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: this big voice of the good Lord!" — Paul Verlaine, Ode to Metz, in Invectives, 1896 — Metz is a city in the northeast of France and the capital of the Lorraine region. A Celtic oppidum, an important Gallo-Roman city, the Merovingian capital of the Austrasia kingdom, the birthplace of the Carolingian dynasty, a cradle of the Gregorian chant, and one of the oldest republics of the common era in Europe, Metz has a rich 3,000-year-history. The city features noteworthy buildings such as the Gothic Saint-Stephen Cathedral, the Roman Basilica of Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains, its Imperial Station Palace, 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 thanks to its extensive open grounds and public gardens. Credits: Yann Arthus Bertrand in collaboration with Metz Metropole agglomeration community. Hope Production (2013). Aerial photography director: Bruno Cusa Editing: Jean-Paul Husson Editing assistants: Jovica Colakovic, Jean Decré Music: Armand Amar Soundtrack editing: Thomas Desjonquaire Mixing: Studio Babel, Vincent Joinville, Aymeric Dupas Helicopter companies: Helifirst Technical equipement: Papa Sierra Post-production: Euromedia France Producers: Jean-Yves Robin, Yann Arthus-Bertrand Production director: Hervé Bellech Executive producers: Fabienne Calimas, Hugo Metz Administrative production: Christophe Baillot, Yvan Féraud Legal staff: Camille Chapuis, Thomas Dacunha Castelle, Clémence Aillerie Financial staff: Hadrien Foussard, Claire Boudol Insurances: Cabinet Diot Acknowledgments: Metz Metropole services (president: Jean-Luc Bohl), the mayors and councilors of Metz Metropole, Centre Pompidou-Metz