14. Metz to Thionville

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You leave the city of Metz by the banks of the Moselle River and the canal which will take you to Thionville. You will discover the vestiges of the industrial and mining past of the region.

From Metz Cathedral you join the Moselle river and then you cross the islands with a rich heritage. The banks of the river accompany you as you cross wetlands laid out as ponds. By following the canal of the iron mines of the Moselle you avoid the natural meanders of the river. You will finish your stage by crossing the suburbs of the agglomeration of Thionville whose heritage of the old centre is to be discovered.

4 points of interest

Musée de la Cour d’Or à Metz - Image : Amis de saint Colomban
Historical
Musée de la Cour d’Or in Metz
The museographical tour allows visitors to discover the exceptional ensembles of ancient thermal baths, Gallo-Roman sculpture and archaeology, Merovingian objects, the chancel of Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains and medieval treasures, the architecture museum, the painted ceilings and attic of Chèvremont, regional sculptures, paintings by representatives of several European schools and the works of artists from the Metz School.
Since June 2018, access to the Cour d'Or museum in Metz Métropole has been via the former Petits-Carmes chapel, which has been completely renovated. Built in 1675, this place steeped in history was home to a monastic community and then the former municipal library. This new reception area, visible from the street, opens the museum to the city, a few steps from the Place d'Armes.
More info at: Musée de la Cour d'Or
Ancien haut-Fourneau transformé en musée à Uckange - Les Amis de saint Colomban
Historical
U4 Ironworks Park in Uckange
In Uckange the U4 Blast Furnace Park is 40 metres from Via Columbani.
Built in 1890, the plant is specialized in the production of pig iron, made from the local iron ore, the minette. Constantly modernized, it concentrates all the French cast iron production in 1965, benefiting from the restructuring of the steel industry because of its size and its ideal location in the heart of the Lorraine iron and steel basin.
Despite its technical innovations, the highly competitive market declined and the plant closed in 1991.
It is a place that can be visited, discovered and understood. Through the proposed tours, the public will be able to perceive and understand the functioning of the factory and to grasp, through the testimonies of Mécilor's guides, the life of the factory in its technical, historical and especially human dimensions.
The site can be visited freely, in guided or audio-guided tours. Audioguides in 4 languages are available to the public to discover this unique blast furnace preserved in France.
For more information, click here: U4 Park
Bassin du port de Thionville - Les Amis de saint Colomban
Panoramic
Moselle Iron Mines Canal (CAMIFEMO)
During the first half of the 20th century, it was Lorraine that made France one of the leading producers of iron ore. The transport of the ore required the construction of a canal linking the coal-producing Saarland and the blast furnaces of Lorraine. The iron canal will allow the iron to be exported to northern Europe.
Work began in 1867 and the canal was opened in 1932, with the Messina section only completed in the 1920s.
The canal is 29.3 km long and has 4 locks. Today, the port of Thionville-Illange is the first river port in France for the transport of metallurgical products. It is the most important port on the Canal des Mines de Fer de la Moselle (CAMIFEMO). The major advantage of the port of Thionville-Illange is its multiple services (road, rail and river transport).
La Via Columbani arrive à l’église Saint-Maximin à Thionville - Les Amis de saint Colomban
Tourist
Saint-Maximin Church in Thionville
Until 1900, Thionville had only one parish, dependent since the year 930 on the abbey of Saint-Maximin de Trèves and placed under the invocation of this saint after having been, it seems, dedicated to Saint Paul and Saint Eustache. The original church is said to have been erected in the 12th century in the present Burnt Street and then rebuilt on its present site after the fire of 1493 which gave the street its name.
Consecrated in 1760, the church was hardly modified until 1870. Heavily damaged by the bombardments of the siege, it had to be restored in 1883.

Description

Go around the cathedral chevet to go down rue du Vivier, straight on rue Paul Tornow, cross the Moselle, on the right Place de la Préfecture, on the left rue du Pont Moreau, cross the arm of the Moselle.

Second street on the left, rue des bénédictins, on the right rue Belle-Isle, on the left Tiffroy bridge, cross the arm of La Moselle, rue Sainte-Barbe, cross the Elbé bridge, after the bridge on the right along La Moselle, Vélo-Route Charles le Téméraire
After the Mixed bridge, turn right to stay on the Moselle river bank, rue de la Darse, take the bridge over the port of Metz, turn right to reach the river bank, then left on chemin Thury, right at the crossroads.
On the right between the two canals of the power station, stay on your left, turn left at the next bridge and take the Vélo-Route Charles le Téméraire.
cross the Moselle Iron Mine Canal, turn left onto a grass path along the canal, walk along the canal for 10,000 metres, pass the Talange lock and cross the canal before reaching the Elm lock, Grossfeld,
Right after the bridge over the canal, walk on the left bank of the Moselle River.
After Uckange continue on Voie Verte, at the harbour basins cross the lock on the right, continue between La Moselle and the harbour basins of Thionville, route de la Digue
Cross the canal at the Thionville lock, on the right on the towpath on the left bank of the Moselle. You will arrive at the Nicolas Crauser quay and the Saint-Maximin church.

Departure : Saint-Etienne Cathedral, Place d'Armes, 57,000 Metz
Arrival : Saint-Maximin Church, 3 Place de l'Église, 57100 Thionville
Towns crossed : Grand Est