Baccarat (; ) is a town and commune in the

Meurthe-et-Moselle Meurthe-et-Moselle () is a '' département'' in the Grand Est region of France, named after the rivers Meurthe and Moselle. Its prefecture and largest city is Nancy and it borders the departments of Meuse to the west, Vosges to the south, ...

department in the

Grand Est Grand Est (; ) is an Regions of France, administrative region in northeastern France. It superseded three former administrative regions, Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine, on 1 January 2016 under the provisional name of Alsace-Champagne-A ...

region of north-eastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The commune has been awarded three flowers by the ''National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom'' in the ''Competition of cities and villages in Bloom''.

Geography

Baccarat lies in the

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

(') of Lunéville in the department of

. Baccarat is located some 25 km south-east of Lunéville and 30 km north-west of

Saint-Dié-des-Vosges Saint-Dié-des-Vosges (; , before 1999: ''Saint-Dié'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Vosges department, Grand Est, northeastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Saint-Dié is locat ...

in the Meurthe river valley between the Deneuvre plateau and the wooded hills of Grammont. Access to the commune is by the

Route nationale A ''route nationale'', or simply ''nationale'', is a class of trunk road in France. They are important roads of national significance which cross broad portions of the French territory, in contrast to departmental or communal roads which serve mo ...

N59 from Bertrichamps in the south-east which passes through the heart of the commune east of the town and continues north-west to join the N333 south-east of Lunéville. The D590 also goes from Bertrichamps and passes through the town continuing north-west to Azerailles. The D19 goes north from the village to Gélacourt. The D935 goes north-east from the town to Merviller and also south-west, changing to the D435 at the departmental border, to Ménil-sur-Belvitte.Google Maps
/ref> A railway also passes through the commune with a station near the town and the railway line coming from Azerailles in the north-west continuing to Bertrichamps in the south-east. The commune has a large forest in the east with the rest of the commune mixed forest and farmland. The Meurthe river passes through the commune and the town from the south-east flowing north—west to eventually join the

Moselle The Moselle ( , ; ; ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblenz. A sm ...

at Custines. The ''Ruisseau des Bingottes'' rises east of the commune and joins the Meurthe in the south of the commune.

History

Baccarat was originally a suburb of the city of Deneuvre which has Roman origins. The name ''Baccarat'' comes perhaps from ''Bacchi-ara'' ("Altar of Bacchus") which was the name of a Roman

castellum A ''castellum'' in Latin is usually: * a small Roman fortlet or tower,C. Julius Caesar, Gallic War; 2,30 a diminutive of (' military camp'), often used as a watchtower or signal station like on Hadrian's Wall. It is distinct from a , which ...

of which there remains a relic called the ''Tower of Bacha'' on the heights of Deneuvre. The

Castellany A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

belonged to the Diocese of Metz. In 1305 Henri, first lord of Blâmont from the

House of Salm The House of Salm was an ancient Lotharingian noble family originating from Salmchâteau in the Ardennes (present-day Belgium) and ruling Salm. The dynasty is above all known for the experiences of the Upper Salm branch which came to be located ...

, dedicated Deneuvre for the Bishop of Metz and, to ensure its safety, he built the Tower of Voués at the bottom of the spur. A suburb formed at its foot: this was the origin of Baccarat (which has been spelt ''Bacquarat, Bakarroit, Beckarrat'', and ''Backarrat''). The name ''Baccarat'' appeared for the first time in 1291. In 1459 the city was best known for its

draper Draper was originally a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. History Drapers were an important trade guild during the medieval period ...

s as well as wine.

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

authorized the creation of a glassworks in 1764 at the instigation of the Bishop of Metz who was anxious to sell the important local production of firewood. A glassworks named Antoine Renaut responded to the authorisation. The works became a crystal glassworks in 1817 and was sold to the ''Compagnie des Cristalleries'' in 1881 subsequently achieving worldwide fame under the name of

Baccarat Baccarat or baccara (; ) is a card game. It is now mainly played at casinos, but formerly popular at house-parties and private gaming rooms. The game's origins are a mixture of precursors from China, Japan, and Korea, which then gained popularit ...

