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Champagne-Ardenne, Region of Northern France
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| Reims Cathedral, a favorite spot not only for photographers | Location of this French region |
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‘La Champagne’ is undoubtedly one of the best known areas in France, given its caché by one of the most famous drinks in the world, ‘le champagne’. Now incorporated as the Champagne-Ardenne region, it stretches from the Belgium border down to Burgundy, from the Paris basin and Picardy in the west, to Lorraine in the east. You could call this region the gateway to Europe, it been a crossroads of military and trade routes throughout history and as a result, prosperous, solid towns such as Reims and Epernay, Troyes and Langres give a feeling of both strength and security. Although one thinks of vineyards, in fact, they take up a very small percentage of the region around Reims and Epernay and south of Troyes. 61% of this region is gently rolling countryside covered in other agricultural crops: barley, alfalfa, wheat, beets, onions and rapeseed. The Ardenne in the north is heavily wooded and some of France’s finest rivers, the Marne, Aube, Meuse, Seine and Aisne are found across the region along with lakes, reservoirs and a canal. Getting to Champagne-Ardenne Communications have been good to this trading area but with the rise in importance of Strasbourg, rail and road links have been greatly improved. By train: The TGV Est high speed train links Paris to Strasbourg, and Reims, only 45 minutes by train from Paris, is commutable on a daily basis. By air: Charles de Gaulle airport is a hub of world flights. By road: Good connections in all directions with the A4 east west and the A26 north south. |
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| Areas of interest |
| The Ardenne Going from north to south in the region, the Ardenne in France has reinvented itself as a tourist area offering the outdoor life in the beautiful forests and hills. Hiking, cycling and riding particularly in the Meuse valley, fishing, canoeing and water sports are also popular. Charleville-Mézière is the main town of the department and anyone interested in military history will recognise this area as having experienced some of the bloodiest battles in Europe from the Napoleonic Wars in Sedan to the two great world wars. |
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Champagne It is the ‘bubbly’ (champagne) that has given this region fame and fortune, brought about by the right growing conditions: flinty, chalky soil and the climate. The growing areas are very tightly controlled falling principally in the Aube and the Marne departments. The producers have difficulty meeting the demand and recently, amid much controversy, new communes have been added with the right to produce champagne. A spokesman at the INAO institute, which administers the appéllation d’origine contrôlée law said about this liquid gold, “If your vines fall on the wrong side of the divide, they will be worth 5000 dollars a hectare. On the other side they will be worth million.” At first, sparkling Champagne was created accidentally - the bubbles were thought to indicate a fault in the wine – the build up of gas in the bottles led it to be called "the devil's wine" (le vin du diable) as they exploded in the cellars or the cork popped out. The cold winter temperatures halt the fermentation in the cellars then in spring, the dormant yeast cells start to ferment again, releasing carbon dioxide and bubbles. It was only when the technique was finessed that kings and aristocrats made it fashionable and the most successful of all the grape products took off. Reims and Epernay are the hubs of this ‘liquid gold’. Epernay shows off the opulence of the region with the ‘maisons’ such as Moët and Chandon, Dom Perignon, and Perrier Jouet. Down the road in Reims other major producers such at Taittinger and Pommery have their headquarters Along with the fine sparkling wine comes fine food. The specialities in the region include andouillette, considered highly by the French (but not always so by the foreigners), rich tartiflette and boudin blanc, a white version of black pudding. Chaource and Langre are two creamy cheeses to look out for. |
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Reims Reims in the Marne department has other claims to fame for in the impressive Gothic cathedral, 26 kings of France have been crowned through history. The town was largely flattened by the Germans in WWI but it was meticulously reconstructed. Another pinnacle of history came when Nazi Germany surrendered on May 7 1945 in Eisenhower’s war room in Reims so ending the war. Surprisingly however, it is not the capital of the region, this pleasure belongs to the centrally placed town of Châlons-en-Champagne. |
| Troyes Troyes in the Aube is another important town. Traders from Flanders and Italy used to congregate here in the middle ages to sell their sumptuous fabrics. Today among the half-timbered houses, little alleyways and squares, you can imagine the carts and stalls, the noise and jostling of market day centuries ago. The town is a very pleasant place to be and it is still famous for shopping, with a mall of designer clothes outlets and factories such as Lacoste. The surrounding countryside is mainly agricultural with large rolling landscapes. East of Troyes the very scenic medieval towns of Bar-sur-Seine and Bar-sur-Aube attract many visitors, as does Essoyes where Auguste Renoir had a studio. Here you will find another champagne area with the prosperity that goes with it. Langres In the south of the region is a well preserved fortress town famous for its ramparts overlooking the plains and lakes. Running north south though the town is the Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne, bringing tourists for holidays afloat. Nearby four reservoirs such as Lac de la Liez come alive in summer with leisure activities. |
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French National Park opens in 2012 A new National Park is due to open in 2012 in the south of the region,‘Entre Champagne et Bourgogne’, encompassing the forests of the Châtillonais and the Plateau of Langres. This will open up the area to tourism, give the economy of the surrounding region a huge boost, and the local communities a big lift – undoubtedly a good place to go house hunting. |
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