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| Châlons-en-Champagne | ||
| region | Grand Est | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 44.246 (2018) | |
| height | 83 m | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
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Châlons-en-Champagne is the capital of the French department Marne in the travel region Champagne-Ardenne.
background
Châlons-en-Champagne is located on the Marne River, a tributary of the Seine. Until 1997 the city was called Châlons-sur-Marne.
In ancient times the place was called Catalaunum and was the capital of the Celtic tribe of Catalauni. Under Roman rule, this was one of the most important places in the province Gallia Belgica. Châlons has been a bishopric since the 4th century. The Châlons area was possibly the place of the 451 Battle of the Catalaunian Fields between Romans and Huns, through which the advance of Attila's troops to the west could be stopped. The more recent research localizes the battlefield mostly a little further south, direction Troyes.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Châlons was the scene of weddings between French princes and princesses from German principalities.
Châlons-en-Champagne has around 45,000 inhabitants; the agglomeration (city plus suburbs) has a total of over 81,000 people.
getting there
By plane
The small Châlons Vatry Airport
(IATA: XCR) is 20 km southwest of Châlons and is also marketed as "Paris-Vatry". It is in the passenger area of Ryanair which (as of September 2020) offer connections with Porto and Marrakech. In the absence of alternatives, the onward journey can only be made individually by taxi or car. There is a car rental company at the airport.
The next major commercial airports are the two Paris airports Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle
(IATA: CDG) and Paris-Orly(IATA: ORY) , 150 and 195 km from Châlons-en-Champagne. From the CDG you can get to Châlons by train in 1:45 to a good 2 hours.
By train
Châlons-en-Champagne has a train station on the Paris – Nancy – Strasbourg line. Long-distance trains rarely stop here: a TGV comes from Paris Est (1 hour) and twice a day Bar-le-Duc. Most high-speed trains only stop at the station in the open air Champagne-Ardenne TGV outside of Reims. From there it is another hour (with a change at Reims main station) to Châlons-en-Champagne.
In regional traffic, Châlons is served approximately every hour by regional express trains (TER) from Reims (35 minutes). During rush hour in the morning and in the afternoon there are also continuous TER trains from Paris (journey time 1½ hours), Bar-le-Duc (40 minutes) and Chaumont (approx. 1½ hours). From direction Nancy you usually have to change trains in Bar-le-Duc, a train only leaves twice a day Luneville (2:10 hours) via Nancy (1½ hours); once a day Metz (a good 1½ hours).
The journey from Germany by train is tedious. From Saarbrücken there is a connection once a day with a change in Reims in 3½ hours. From Karlsruhe you have to change two or three times and travel 3½ to four hours. The fastest connection from Luxembourg (change in Metz and Bar-le-Duc) takes 3:15 hours.
By bus
Regional buses run five times a day between Verdun and Châlons-en-Champagne, travel time 1:50 hours.
In the street
Châlons-en-Champagne is on the A4 Paris – Reims – Metz – Strasbourg motorways and the A26 from Troyes / Dijon / Lyon. From Paris it is approx. 190 km via the motorway, which takes around two hours. If you leave the autobahn at Saint-Jean-les-Deux-Jumeaux and continue on the country road (D603 / D407 / D933), it is 25 km less, but you need about a quarter of an hour longer. It is 160 km (approx. 1:45 hours) from Metz and 46 km (approx. 40 minutes) from Reims. For the 220 km from Saarbrücken you have to calculate about 2½ hours driving time; for the 200 km from Luxembourg City a little over two hours.
By boat
Châlons is located on the navigable Marne Lateral Canal (Canal latéral à la Marne), Part of the waterway between northern France and the Mediterranean. The next places are Dizy (at Epernay) in northwestern and Vitry-le-François in a southeasterly direction.
By bicycle
The city lies on the French cycle route V52 Paris – Strasbourg. This in turn is part of the Paneuropean Cycle Route Paris – Prague. The next stages are Château-Thierry (84 km to the west) and Bar-le-Duc (82 km to the southeast).
On foot
The Via Francigena, a medieval pilgrimage route that leads from the English Channel to Rome. The next stages to the north are Trépail (25.8 km) and Reims, to the south Coole (27 km) and Brienne-le-Château.
mobility
Tourist Attractions
Churches, monasteries, synagogues
- 1 Saint-Etienne cathedral.
Built in the first half of the 12th century, in the Romanesque style. Of this original building, however, only the crypt and the lower part of the north tower have survived. The rest burned down after a lightning strike in 1230 and was then rebuilt in Gothic style. The west facade was designed in the classicist Baroque style in 1628–34; her figurines were destroyed during the French Revolution. Particularly noteworthy are the stained glass windows, some of which date from the 13th century, they show saints and Bible stories; the magnificent baroque high altar with canopy and the bishop's throne. Valuable works of art can also be found in the chapels of the south aisle.