. The growing number of workers enabled the development of the commune with the construction of housing, schools, shops, roads, and small industries but the war marked a halt to this development. On the eve of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

the city was home to the 20th Batailion of Foot Chasseurs at the Haxo barracks - some buildings of which remain today. The period between the two world wars was marked by the construction of the church, the bridge, and the town hall (1924). During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

there was much damage to the city including the destruction of the church in October 1944. Liberated by the French 2nd Armoured Division on 31 October 1944, the city resumed its industrial expansion in 1945. The reconstruction of the church was done in 1953.

Heraldry

Administration

The Canton of Baccarat includes 20 communes: Azerailles, Baccarat proper, Bertrichamps, Brouville, Deneuvre,

Flin Flin () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department found in north-eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department The following is a list of the 591 communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle departme ...

, Fontenoy-la-Joûte, Gélacourt, Glonville, Hablainville, Lachapelle, Merviller, Mignéville, Montigny, Pettonville, Reherrey, Thiaville-sur-Meurthe,

Vacqueville Vacqueville () is a Communes of France, commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle Departments of France, department, northeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department References

Communes of Meurthe-et ...

, Vaxainville, and Veney. The ''Community of communes of Cristal'' was created on 1 January 2004 to link Baccarat with the neighbouring communes of Lachapelle and Thiaville-sur-Meurthe. In 2010 Baccarat was awarded the

Certification mark A certification mark on a commercial product or service is a registered Mark (sign), mark that enables its owner ("certification body") to certify that the goods or services of a particular provider (who is not the owner of the certification ...

of "Ville Internet @@" (Internet Town). List of Successive

Mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Twinning

Baccarat has twinning associations with: * Gernsbach (Germany) since 1962.

Population

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Bachâmois'' or ''Bachâmoises'' in French.

Economy

The town's celebrated glassworks and crystal factory, also known as

, has operated since 1765. Its technique was established by Aimé Gabriel d'Artigues. Many of its workers under Mr. Roland-Gosselin in the 1950s were awarded the title of

Meilleur Ouvrier de France ''Meilleur Ouvrier de France'' (MOF) is a competition for craftsmen held in France every four years. The winning candidates receive a medal. Description The title of ''Meilleur Ouvrier de France'' is a unique and prestigious award in France, a ...

. Around the time of the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

, the town was also noted for its large export trade of

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

wheels A wheel is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) that is intended to turn on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axl ...

, planks, and

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has many sites that are registered as historical monuments: *The Berthelon Gasworks at 28 Rue du 20e Bataillon (1909) The Gasworks contains a Gas Meter (19th century) which is registered as an historical object. *The Société des Constructions Métalliques de Baccarat (Metalwork Factory) at 30 Rue du 20e Bataillon (1913) *The Hydro-electric Power Plant at Rue des Cristalleries (1927) *The Gasworks at 49 Rue des Cristalleries (1851) *The Chateau de la Cristallerie (now Museum) at 6 Rue des Cristalleries (1764) was enlarged for Aimé d'Artigues (1778–1848), the recipient of the glassworks in 1816 by the addition of two lateral bodies in 1817. It was used as housing for the administrators of the crystal works from the middle the 19th century. Part of the ground floor has now been converted into a museum of Baccarat crystal products. The park was bisected by an open street in the 1st half of the 19th century and a part (located to the west of the orangery) was subdivided in the last years of the 19th century for the construction of the Workers' City. There are also some private archives. *The Saint Anne Glassworks (now Cristallerie de Baccarat) at 6-49 Rue des Cristalleries (1764–1954) The Glassworks contains a Stained glass panel depicting Glass workers (1992) which is registered as an historical object. *A Sawmill at 4a Rue de Humbépaire (19th century) *The Drouard et Berthault Lock and Metalwork Factory (now Société des Constructions Métalliques de Baccarat) at 10 Avenue de Lachapelle (1873) *The former Dairy Factory (now an Auto workshop) on Route de Merviller (1930) *The former Deneuvre Mill (now a Crystal Lapidary and Engraving Factory) on Rue du Moulin de Deneuvre (1836) *The Workers' City (1764–1892) ;An exhibition of Baccarat Glass at Petit Palais à Paris, November 2014 File:Old Baccarat, Champagne Crape, around 1890.jpg, Champagne Glass 1890 File:Exposition Baccarat au Petit Palais à Paris, november 2014 005.jpg File:Exposition Baccarat au Petit Palais à Paris, november 2014 002.jpg File:Exposition Baccarat au Petit Palais à Paris, november 2014 007.jpg File:Exposition Baccarat au Petit Palais à Paris, november 2014 004.jpg File:Exposition Baccarat au Petit Palais à Paris, octobre 2014.jpg File:Cristal de Baccarat - Lustre.JPG File:Exposition Baccarat au Petit Palais à Paris, november 2014 003.jpg File:Exposition Baccarat au Petit Palais à Paris, november 2014 008.jpg File:Baccarat glass Chandelier, c. 1840, made for the Indian market.jpg, A Baccarat Chandelier (1840) made for India ;Other sites of interest *The Tower of Voués was the

keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...

of the castle built in 1305 by Count Henry I to protect the serfs' houses. It measures 11.70 m in the North by 14.70 m in the East and its height is approximately 30 m. It was sold in 1332 by Henry III to Adhémar de Monteil (Bishop of Metz) who built a castle around which Baccarat would be built. The castle was demolished in the middle of the 17th century by

Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine Charles IV (5 April 1604 – 18 September 1675) was Duke of Lorraine from 1624 until his death in 1675, with a brief interruption in 1634, when he abdicated under French pressure in favor of his younger brother, Nicholas Francis. Life He came ...

. *The Town Hall in neo-Renaissance style was built in 1924 by architect Deville, inspired by Flemish houses. On the facade carved buttons represent the different skills of the crystal industry. The grand staircase is the work of Jean Prouvé. The entire building was completely renovated in 2004. The Town Hall contains many items that are registered as historical objects: **Framed Drawings (1947) **Framed Paintings (19th-20th century) **4 Chandeliers and 6 Sconces of Baccarat crystal (1925) *The Haxo Building contains a Painting of a Forest Landscape which is registered as an historical object. *The Community Hall contains two items that are registered as historical objects: **2

Chandelier A chandelier () is an ornamental lighting device, typically with spreading branched supports for multiple lights, designed to be hung from the ceiling. Chandeliers are often ornate, and they were originally designed to hold candles, but now inca ...

s and 2 Sconces (1925) **2 Paintings: A Boar taken by a team of Mastiffs and The double blow (1886) *The Baccarat Museum at 2 Rue des Cristalleries *An

Arboretum An arboretum (: arboreta) is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees and shrubs of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, many modern arbor ...

and rose garden (Michaut Park - 7 hectares) behind the Hotel de Ville. *The Crystal fountain roundabout between the Town Hall and St Rémy de Baccarat *Fables de La Fontaine, made of stained glass windows in pink sandstone frames, are installed in different areas in the city. *The Pôle Bijou

Religious heritage

The commune has several religious buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments: *The Chapel of Saint Anne at 6 Rue des Cristalleries (1775) was intended for the use of glassworks staff. It was built as a church annexe for the Deneuvre parish in 1802 and currently it is used for summer exhibitions organized by the Baccarat factory. *The Church of Saint-Rémy at Au Patis (1954) was destroyed in 1944 and rebuilt in modern style. Built by the architect Nicolas Kazis, it is entirely built using the sign of the triangle - the symbol of the Holy Trinity. The bell tower of trihedral shape measures 55 metres in height and houses 3 bells. On each side of the

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

two symmetrical groups represent the

twelve Apostles In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and minist ...

