MARNE

GENERAL INFORMATION

Marne is a département in the region of Champagne-Ardenne in France, and is surrounded by the départments of Ardennes, Meuse, Haute-Marne, Aube, Seine-et-Marne, and Aisne.

The département of Marne is in the northeast of France and is named after the Marne River , whose watershed is largely found in the department. The capital, or Préfecture of the Marne is Châlons-en-Champagne (formerly known as Châlons-sur-Marne).

Epernay, Reims, Sainte-Menehould, and Vitry-le-François.

HISTORY

Marne was one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from the province of Champagne.

Marne was also the site of two battles. The first battle was the turning point of World War I, fought in 1914. The second battle was fought four years later, in 1918.

THINGS TO DO AND SEE

Reims is often considered the capital of Champagne, an old province of France made world-famous by its Champagne sparkling wine, although in reality it is only the largest city of Champagne, but not its capital, being only a sous-préfecture of the Marne département.

The Church of St Jacques was built from the 13th to the 16th centuries. A few blocks from the Notre-Dame cathedral, it is now surrounded by a vibrant neighborhood of shopping and restaurants. What remains of the Abbey of St. Denis is now a Fine Art Museum . The old College of the Jesuits is also now a museum.

Reims, along with Épernay and Ay, is one of the centers of Champagne production. Many of the largest Champagne producing houses, known as les grandes marques, have their headquarters in Reims, and most are open for tasting and tours by appointment. Champagne is aged in the many caves and tunnels under Reims. Carved from chalk, some of these passages were dug by the Romans.

Epernay is at the heart of the world's most prestigious vineyards.  20,000 hectares of vineyards stretch all around you, whilst under your feet lie 200 million bottles of champagne ageing in 120 kilometres of cellars carved out of the chalk soil over hundreds of years.

The most famous champagne producers amongst the many grand houses and mansions lining the Avenue de Champagne allow Epernay justly to lay claim to the coveted title of the Capital of Champagne.  Other noble buildings such as the Gabrielle-Dorziat theatre lend charm and grandeur to the town.

Outside Epernay the Route Touristique de Champagne winds around the town offering you a succession of friendly cellars, chateaux, roman churches and villages bedecked with flowers, all afloat in a sea of vines, to ensure that whatever the time of year, there's always a new pleasure to be found.  Nowhere else can you better discover, understand and learn to love the tiny bubbles that are synonymous with joy and happiness, CHAMPAGNE !

All across the Marne region numerous flower-beds and other planted areas have been used as a paint-box to decorate the towns and villages, the regional tourism committee had the idea of creating a network of floral walking routes in the Marne villages and towns.

Epernay decided to participate in this initiative by creating three walking circuits through the town. The work was carried out by the Park Service in collaboration with the Roads and Signals department and the paths were inaugurated in 2002.

Epernay thus became the first town in the region to offer pedestrian paths of this type.Starting from the church of Saint Peter-Saint Paul, the paths let you stroll through the town and see all the green spaces that make the town such a pleasant place to live. Two of the circuits can be completed in about 55 minutes, and the third in only 35 minutes. Thanks to the signs put in place by the Park Service, walkers can read about the different varieties of plants and flowers planted along the way.