Meurthe-et-Moselle () is a department in the

Grand Est Grand Est (; gsw-FR, Grossa Oschta; Moselle Franconian/ lb, Grouss Osten; Rhine Franconian: ''Groß Oschte''; german: Großer Osten ; en, "Great East") is an administrative region in Northeastern France. It superseded three former administra ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, named after the rivers Meurthe and Moselle. It had a population of 733,760 in 2019.Populations légales 2019: 54 Meurthe-et-Moselle
INSEE

History

Meurthe-et-Moselle was created in 1871 at the end of the Franco-Prussian War from the parts of the former departments of Moselle and Meurthe which remained French territory. The current boundary between Meurthe-et-Moselle and Moselle was the border between France and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

from 1871 to 1919 and again between 1940 and 1944. The only subsequent change took place in 1997 and involved the incorporation, for administrative reasons, of the little commune of Han-devant-Pierrepont which had previously fallen within the

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

department.Décret no 96-709 du 7 août 1996 portant modification des limites territoriales de départements, d'arrondissements et de cantons
Légifrance

Geography

Meurthe-et-Moselle is part of the administrative region of

and the traditional region of

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...

and is surrounded by the departments of

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

Bas-Rhin Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its low ...

, and Moselle, and by the nations of

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

by the salient of the Arrondissement of Briey. It is one of two departments in France which border with Luxembourg. Parts of Meurthe-et-Moselle belong to the

Lorraine Regional Natural Park Lorraine Regional Natural Park (French: ''Parc naturel régional de Lorraine'') is a protected area of pastoral countryside in the Grand Est region of northeastern France, in the historic region of Lorraine. The park covers a total area of . The ...

. The department extends for 130 km from north to south and is between 7 and 103 km wide. Its chief rivers are the Moselle, the Meurthe, the

Chiers The Chiers (; lb, Kuer, german: Korn) is a river in Luxembourg, Belgium and France. It is a right tributary of the Meuse. The total length of the Chiers is aproxamately , of which in France. The source of the Chiers is near Differdange, i ...

, and the

Vezouze The Vezouze () is a river in north-eastern France, right tributary to the river Meurthe. Its source is on Mont Donon in the Vosges ''département''. It is long. The river joins the Meurthe on the northern edge of Lunéville, France, the former ...

Economy

The economy was highly dependent on mining until the 1960s. There are iron, salt, and lime extraction sites. The urban area around Nancy has an economy based largely on services, research, and higher education.

Demographics

The inhabitants of the department are known as ''Meurthe-et-Mosellans''. The area around Nancy has become highly urbanized, whereas the Saintois in the south is quite rural. Population development since 1801:

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Nancy, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 10 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:

Politics

The president of the Departmental Council is Chaynesse Khirouni, elected in July 2021.

Presidential elections 2nd round

Current National Assembly Representatives

Tourism

File:Fontaine - Place Stanislas - Nancy - P1300648-P1300665 fused.jpg, Detail of the Place Stanislas in Nancy, a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

File:Fossé de la ceinture fortifiée de Toul.jpg, Walls and cathedral of

Toul Toul () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Toul is between Commercy and Nancy, and the river Moselle and Canal de la Marne au Rhin. Climate Toul ...

File:Porte interieur chateau Preny.jpg, House near the château of

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

File:LaSalle monument Château de Lunéville, Lunéville, France 09.JPG, General Lasalle monument in

Lunéville Lunéville ( ; German, obsolete: ''Lünstadt'' ) is a commune in the northeastern French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle. It is a subprefecture of the department and lies on the river Meurthe at its confluence with the Vezouze. History Lu ...

File:Musel bei Pont-a-Mousson w.jpg, The river Moselle near

Pont-à-Mousson Pont-à-Mousson () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. Its inhabitants are known as ''Mussipontains'' in French. It is an industrial town (mainly steel industry), situated on the river Moselle. Pont-à-Mous ...