Our twinning Baccarat (Lorraine)
You find Baccarat on the bank of the river „Meurthe“ on the west side of the Vosges Mountains. There, where layers of the hills of Lorraine push themselves over the red sandstone of the Vosges Mountains.
In
the 14th century bishops built a castle on the banks of the „Meurthe“and
fortified the town after separating it from the town of “Deneuvre”.
The bishop of Metz founded the famous glass industry of Baccarat. His aim was
to give the poor people in this area a living to reduce money going abroad
and to cut down the purchase of Bohemian glass. This project was very successful.
Down the valley a bridge, built in 1780, led over the river. On the right side of the bridge is the town hall (built in 1924) on the left side is the modern church „Saint Remi“. About 200 meters straight on you see the ruin of the former castle of “Baccarat”. Up the mountains you see the church “Saint Remi” of “Deneuvre”.
In the heart of the old town you see an impressive wall with a solidly built round tower, built by the former bishop of “Metz”. Private homes were built on this historic ground.
The church „Saint-Remi“ next to the „Meurthe“ bridge was built from 1953 to 1957, because the old church was bombed in 1944. The windows of the church have more than 50 colours. The stained glass windows were produced by the local crystal factory.
Town administration of Baccarat
2, rue Adrien Michaut
F-54120 BACCARAT
http://www.ville-baccarat.fr
Crystal factory of Baccarat
In
the early 19th century was the start of production of high-quality crystal.
These crystal products are famous because of their shape, their colours and
precision. The crystal industry received a lot of international awards. Opposite
from the glass factory, in the old mansion of the owners, is now the „Musée
du Cristal”. There you can find precious pieces produced since the 18th
century. These are the models for today’s production, which is sold in
the galleries in the main street of Baccarat. On both sides are apartment houses
for the workers and a chapel built in 1774. Today about 900 people are employed
by the crystal factory.
http://www.baccarat.fr