Stanislas Gate

Of the seven historic gates of Nancy, let us introduce you to the Stanislas Gate. Like many of the city’s emblematic monuments, this elegant archway was part of an ambitious urban makeover led by the former King of Poland, Stanislas Leszczynski—the very man it was named after. Determined to leave a princely mark on the ducal city of Lorraine—entrusted to him by his son-in-law, King Louis XV—Stanislas Leszczynski called on his chief architect, Emmanuel Héré, to bring his vision to life. The gate was designed to mark the transition from the New Town to the Old Town, and to signal the approach to the city’s crown jewel—what was then the Royal Square, known today as Place Stanislas. It was a grand and stately welcome, to be sure—but not a free one. Merchants entering Nancy had to pay the octroi, a tax on goods, each time they passed through. On the other side of the arch, keep an eye out for a more discreet inscription: Gate of the Mountain. This was one of the gate’s earlier names, a nod to its location at the top of a gentle slope. You can still see it for yourself if you look down the street—straight toward Nancy’s most iconic square.