Champagne-Ardenne, Historical region in northeastern France
Description
Champagne-Ardenne was an independent region in northeastern France until the end of 2015, encompassing four departments: Ardennes, Marne, Aube, and Haute-Marne. Since then the area has been part of the larger Grand Est region, though the name remains in use as a historical reference.
History
The two areas were merged into a single administrative unit in 1956, when France reorganized its regions. The region existed until a new reform in 2016, when it was absorbed into the newly created Grand Est region.
Culture
The region's name combines two areas that once stood apart: Champagne to the south and Ardennes to the north, where different traditions still coexist today. Many villages between Reims and Troyes sit amid vineyards, while in the Ardennes area forests and riverbanks shape how people live.
Practical
The area stretches from the borders with Belgium and Luxembourg in the north to the vineyards around Troyes in the south, so traveling often takes you through several different landscapes. Much of it is relatively flat, while the Ardennes in the north become hillier and offer forest trails for walking.
Did you know?
The chalky soils in the southern part sometimes turn the ground almost white, which is why the word Champagne itself comes from the Latin for open field. Some villages here have churches with roofs made from colored tiles arranged in geometric patterns that can be seen from a distance.
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Moët & Chandon
39.8 km
Reims Cathedral
44.2 km
Cathédrale de Reims
44.2 km
Nigloland
82.4 km
Familistère
118.9 km
Fort Douaumont
72.5 km
Lake Der-Chantecoq
50.2 km
Chateau des Amerois
95.8 km
Douaumont ossuary
71.2 km
Cadaver Tomb of René of Chalon
54.7 km
Abbey of Fontenay
151.7 km
Clairvaux Abbey
97.3 km
Fosse Dionne
133.2 km
Laon Cathedral
89.3 km
La Boisserie
91.4 km
Reims-Gueux
50.2 km
Lac de Madine
90.6 km
Vix grave
122.2 km
Basilica of Saint-Remi
43 km
Woinic
66.2 km
Caves of Han-sur-Lesse
134.8 km
Nigloland
82.6 km
Moulin de Laffaux
92.7 km
Château de Sedan
84.7 km
Troyes Cathedral
83.8 km
Forêts National Park
124.9 km
Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial
72.9 km
La Boisserie
91.4 km
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