Sainte-Menehould
.JPG)
| Sainte-Menehould | |
|---|---|
  Sainte-Menehould | |
|
Location within Champagne-Ardenne region  Sainte-Menehould | |
| Coordinates: 49°05′00″N 4°54′00″E / 49.0833°N 4.9°ECoordinates: 49°05′00″N 4°54′00″E / 49.0833°N 4.9°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Champagne-Ardenne |
| Department | Marne |
| Arrondissement | Sainte-Menehould |
| Canton | Sainte-Menehould |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2001–2008) | Bertrand Courot |
| Area | |
| • Land1 | 57.11 km2 (22.05 sq mi) |
| Population (1999) | |
| • Population2 | 4,979 |
| • Population2 Density | 87/km2 (230/sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 51507 / 51800 |
| Elevation | 132–261 m (433–856 ft) |
|
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Sainte-Menehould is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France.
The town and its several restaurants pride themselves on serving a local specialty called pied de cochon or pig's trotter.
Dom Pérignon, the Benedictine monk who made important contributions to the production and quality of Champagne wine, and is often (erroneously) credited with its invention, was born in Saint-Menehould around 1638.
Among the historically aware Sainte-Menehould is remembered as the town where, in 1791, the king, Louis XVI was recognised, allegedly on account of the similarity between his face and the image of him that appeared on the coinage, during his attempted flight from Paris towards Flanders (then part of the Austrian empire and thereby ruled by his queen's older brother). The royal party left the town before the significance of the king's recognition had been acted upon, but they were pursued along the road towards Varennes and arrested by Citizen Drouet who is remembered as the local postmaster.
130 years later Ste-Menehould was important in the Champagne Riots of 1910/1911.
Twinning
Cupar, Fife, Scotland
