Fère-Champenoise
| Fère-Champenoise | ||
|---|---|---|
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| region | Grand Est | |
| Department | Marne | |
| Arrondissement | Epernay | |
| Canton | Vertus-Plaine Champenoise | |
| Community association | Sud Marnais | |
| Coordinates | 48 ° 45 ′ N , 3 ° 59 ′ E | |
| height | 104-169 m | |
| surface | 65.89 km 2 | |
| Residents | 2,145 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 33 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 51230 | |
| INSEE code | 51248 | |
Fère-Champenoise is a French commune with 2145 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Marne department in the Grand Est region (before 2016 Champagne-Ardenne ). It is the capital of the canton of Vertus-Plaine Champenoise (until 2015 Fère-Champenoise ) in the Arrondissement of Épernay .
geography
Fère-Champenoise is at an altitude of 114 m above sea level, about 36 kilometers southwest of the city of Châlons-en-Champagne (as the crow flies). The village extends in the south of the department, on both sides of the Superbe river , also called Vaure here , in the Champagne plain.
The area of the 65.89 km² municipal area includes a section in the low relief landscape of the so-called Dry Champagne (Champagne sèche). From northeast to southwest, the area is crossed by the Vaure floodplain, which provides drainage via the Superbe to the Aube . The alluvial low lies on average at 115 m. A plain extends south and west of Fère-Champenoise, while the terrain rises slightly to the east. Here are the elevations of Mont Méan south and Mont Hubert north of the Vaure, both 161 m high.
Further to the northeast, the community area extends over the plateau, which is here at 145 to 150 m, and the valley of the Somme, which is a maximum of 20 m deep, to the Beauregard corridor . At 169 m, the highest point of Fère-Champenoise is reached on a hill in the very north-east of the area. The area is used intensively for agriculture. Smaller forest areas are only found in the Vaure and Somme floodplains.
Fère-Champenoise includes the village of Normée (140 m), a street village south of the Somme floodplain . Neighboring municipalities of Fère-Champenoise are Val-des-Marais , Écury-le-Repos and Clamanges in the north, Soudron and Lenharrée in the east, Connantray-Vaurefroy , Euvy and Corroy in the south and Connantre and Bannes in the west.
history
Fère-Champenoise can look back on a long history of settlement. Remains of settlement sites from the Bronze Age and the Iron Age have been discovered in the municipality . There was also a settlement here during the La Tène period and the Roman era. In addition, two grave fields from the Merovingian times of the 5th and 6th centuries were found.
Fère-Champenoise is mentioned in a document under the name Fara . Later the names Féria , Féria Campaniensis (1131) and Féria Campanica (1542) appeared. The place name Fara originally comes from Germanic and means something like settlement (colony).
In the Middle Ages, Fère-Champenoise was subordinate to various lordships, including the lords of Anglure and the lords of Étoges . At the time of the French King Charles V at the end of the 14th century, Fère-Champenoise was a fortified town with two churches (Saint-Timothée and Saint-Aignan). Over time the place developed into a market .
Over the past three centuries, Fère-Champenoise has suffered severe damage several times. On May 9, 1756, almost the entire village was hit by a major fire. Then the place was rebuilt with the current floor plan. As part of the Wars of Liberation , the Battle of Fère-Champenoise took place on March 25, 1814 , during which the coalition troops defeated Napoleon's army and occupied Paris six days later. In memory of the battle with the participation of Russian Cossack troops , a village east of the Urals in today 's Chelyabinsk Oblast was later named Ferschampenuas .
The 19th century was characterized by improving transport connections. In 1835 the Route Nationale from Paris to Lorraine was built, which led through Fère-Champenoise. With the inauguration of the railway line from Esternay via Sézanne to Oiry , Fère-Champenoise was connected to the French railway network in the summer of 1871. The place has been supplied with electricity since 1902.
During the First World War, Fère-Champenoise was one of the scenes of the First Battle of the Marne in September 1914 , with which the advance of the German troops on French territory was stopped. The village was affected. During the Second World War, on June 6, 1940, Fère-Champenoise was bombed, which resulted in a major fire in the center of the village, in which around 80 houses were destroyed. Then Fère-Champenoise was occupied by German troops until the arrival of the Allies on August 28, 1944.
The area changed in 1972, when the previously independent Normée (1968: 90 inhabitants) was incorporated into Fère-Champenoise. Today, Fère-Champenoise is the administrative center of the 13 localities, Communauté de communes du Sud Marnais .
Attractions
The Saint-Timothée church originally dates from the 13th century (parts of the tower have been preserved from this period), but was later changed several times. The present choir was built in the 15th century and the nave was rebuilt and enlarged after the village fire of 1756. Just outside the village is the Monument aux Morts , a work by Robert Delandre , which commemorates the fallen in the Battle of the Marne.
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 2146 |
| 1968 | 2162 |
| 1975 | 2544 |
| 1982 | 2518 |
| 1990 | 2362 |
| 1999 | 2293 |
| 2006 | 2311 |
| 2014 | 2223 |
With 2145 inhabitants (January 1, 2017), Fère-Champenoise is one of the larger municipalities in the Marne department. After the population in the first half of the 20th century had always been in the range between 2100 and 2350 people, a significant population growth was recorded in the period around 1970 (together with the incorporation of Normée). Since 1975 the number of inhabitants has decreased slightly again.
Economy and Infrastructure
For a long time, Fère-Champenoise was a market town that was characterized by trade and commerce and the processing of agricultural products from the surrounding area. A previously important employer was the textile factory, which ceased operations in 1960. Today Fère-Champenoise is a small center that takes on central functions for the surrounding region. Larger industrial zones are located near the train station and at the western entrance to the town (Zone Le Voy). There are numerous small and medium-sized businesses, especially in the areas of food processing (with granaries), animal feed industry (sugar beet), precision mechanics, construction of agricultural machines, construction and packaging industry. In addition, various shops and service companies for daily needs are located in Fère-Champenoise. The village is the site of a college.
Fère-Champenoise has good transport links. It is on the main N4 road from Paris to Nancy . Other important road connections exist with Châlons-en-Champagne, Bergères-lès-Vertus and Arcis-sur-Aube . The town center is relieved of through traffic by a local bypass. The closest connection to the A26 motorway is around 20 kilometers away.
The Fère-Champenoise station was at the junction of the Fère-Champenoise – Vitry-le-François line from the Oiry-Mareuil – Romilly-sur-Seine line .
partnership
Since 1962, Fère-Champenoise has had a partnership with Bruchhausen , a village in the German state of Baden-Württemberg that is now part of Ettlingen .