, recognizable by their traditional attributes. Beautiful wrought iron furniture completes the church: two

stoup A holy water font or stoup is a vessel containing holy water which is generally placed near the entrance of a church. It is often placed at the base of a crucifix or other Christian art. It is used in Catholic, as well as many Lutheran and Anglica ...

s with basins in baccarat, a chandelier, 2 separation grills in the

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

, the Ambon, the

Tabernacle According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle (), also known as the Tent of the Congregation (, also Tent of Meeting), was the portable earthly dwelling of God used by the Israelites from the Exodus until the conquest of Canaan. Moses was instru ...

with its and crystal panels, and a baptistery at the foot of the cross with a wooden Christ. There are two other statues in the lateral

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

s: Saint Remy and a Virgin and Child (Our Lady of the Offering) by François Brochet. The side aisles have sculptures of reconstituted stone and Baccarat crystal representing the 14 Stations of the Cross. A wonderful ceiling (the most beautiful of its kind in Europe) is composed of 130 laminated timber elements which weigh 19 tons. At the entrance of the church a pipe organ by Jacquot Lavergne was installed in the gallery in 1958 with 3 keyboards and pedals and 40 registers. The organ has 3,660 pipes. The church contains two items that are registered as historical objects: **A Ciborium (No. 3) (19th century) **48

Stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows: The Apostles and Calvary (1957)Ministry of Culture, Palissy The panels are composed of 4,000 glass tiles 2.5 cm thick cut into 20,000 small pieces of Baccarat crystal fitted in concrete. The colourful set uses over 150 colours which makes it unique in the world. ;Other religious sites of interest *The Chapel of Saint Christopher (12th century) has some statues. *The Chapel of Saint Catherine (17th century) *Chapel of Our Lady of Deliverance (19th century) *Chapel of Our Lady of Humbépaire (1948) is illuminated by 20 stained glass panels by Gabriel Loire, a carillon of 6 Paccard bells is installed in the belfry. *Remains of the

Carmelite The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

Convent (15th century) *The Church of Saint Joseph of Badmenil was restored in 2012. File:Baccarat chapelle christal.JPG, Chapel of Saint Anne File:Baccarat humbepaire.JPG, Chapel of Our Lady of Humbépaire File:Baccarat ste catherine.JPG, Chapel of Saint Catherine File:Baccarat nd delivrance.JPG, Chapel of Our Lady of Deliverance File:Badmenil eglise.JPG, Church of Saint-Joseph of Badmenil

Military Life

The 20th Battalion of Foot Chasseurs were stationed in Baccarat from 1906 to 1918.

Festivals

*The Fête du pâté lorrain (Festival of Lorraine pâté) is held on the second Sunday of September *The Grand Carnival is held in March every second year *Les Insolites (The Unusuals) is a discovery trail of contemporary works in Michaut Park from mid-June to the end of August *The Festival International des Métiers d'art'' (International Festival of Crafts) (FIMA) is held every second year

Notable people linked to the commune

* Louis Ancel (1736–1802), General of the Army of the Republic, died in Baccarat. *

François Gény François Gény (1861–1959) was a French jurist and professor of law at the University of Nancy, who introduced the notion of "free scientific research" to the interpretation of positive law. His advocacy of judicial discretion in the interpr ...

(1861–1959), lawyer, born in Baccarat. *

Jean-Michel Bertrand Jean-Michel Bertrand (6 June 1943 at Baccarat, Meurthe-et-Moselle – 19 February 2008 at the Hôpital Saint-Louis in Paris) was a French politician of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP). Biography A pharmacist by occupation, Jean-Michel ...

(1943–2008), politician, MP for Ain, born in Baccarat. * Édouard Ignace (1862–1924), former MP for Seine and Under-secretary of State for Military Justice. * Maurice Jaubert, composer born in 1900, wounded in action and died in Baccarat on 19 June 1940. * Charles Peccatte (1870–1962), painter * Michel-Auguste Colle (1872–1949), painter * André Thirion (1907–2001), leftist activist and surrealist writer

References

Citations

Bibliography

* .

External links

Baccarat official website

The Baccarat Glassworks website

{{authority control Communes of Meurthe-et-Moselle Three Bishoprics