- Département
- Marne
- Site
- Transition between the Champagne Pouilleuse and the Argonne, about 40 km east of Châlons-en-Champagne
- Inhabitants
- 80 (2023)
- Source
- Wikipedia, eigene Zusammenfassung
Braux-Saint-Remy is a village of 80 inhabitants in the Marne département, between the Champagne Pouilleuse and the Argonne. It stands for the rural side of Champagne, away from the vineyards.
Location
Braux-Saint-Remy lies in the Marne département in the Grand Est region, about 40 kilometres east of Châlons-en-Champagne. The village sits in the transition zone between the Champagne Pouilleuse (the "dry" Champagne) and the Argonne. Administratively it belongs to the arrondissement of Châlons-en-Champagne and the canton of Argonne Suippe et Vesle. To the south of the commune runs the LGV Est européenne, the high-speed line from Paris to Strasbourg. The village is also the commune's only settlement. In 2023 it counted 80 inhabitants.
Landscape and climate
Anyone expecting rows of vines here will be disappointed: the source gives no vineyard area at all. Around 91 per cent of the commune's land is farmed, of which 87.7 per cent is arable. Woodland makes up about 6.4 per cent. Several small watercourses cross the area, among them the Ruisseau de Braux.
The data from the nearest weather station, in Argers, five kilometres away, describe the climate as follows:
- Mean annual temperature 1991 to 2020: 10.9 °C
- Average annual rainfall: 739.4 mm
- Record high: 41.1 °C on 25 July 2019
- Record low: −17.5 °C on 20 December 2009
The climate is temperate with cool summers, typical of the north-east of the Paris Basin.
In 2023 it counted 80 inhabitants.Landscape and climateAnyone expecting rows of vines here will be disappointed: the source gives no vineyard area at all.
Name and history
The village name is older than you might think. Forms such as Brous, Braus or Breox already appear in the 12th century, and by 1206 it is Braux. The root goes back to the Old French bro, which meant grape pomace but also mud. Behind it lies the Gaulish bracu, originally a damp valley floor, later a marsh. The addition Saint-Remy refers to the parish church, which is dedicated to Saint Remigius. In 13th-century documents the place is explicitly called Braus Sancti Remigii.
Since 2014 the commune has belonged to the Communauté de communes de l'Argonne Champenoise. It lies within the catchment area of Sainte-Menehould.
What to see
The source lists the church of Saint-Remy as the only listed monument. No other sights are recorded there, and there are no champagne houses here. So the village is not a destination for a tasting. It is more appealing as a stop for anyone who wants to see, away from the well-known wine villages, what Champagne looks like beyond its vine slopes: wide, quiet and shaped by farming.
The vineyards around Reims and Épernay are a good distance from here. It is better to plan your tastings there and to see Braux-Saint-Remy as a glimpse of the countryside that surrounds the actual growing areas.
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