Champagne-Ardenne

The Champagne-Ardenne is a French Région which gathers four departments: the Paddle, the the Ardennes, the Haute-Marne and the the Marne.

History

See also: History of Champagne-Ardenne

The area Champagne-Ardenne has a very rich history since Antiquity:

• With the Roman epoch, the town of Rheims ( Durocortorum ) was a crossroads of roads and was one of the cities most populated in the north of Rome,
• At the beginning of the Moyen-âge, in 496, Clovis I {{er}} was baptized by Saint Remi in the primitive cathedral of Rheims, this is why Rheims became the city of the Sacre Kings de France until Charles X,
• Towards the An millet, the Archevêque of Rheims, Gerbert d' Aurillac played a great part, it became Pape under the name of Sylvestre II, it was a friend of the emperor Othon III,
• Of the end of the 12th century at the 14th century, the Champagne was a very rich area with its fair S: Lagny-sur-Marne (in current the administrative area of Ile-de-France), Layered branches, Troyes, and Bar-sur-Aube, which was on two roads of Pèlerinage towards Rome.
• In 1871, took place the battle of Sedan in the the Ardennes,
• During the First World War, the the Ardennes were the crossing point of the enemy invasion (Charleville was the HQ of the Kronprinz), the Champagne was the theater of the engagements after the First Bataille of the Marne close to Paris (from September 6th to 9th 1914): the Way of the Ladies (spring 1917), then the Second battle of the Marne (1918),
• During the Second world war, the Ardennes were again the crossing point of the army Nazi E then were the subject of rough combat in 1940 (demolished French), then in 1944 (Bataille of the Ardennes),
• the ceremony of Réconciliation between France and the Germany took place in the Cathédrale of Rheims, in the presence of the president Charles de Gaulle and from the chancellor Konrad Adenauer, celebrated by the cardinal François Marty
• In 1996, the Pape Jean-Paul II came to Rheims for the 1500e Anniversaire from the Baptême, by Saint Remi of Clovis and its soldiers.

See also: County of Champagne - List of the counts de Champagne

Geography

See also: Geography of Champagne-Ardenne

The area Champagne-Ardenne is at the North-East of the France. It has a common border with the Walloon region (Belgium). It is made up of 4 departments (the the Ardennes, the Marne, the Aube and the Haute-Marne). Lastly, it extends on a surface from 25.606 km ².

The hydrographic network, overall directed East-West, is dominated by the the Seine, the Marne, the Aube, the Aisne (affluent of the Oise) and the Meuse. A device of chopping of believed of the Seine, intended to protect the Paris region, includes/understands four storage dams:

• In the basin of the the Marne, the Lake of DER, more the artificial big lake of Europe.
• In the basin of the the Seine, the Lake of the East
• In the basin of the Paddle, the Lake of the Temple, and the Lake Amance.

Climate

The area has a semi-oceanic climate.

Demography

See also: Demography of Champagne-Ardenne

The regional population is in constant reduction since 1982, that is due to the important emigration of Champardennais towards other areas of France, sunnier (Midi) or maritime (West and South-west). With only 2% of the national population and a density of 52 habitants/km ², the Champagne-Ardenne belongs to the French Régions the least populated.

Administration and policy

See also: District council of Champagne-Ardenne

The president of the district council is Mr. Jean-Paul Bachy.

Economy

See also: Saving in Champagne-Ardenne

• 61,4% of the territory devoted to the Agriculture
• 1st national rank for the production of Barley and alfalfa for dehydration
• 2nd national rank for the production of industrial Beet S, Onion S and pea protéagineux (fodder peas)
• 3rd national rank for the production of Corn to tend and Colza
• 28.237 Hectare S of Vineyard
• annual Sales of bottles of champagne in 2001: 263 million bottles (progression of 4% compared to 2000), 37,6% are devoted to export
• 25% of the French production of metallurgical Bonneterie
• 3rd area French

Agro-alimentary

• With a collection of 2,5 million tons, the co-operative Champagne-Cereals is the first cereal group of Europe. It gathers 9300 farmers and ensures not only marketing, but also the transformation of cereals and seeds protéagineuses in several factories: Malt factory, Flour-milling, Corn mill, Starch industry, animal Feeds and Biocarburant S.
• Crystal Union: group sugar and of production of alcohol, ethanol dehydrated and products, established with Arcis-on-Paddle, Bar-sur-Aube, Buchères, Bazancourt, Châlons-in-Champagne, Sermaize and Sillery and elsewhere in France. Second French actor of the Sugar, via his subsidiary company Sugar Union and marks it of sugar Daddy.
• Béghin-Say : sugar refinery with Connantre close to Sézanne, Distilling with Morains, close to Châlons-in-Champagne. The group was resold in 2003 with the group Téréos, some of the activities of the groups having been resold with the group Cristal Union.
• France-Alfalfa, with Châlons-in-Champagne, larger factory of dehydration of Alfalfa of Europe to Poor.
• Group Bellows with Nogent-sur-Seine, 1st private cereal collector in France, 1st French cereal exporter, 1st European miller, 4th world maltor, 1st European maïsier, 3rd French group for the Rice.
• Jacquot (Troyes): Chocolate factory, Confectionery (711 employees)
• LU with Charleville-Mézières

