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HAUTE-MARNE
GENERAL
INFORMATION
The
Département of Haute-Marne is located in the Champagne-Ardenne region, south of
the city of
Troyes
and north of
Dijon
with
Chaumont as its capital. The
Haute-Marne département is named after the
Marne
River
.
HISTORY
Haute-Marne
was one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on
March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former
province of
Champagne.
THINGS
TO DO AND SEE
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Haute-Marne has 240,000 hectares (over 590,000 acres) of forest with 1000 km
(over 600 miles) of marked trails, beautiful for hiking, horseback riding and
cycling.
Lake
Der Chantecoq, the biggest artificial lake in
Europe
(4,800 hectares / nearly 11,860 acres), in the north of the Département, and
the four lakes around Langres are excellent spots for sailing and
motor-boating.
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1,700 km (over 1,000 miles) of waterways including 895 km (560
mi) rated First Class, as well as a large population of fauna including deer,
roebuck and wild boar make Haute-Marne great for fishing and hunting.
The
Bourbonne-les-bains spa in the Haute-Marne département has always been known
for the therapeutic value of their
hot springs
and their excellent care. Their high rate of occupancy ranks them in the top
ten natural spring water treatment resorts in the country.
The lac du Der-Chantecoq, to the north-west of the
département, is a popular destination for birdwatchers, as it is the largest
man-made lake in
Europe. Many species of wildfowl can be seen
here, but the lake is especially well known for migrating cranes.
Chaumont is
the main town in the Haute-Marne département. Nicknamed "the poster town" for
its collection of posters past and present, it holds an
International Poster Festival and a similar one for graphic arts,
attracting art-lovers from far and wide. On a hill, the town was often
attacked, although the keep is all that remains of the 12th century castle of
the Counts of Champagne.
For champagne,
head for the villages of Argentolles
and Rizancourt where tasters
are welcomed with full flutes. The
village of
Coiffy-le-Haut
celebrates having won the "Vin de Pays de Haute-Marne" for a red wine made from
the pinot noir and gamay grapes, and a white from auxerrois and chardonnay.
Rubis is a delicious Haute-Marne aperitif made from redcurrants.
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