The Marne deserves that we take the time to discover all its contours as they are so many! This land has left its mark on history since antiquity, through the Middle Ages and more recently during the two world wars. Its history, the richness of its cultural, natural and gastronomic heritage make this department an ideal getaway.
Champagne, an effervescent jewel..
How can we not mention champagne, a local standard that contributes to French reputation and prestige throughout the world. In Épernay, Avenue de Champagne is home to the most famous houses. Along this prestigious avenue, no less than ten champagne houses coexist. Famous names such as Moët & Chandon, the most commercialized brand and the first one installed here in 1742, Mercier, Boizel, Comtesse Lafond, Perrier-Jouët, Pol Roger, De Venoge, Demoiselle... With their sparkling gold leaf signs, several large houses open their cellars (open house or by appointment). Nicknamed Champs-Élysées de la Champagne, this avenue was classified in 1994 as one of the 100 remarkable sites of taste in France and registered in 2015 on UNESCO's World Heritage List as a Coteaux, Maisons et Caves de Champagne.
Champagne is world-famous and its vineyards can be visited along the itineraries of the Champagne Tourist Route: Côte des Blancs, Montagne de Reims, Massif de Saint-Thierry, Coteaux de Vitry or Vallée de la Marne, each appellation producing subtly different champagnes. There are about three hundred and twenty vintages illustrating the wine villages and their specific nuances, located in all the different departments of the region, including the Marne of course
Originally, this mass wine was consecrated in history by the baptism of Clovis. Nectar of kings, star of celebrations, champagne accompanies many events and demonstrations and today enjoys international notoriety
According to legend, Dom Pérignon (1638-1715), a native of Sainte-Ménehould, a Benedictine monk and cellarer at Hautvillers Abbey, made this white wine from black grapes using original vintages. Since then, the selection of grape varieties, yeasts, the blending of different wines and the control of effervescence have completed the work of the illustrious monk
From now on, three grape varieties are mainly used to produce champagne : pinot noir for body and power, pinot meunier for suppleness and bouquet, and chardonnay, renowned for its finesse and aroma, all accompanied by thirty-five quality rules. Champagne production is nowadays close to 340 million bottles per year
... a rich gastronomy
The Marne is not limited to champagne alone and if it offers this flagship product to infinity (sauces, chocolates...), it also offers a gastronomy rich in good local products, such as the famous pink biscuits of Reims, the feet of pigs of Sainte-Ménehould or the ham of Reims
The department also offers beautiful addresses where you can enjoy gourmet cuisine with no less than eight Michelin-starred chefs. The opportunity to taste the great classics of local cuisine revisited!
There is even a table, L'Assiette Champenoise, which has accumulated 3 macaroons. It is THE reference in the region. We have just tasted his cuisine from afar, made exclusively from fresh, high-quality products. Among its most refined and unique dishes: blue lobster, purple garlic and red cebette, Petit Bateau Stone and creamy dashi, sweetbread of veal with sweet spices and melting macaroni, etc. A first-class cuisine, to be enjoyed in an idyllic setting: the restaurant is surrounded by a 1.5 hectare park
Nature in the spotlight
But the Marne, France's leading flowered department, is also a land of nature where visitors can practice all kinds of outdoor activities. Between walks and hikes in the heart of the vineyards of the Montagne de Reims or the forest massif of the Argonne, cycling, swimming and water sports in Der, the largest artificial lake in Europe, there is no time to get bored.
History and heritage on the agenda
Strongly marked by history, we often head for the Marne to discover these many sites of memory
At Valmy, on the very site where the Battle of Valmy took place on 20 September 1792, relive the history of the French Revolution with the discovery of its mill and the historic centre of Valmy 1792.
In Dormans, a chapel transformed into a Memorial to the Battles of the Marne commemorates the important moments of the First World War
In Reims, the Fort de la Pompelle allows you to follow the thread of history with a museum presenting a rich collection dedicated to the Great War. It was also in Reims that the act of unconditional surrender of the armed forces of the Third Reich was signed on 7 May 1945, thus ending the Second World War. The signature room has remained exactly in its original state and a museum evoking the role of Reims at the end of the war completes it. Other sites are to be discovered on this theme of memory tourism, a real gateway to enjoy the heritage of the department. But how can we evoke the heritage of the Marne without mentioning the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims? Its realization will have lasted three centuries, in addition to its architecture, the richness of its sculptures makes it an exceptional building: it is necessary to observe the famous Angel with a smile, the Saint Joseph or the servant and to see how the artists knew how to give them life. The cathedral also has magnificent medieval stained glass windows, but also stained glass windows by Marc Chagall, Brigitte Simon and Imi Knoebel. This masterpiece of Gothic art is a key piece of French history: Clovis was baptized there between 496 and 506, and the greatest kings of France were crowned there.
The department also has other remarkable sites such as the Palais du Tau, Saint-Remi Basilica, Notre-Dame-de-l'Épine Basilica, the collegiate church and Saint-Étienne de Châlons-en-Champagne Cathedral, as well as many castles and remains of half-timbered architecture. So, at the time of the arrival of the sunny days, plus a minute to waste to discover this unique department.
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TOURISM IN CHAMPAGNE - More information on the website