Industry

• VMC (mechanical Champagne glassmakings) with Rheims, from now on OI-Food, group Owens-Illinois, specialized in the Glass hollow (food packing, bottles), second European producer of hollow glass.
• PUM (group Arcelor-Mittal), produced metallurgical with Rheims.
• Vallourec with Component Vitry-le-François, cars.
• Small Boat with Troyes, (Textile/Clothing): 1148 employees.
• Devanlay with textile Troyes/clothing (Lacoste): 1037 employees.
• Kléber with the Vault-Saint-Luc (ind. of rubber): 987 employees.
• Dumeste with Bar-sur-Aube (fab. of Piece of furniture S): 975 employees.
• SMPA (group SIMPA) with Vendeuvre-on-Barse (windows, doors): 747 employees.
• Petitjean with Saint-Andre-the-Orchards (masts, posts of lighting): 730 employees. Another of its factories had been installed with Blagny - the Ardennes (old factory Usinor) but that was of short duration (Subventions): the chechmate of OJ of Albertville nevertheless was manufactured there.
• Revin (the Ardennes) accommodates Arthur Martin - Electrolux (washing machines) and Porcher (medical).
• Young cow with Troyes (locks, cylinders): 720 employees.
• PSA with Ayvelles (Automobile Foundry ): 2700 employees.
• Crystal Union with Arcis-on-Paddle and Bazancourt: production of ethanol.
• Many Subcontractor S: Forging mills, Foundries (or To summon - Allibert for Textile installation interior, with Mouzon and Sedan) for industries Automobile and Railway, in particular in the the Ardennes.

Transport

Truck driver

The area is served by 560 km of Autoroute S distributed on four axes:

• A4 Paris - Strasbourg which serves the agglomeration of Rheims,
• A5 Paris Dijon, which passes by Troyes and Chaumont,
• A26 Calais - Dijon, passes by Rheims and Châlons-in-Champagne (common section with A4) and finds the A5 with Troyes,
• A34 (Liege) - Sedan - Rheims, serves Charleville-Mézières and will be prolonged (" Y of the Ardennes ") towards Rocroi to be " branchée" on the Belgian network towards Charleroi and Brussels,

River

The navigable network is rather complete, but is not with the European standards, it articulates itself around the following channels:

• the Channel of the Ardennes connecting the valleys of the Meuse and the Aisne.
• the Channel of the East which connects the valleys of the Meuse and the the Moselle on the basis of Givet to the Marne, it allows the navigation of the the North Sea the the Mediterranean via the Canal of the Marne in the Saone;
• the Channel of the Marne in the Saone which connects the side channel to the Marne since Vitry-le-François with the the Saone with the Pontailler-on-Saone;
• the side Channel in the Marne of Vitry-le-François to Hautvillers and the the Marne channeled until Alfortville;
• the Channel of the Marne in the Rhine which connects the Marne Vitry-le-François to the the Rhine until Strasbourg;
• the Channel of Aisne in the Marne which serves Rheims, of Berry-with-Vat (Aisne) to Condé-sur-Marne, where it joined the side Canal in the Marne.

Railway

See also: FOR THE THIRD TIME Champagne-Ardenne

The railway network is articulated around the three lines:

• Paris - Strasbourg, of the Station of the East, which follows the valley of the Marne, via Épernay, Châlons-in-Champagne and Vitry-le-François. Since the June 10th 2007, this axis is doubled by LGV Is, line at high speed whose layout inflects towards north to serve Rheims which lays out of a called new station “Champagne-Ardenne” and located on the commune of Bezannes.
• Paris - Charleville-Mézières, which serves Épernay, Rheims and Rethel, also served by TGV.
• Paris Basle which follows the valley of the the Seine, via Romilly-sur-Seine, Troyes, Chaumont and Langres. This axis not electrified is compromised by the policy of profitability of the SNCF and could disappear with the profit from a future line TGV Paris Dijon - Basle or in any case be electrified.
• Lille - Strasbourg which serves Charleville-Mézières and Sedan.

Air

The Airport international of Vatry, devoted to the freight, and promoted by the general advice of the the Marne, has a 3650 m long track, but it idles. Being only to 150 km of Paris, in a zone very slightly populated, some would see it well candidate with the role of the third Parisian Aéroport.

Culture, tourism

See also: Culture of Champagne-Ardenne

• 291 Hotel S of tourism approved (8 000 rooms)
• 152 structures offering of the rooms of hosts
• 19 Museum S, 92 cinemas, 16 Theater S, 10 grounds of Golf
• 650 km of inland waterways and 8 water levels (of which the Lake of DER-Chantecoq, the greatest artificial water level of Europe) reserved to tourism

The visitors direct themselves for the majority towards Champagne in charge of history, its vineyards and its prestigious cellars. The sites and routes diversify with the discovery of the inheritance and the Gastronomie: Troyes and its old houses, Langres with its ramparts, Épernay, valleys of the the Marne and the Meuse, Sedan, Rheims or Colombey-the-Two-Churches.

A curiosity natural to see in the Regional natural park of the Montagne de Reims: false of Verzy.

See too

Internal bonds

• Champagne (historical province)

External bonds

• Site of the district council Champagne-Ardenne

• Regional committee of Champagne-Ardenne tourism

• numerical Inheritance of Champagne-Ardenne

Simple: Champagne-Ardenne

Random links:

Volker Schlöndorff | Berthecourt | Initng | Lebohang Mokoena | David Rivas

© 2007-2008 speedlook.com; article text available under the terms of GFDL, from fr.wikipedia.org