figure, omnipresent, stands proudly on the Place du Martroi.

Every year, Orléans pays homage to her during the Johannic Holidays; since 2018, it has been listed in the inventory of intangible cultural heritage in France. The city owes its development from antiquity to the commercial exchanges resulting from the river. An important river trade port, it will be the headquarters of the Community of Merchants frequenting the Loire River. Capital at the Merovingian period, theatre of the Hundred Years' War and land of many royal coronations; the city has a great historical and patrimonial wealth, which allowed it to join the circle of Cities of Art and History since 2009. With a University created in 1306 by Pope Clement V, and re-founded in 1966, the University of Orléans hosts 19,002 students in 2019. Île d'Orléans in Quebec, Canada is named after Orléans in France as well as Orléans, Ontario and the former French colony New Orleans, Louisiana. (French: La Nouvelle-Orléans)

Source: Wikipedia

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Metz ( METS, French: [mɛs] (listen), Lorraine Franconian: [mɛts]; Latin: Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then Mettis) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand Est region. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, the city forms a central place of the European Greater Region and the SaarLorLux euroregion.Metz has a rich 3,000-year-history, having variously been a Celtic oppidum, an important Gallo-Roman city, the Merovingian capital of Austrasia, the birthplace of the Carolingian dynasty, a cradle of the Gregorian chant, and one of the oldest republics in Europe. The city has been steeped in Romance culture, but has been strongly influenced by Germanic culture due to its location and history.Because of its historical, cultural, and architectural background, Metz has been submitted on France's UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. The city features noteworthy buildings such as the Gothic Saint-Stephen Cathedral with its largest expanse of stained-glass windows in the world, the Basilica of Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains being the oldest church in France, its Imperial Station Palace displaying the apartment of the German Kaiser, or its Opera House, the oldest one working in France.

Metz is home to some world-class venues including the Arsenal Concert Hall and the Centre Pompidou-Metz museum. A basin of urban ecology, Metz gained its nickname of The Green City (French: La Ville Verte), as it has extensive open grounds and public gardens. The historic city centre is one of the largest commercial pedestrian areas in France.A historic garrison town, Metz is the economic heart of the Lorraine region, specialising in information technology and automotive industries. Metz is home to the University of Lorraine, Georgia Tech Lorraine, and a centre for applied research and development in the materials sector, notably in metallurgy and metallography, the heritage of the Lorraine region's past in the iron and steel industry.

Source: Wikipedia