Châlons-en-Champagne
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Commune of Châlons-en-Champagne |
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| Location | |
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Champagne-Ardenne |
| Department | Marne (préfecture) |
| Arrondissement | Châlons-en-Champagne |
| Canton | Chief town of 4 cantons |
| Intercommunality | Communauté d'agglomération de Châlons-en-Champagne |
| Mayor | Bruno Bourg-Broc (2001-2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 83 m (avg.) |
| Land area¹ | 26.05 km² |
| Population² (1999) |
47,339 |
| - Density | 1,817/km² (1999) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 51108/ 51000 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
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Châlons-en-Champagne is a city and commune in France. It is the administrative centre (préfecture) of both the département of Marne and the région of Champagne-Ardenne, despite being only a quarter the size of the city of Reims.
Formerly called Châlons-sur-Marne, the city was officially renamed in 1998. It should not be confused with the Burgundian town of Chalon-sur-Saône.
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[edit] Diocese
The city is the seat of the Catholic Diocese of Châlons.[1][2][3]
[edit] History
Châlons is conjectured to be the site of the Catalaunian Fields in which the battle of Chalons, 451AD, turned back the westward advance of Attila.
[edit] Twinning
[edit] Transport
Châlons is served by the TGV network with service to and from Paris Gare de l'Est. Additionally, Châlons is connected with the Champagne-TGV station, near Reims, with high speed trains going to Lille, Nantes or Paris Airport (Charles de Gaulle).
Châlons is located at the intersection of two major axes:
- A4 motoway, going from Paris to Strasbourg, towards Metz
- A26 motorway, going from Lille to Lyon, towards Reims, Troyes and Dijon.
Châlons is also served by an international airport devoted to shipping (Chalons Vatry Airport [1]), ranking third in France with almost 60,000 tonnes of freight which pass through each year.
Local transportation is provided by SITAC BUS buses.
[edit] Education
[edit] University level
- École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers (ENSAM), a national engineering school in manufacturing.
- Centre national des arts du cirque (CNAC), which is a Circus Arts Learning Centre created in 1985. Each year about twenty students learn all the disciplines of modern circus arts.
[edit] Main sights
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- Saint Etienne's cathedral
Some Roman parts of the first cathedral built in the 12th Century still remain. Nevertheless, it was mainly rebuilt in Gothic style. The west frontage (baroque style) and the two close spans were added in the XVIIth centuty.
- Notre-Dame-en-Vaux church
Notre Dame en Vaux is part of the UNESCO World Heritage. Built between 1157 and 1217, that collegiate church had a cloister. It was a place of pilgrimage in the XIIth century.
- Saint-Alpin church
Perhaps the oldest church of the city, Saint-Alpin church was rebuilt around 1170 in Gothic style, but still marked by the Roman style.
- Hôtel de Ville (city hall)
Frontage representative of the neo-classic period of the end of the XVIIIth century. The steps of that building are procteted by four stoned lions. In fact, the American Unknown Soldier was designated there in 1921.
- Porte Sainte-Croix (Ste-Croix Gate)
Called Porte Dauphine in the past, that gate was one of the entries of the city. It was dedicated to Marie-Antoinette when she came in Châlons (she was going to Paris to marry king Louis XVI).
- Ancien Hotel des Intendants of Champagne (18th C.)
Today Prefecture of the Champagne-Ardenne region and Prefecture of the Marne. A part of the buildings and the main courtyard were built in the 18th C.
- Le Cirque (late 19th C.)
That old town circus, completed in 1899, is sheltering the Centre National des Arts du Cirque (CNAC).
[edit] Sport
- ESPE Basket Châlons-en-Champagne is a Châlons' basketball team, playing in second division.
[edit] Miscellaneous
Châlons-en-Champagne was the birthplace of:
- David Blondel (1591-1655), Protestant clergyman
- Jean Talon (1625-1694), first Intendant of New France
- Nicolas Appert (1749 – 1841), inventor of the appartisation, and the preservation of food in the vide
- Adolphe Willette (1857–1926), painter
- Étienne Œhmichen (1884–1955), Engineer, considered father of the helicopter
- Xavier Bertrand (born 1965), politician
- Jacques Massu (1908 – 2002), Paratrooper General
Châlons-en-Champagne was the death location of:
- George Canning, 1st Baron Garvagh (1778-1840), Diplomat and Fellow of the London Based Royal Society, nephew to British Prime minister George Canning(1770-1827)
- Clyde Fitch, American dramatist
Comedian Eddie Izzard mentions Châlons-en-Champagne (at the time known as Châlons-sur-Marne) on his comedy album Definite Article, as part of a comedy routine wherein he tells the story of a foreign exchange to Châlons-sur-Marne he took part in.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Diocese of Châlons from catholic-hierarchy.org
- ^ Official web site (in French}]
- ^ Châlons-sur-Marne - Catholic Encyclopedia article
- ^ Ilkeston Twinning Association
- ^ Neuss sister city link page
[edit] External links
- Official website (English/French/German)
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