Metz is a city in the Lorraine region in the northeast of France. The city dates back
to Roman times and after the Franco-Prussian war it also belonged to Germany
for 48 years (1871-1919). Some decades ago the entire region was in an economic
crisis because a lot of the industrial and mining companies shut down, but since
then it has successfully diversified its economy. Today the population of the inner
city is 125.000 and the urban area has around 320.000 inhabitants.