Thionville is located in the department of Moselle, in the Grand Est region on the banks of the River Moselle. A steel city with an industrial and mining heritage, it also has an important architectural and historical heritage dating back to the High Middle Ages. Thionville has been part of Luxembourg, France and Germany, several times, and still bears the traces of these successive periods of rule.
There is a walking circuit marked with arrows for visitors to explore its city centre, starting with Place du Marché and featuring the belfry whose tower contains the great bell of Thionville; the Neo-Classical Church of St. Maximin, which has paintings from the 17th to the 19th century, and a remarkable organ, one of the most beautiful in Europe, whose history dates back to the 16th century.
The visit continues with a look at the archaeology museum in the famous 11th-century Puces Tower. A listed Historic Monument, this old keep from the Castle of the Counts of Luxembourg is architecturally unusual with its 14 sides.
Other sights to see are the two lock bridges and the beautiful Napoleon and Wilson parks, as well as the Altar of the Homeland, the last of its kind still standing, built during the Revolution.
There are fine collections of minerals, fossils, rocks and sand at the Géolor museum on Rue de la Scierie.
On Chemin du Fort, the Guentrange fortified group is a reminder of Lorraine's military history.
The region's mining past is revealed at the Ecomuseum of the Iron Mines of Lorraine in Neufchef, 13 kilometres from Thionville, where former miners conduct the guided tours.
Also worth seeing nearby, in Veckring, is the Hackenberg Fortress, a large fortified structure on the Maginot Line. You can explore this veritable underground factory aboard a vintage train.