- 2 Notre-Dame-en-Vaux church.Remarkable collegiate and pilgrimage church, started in the 12th century in a Romanesque-Gothic mixed style, in the following centuries it was built in Gothic style. This church also has special stained glass windows, the oldest dating from the 12th century. Two windows designed by the Renaissance glass painter Mathieu Bléville on behalf of the Brotherhood of the Pilgrims of St. James are a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Camino de Santiago in France. The columns of the former cloister are exhibited in a separate museum (see below).
- 3 Saint-Alpin church.Gothic church from the 12th to 16th centuries. Excellent stained glass windows from the 16th century; various figures of saints from the 18th century; Grave of St. Alpin.
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- 4 synagogue, 21, rue Lochet.Inaugurated in 1875, Moorish style elements.
- 5 Abbaye de Toussaints.Former abbey from the 16th century; today privately owned.
Buildings
- 6 Porte Sainte-Croix.Triumphal arch built in 1770 in honor of Queen Marie Antoinette, who also came through Châlons on her bridal voyage from Vienna to Versailles.
- 7 Hotel de Ville (town hall).Classicist representative building from the years 1772–76 (Louis XVI style), designed by Nicolas Durand. Magnificent large hall that is used for wedding ceremonies.
- 8 Hôtel des Intendants de Champagne (Hotel de prefecture).Built in 1759 as the seat of government for the province of Champagne. The prefecture of the Marne department has been located here since 1800.
- 9 Quartier Tirlet (Cité Tirlet), 5 rue de la Charrière.Former barracks complex from the 19th century, named after Louis Tirlet. Today it houses various administrative authorities.
- 10 Center national des arts du cirque, 1st avenue Général-Leclerc.Former Châlons municipal circus, built in the 19th century. The French school for circus arts has been established here since 1984.
- 11 Château Jaquesson.Classicist castle from 1863–66. Served to this day for residential purposes, can only be viewed from the outside.
Museums
- 12 Musée du cloître de Notre-Dame-en-Vaux.The 12th century cloister of the Notre-Dame-en-Vaux church was demolished around 1760 because it was considered out of date. It was not until the 1960s that its columns, elaborately decorated with figures of saints and Bible scenes, were rediscovered during excavations. They are now being exhibited in this museum.
- 13 Musée des beaux-arts et d'archéologie (Museum of Fine Arts and Archeology)
- 14 Garinet Museum.Museum named after the art collector Jules Garinet (1797–1877). On display are paintings from the Renaissance to the 19th century, faience, porcelain, enamels, statuettes, antique furniture, as well as a collection of 98 miniature models of French monuments, one of the most important of its kind.
activities
shop
kitchen
Typical are game dishes with mushrooms, salami, tarte flambée and cooked ham. In better restaurants you can also eat marine animals such as mussels.
nightlife
accommodation
Learn
- Arts et Métiers ParisTech. The renowned engineering college Arts et Métiers ParisTech (formerly École nationale supérieure d'arts et métiers, ENSAM) has a location in Châlons-en-Champagne. It cooperates with German institutes such as the Karlsruhe KIT and the TU Dresden, whose students can spend a semester abroad here.
- 1 Bibliothèque Georges-Pompidou
Work
security
health
Practical advice
trips
- 15 Montagne de Reims Regional Natural Park (Regional Natural Park of the Montagne de Reims).Approx. 18 km northwest of the city.
- 16 Notre-Dame de l'Épine basilica (basilique Notre-Dame de l'Épine).The late Gothic basilica Notre-Dame de l'Épine, 8 km to the east, has been the destination of important pilgrimages since the Middle Ages.
- Epernay - 33 km to the west, on the D3; 20 min by train, center of champagne production with the Moët & Chandon, Bollinger, Mercier, Ruinart and others wineries.
- Vitry-le-François - 35 km southeast; 15 min by train, baroque collegiate church Notre-Dame.
- Reims - 45 km northwest; 35 min by train, unofficial capital of Champagne; Notre-Dame Cathedral is one of the most important and exemplary Gothic churches in France and is a World Heritage Site; this is where most of the major champagne houses are based.
- Saint-Dizier - 60 km southeast, worth seeing old town, medieval castle, large reservoir Lac du Der-Chantecoq.
- Bar-le-Duc - 70 km to the east, picturesque townscape, characterized by Renaissance architecture.
- Troyes - 85 km south, worth seeing old town with half-timbered houses, Gothic cathedral.}}
literature
Web links
- http://www.chalons-en-champagne.net - Official website of Châlons-en-Champagne
