Metz, the capital and the prefecture of both the Lorraine region and the Moselle department in France, has a recorded history dating back over 3,000 years. During this time, it was successively a Celtic oppidum, an important Gallo-Roman city, the Merovingian capital of the Austrasia kingdom, the birthplace of the Carolingian dynasty, a cradle of the Gregorian chant, and one of the oldest republics of the common era in Europe. As an important city in the heart of Europe and the crossroad of different cultures, Metz has experienced an integration into the Roman Empire, the christianization, the barbarian depredations, religious wars, the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, an annexation into the German Empire, and World War II.