CHAMPAGNE-ARDENNE

The Champagne-Ardenne Region is composed of four departments Aube, Ardennes, Marne, Haute-Marne, four various entities with their own characters and resources.
Aube, center of textile industries, the prefecture TROYES, the leading town owns architectural treasures from the Middle Ages, half-timberered houses, fragile wonders, carefully restored, Saint Urbain Church (partially built during the XIIIth century) which house Pope Urbain IV relics, born in Troyes, Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul Cathedral (XIIIth -XVIIth centuries), Saint-Nicolas Church. The municipal library, set up in the old Saint-Loup Abbey, owns a remarkable collection of old books. TROYES, in the Middle Ages, at the time of the Champagne fairs, was wellknown for its big yearly fairs.
In this department, west from troyes,a natural park named "parc naturel de la Forêt d'Orient" has been created in 1970. It is composed of 50 communes and has a superficy of 71 000 ha. Resourcesof this park, a forest massif , mainly oaks, inhabited by boars and also artificial lakes , the oldest one (Temple-Auzon on the Seine) was created in 1966 and the Amance lake on the Aube in 1990. These barrages were dug to regulate the swellings of Seine and Aube. They offer many nautic leisures but are also reservs for plenty of birds (cranes, wild geese and ducks).
The region has an other barrage, intended to regulate Marne, Der-Chantecoq Lake (lac du Der Chantecoq), situted in Marne and Haute-Marne, it is the largest artificial europeen lake. Like its cousins in Aube, it offers many leisures (sailing,windsurfing,rowing,and also angling and swimming) ).The lake is the haunt of migratory birds (geese, widgeon, cranes, teal, mergansers, and wild swans) and is the meeting point of all the people who want to watch the migrations (from october to march) and sedentary birds during all the year.
Others beauties of Haute-Marne, CHAUMONT and its middle aged houses, LANGRES and its remparts, birthplace of DIDEROT, COLOMBEY LES DEUX EGLISES and the Memorial, where General de GAULLE is burried, BOURBONNE LES BAINS, the only spa in Champagne, the qualities of its warm waters known since 2000 years.
In Marne , the famous Champagne triangle, REIMS, the city of the coronations, EPERNAY and CHALONS EN CHAMPAGNE, with their rich architectural and historic heritages. You could stroll along the champagne road which goes through tne natural park of the Reims Mountain, created in 1976, which has a superficy of 68000 ha between REIMS and EPERNAY. In this park you could watch a natural curiosity the Faux of Verzy and its twisted beeches, only specy in the world.
In the north, Argonne which spread on Ardennes, Marne and Aisne, making a natural rempart with its wooded hills, this area was the scene of many fights during wars, 1870, then 1914-1918. An other historic battle took place in Argonne, the Valmy Battle. Always in Ardennes, near the belgian border, the Meuse valley with its beautiful landscapes, the fluvial tourism is here well developed, CHARLEVILLE-MEZIERES, birthplace of RIMBAUD, where are located the national school of arts and puppets and every 3 years a mondial puppet theater festival.