SERPENOISE GATE

Originally, the Serpenoise Gate was a large vaulted arch in the ramparts which marked the southern boundary of the Gallo-Roman town. In 1903, the dismantling of Metz's urban fortifications resulted in its displacement and redesign. The German authorities reduced it to about a quarter of its original size and crowned it with four corner towers taken from the old ramparts. This symbol of the city remains something of a curiosity, a tribute to the memory of the past with its inscriptions, reflecting the various different episodes in its history.