Marne (department)

The department is named after the Marne, which was called Matrona in Roman times.

Marne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the province of Champagne.

Marne has a long association with the French Army. The training ground of the Camp Militaire de Mailly straddles the border with the département of Aube in the south while that of the Camp de Mourmelon occupies a large area north of Châlons-en-Champagne. The smaller Camp de Moronvilliers lies to the east of Reims and the Camp Militaire de Suippes lies to the east of that. These are all located on the chalk grounds of the Champagne plateau, a feature comparable in geology but not size, with the British military training ground on Salisbury Plain.

The Battles of the Marne, where the British and French fought against Germany during World War I, took place here.

Marne is part of the region of Grand Est; until 31 December 2015 it was in the now-former Champagne-Ardenne. It is surrounded by the departments of Ardennes, Meuse, Haute-Marne, Aube, Seine-et-Marne and Aisne.

Geologically, it divides into two distinct parts; the Upper Cretaceous chalk plain in the east and the more wooded and hilly Eocene and Oligocene in the west.

Rivers draining the department include the Marne, Vesle, Ardre and Somme-Soude. Numerous other rivers, such as the Grande and the Petite Morin rise in the department but flow mainly in others. Conversely, the Aube joins the Seine in the department of Marne.

Marne is served by Champagne-Ardenne TGV station just outside Reims on the LGV Est.

The inhabitants of the department are called Marnais (masculine) and Marnaises (feminine) in French.

Population development since 1801:

More information Year, Pop. ...

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1801 304,651 —     1806 311,017 +0.41% 1821 307,644 −0.07% 1831 337,076 +0.92% 1841 356,632 +0.57% 1851 373,302 +0.46% 1861 385,498 +0.32% 1872 386,157 +0.02% 1881 421,800 +0.99% 1891 434,734 +0.30% 1901 432,882 −0.04% 1911 436,310 +0.08% 1921 366,734 −1.72% 1931 412,156 +1.17%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1936 410,238 −0.09% 1946 386,926 −0.58% 1954 415,141 +0.88% 1962 442,135 +0.79% 1968 485,302 +1.56% 1975 530,454 +1.28% 1982 543,670 +0.35% 1990 558,276 +0.33% 1999 565,284 +0.14% 2007 566,561 +0.03% 2012 568,795 +0.08% 2017 568,895 +0.00% 2023 563,076 −0.17%
Sources:[5][3]

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The president of the Departmental Council of Marne is Jean-Marc Rose (DVD), first elected in 2023.

Reims, with its cathedral in which the kings of France were traditionally crowned, is a major attraction. Others include the bird reserve on the Lake Der-Chantecoq and the fishing lakes nearby. The Parc Naturel Régional de la Montagne de Reims is a major area of country recreation. In the west of the département there are many scenic routes as also are the several wine cellars of Épernay.

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  The Porte de Mars in Reims, a triumphal arch from the third century AD.
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  Cathedral of Reims where the kings of France were traditionally crowned
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  Vineyards near Épernay
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  Champagne bottles
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  Valmy Battlefield
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  Notre-Dame-en-Vaux collegiate church in Châlons-en-Champagne

• Arrondissements of the Marne department
• Cantons of the Marne department
• Champagne Riots
• Communes of the Marne department
• French wine