- Département
- Marne
- Site
- Transition from Dry Champagne to the Argonne, about 40 km east of Châlons-en-Champagne
- Inhabitants
- 95 (2023)
- Source
- Wikipedia, eigene Zusammenfassung
A small village of 95 inhabitants in the Marne, where Dry Champagne gives way to the Argonne. It is known for its château and the Battle of Valmy, not for champagne.
Location
Braux-Sainte-Cohière lies in the Marne département in the Grand Est region, around 40 kilometres east of Châlons-en-Champagne. The village sits in the transition zone between Dry Champagne and the Argonne. Just to the south runs the A4 motorway from Paris to Strasbourg. Administratively, the village belongs to the arrondissement of Châlons-en-Champagne and the canton of Argonne Suippe et Vesle. In 2023 the commune had 95 inhabitants.
Landscape and farming
Anyone expecting rows of vines will be disappointed. Around 88 per cent of the commune's land is farmed, 83 per cent of it arable. Another 8.5 per cent or so is woodland. The vineyards of Champagne lie elsewhere, around Reims and Épernay for example. Braux-Sainte-Cohière is neither a grand cru nor a premier cru, and it is not a place for visiting growers.
The Étang le Roi is the most notable feature of the landscape: a reservoir of 34.4 hectares, of which 18.6 hectares fall within the commune. The climate is temperate. The nearest weather station, at Argers three kilometres away, recorded an average annual temperature of 10.9 °C and around 739 millimetres of rainfall a year for 1991 to 2020.
In 2023 the commune had 95 inhabitants.Landscape and farmingAnyone expecting rows of vines will be disappointed.
History and sights
The name Braux goes back to a Gaulish word for a damp valley or a marsh. The village became historically significant in 1792, when it served as headquarters for Generals Dumouriez and Kellermann during the Battle of Valmy. The battlefield with the Valmy windmill lies only a few kilometres to the west.
The headquarters were in the château, a fortified former commandery dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. It was built by Philippe de Thomassin, Lord of Braux and Governor of Châlons in 1588. A fire destroyed a rear wing in 2004, and work continued until 2007. Since 2014 the château has belonged to the family of Nicolas and Anne-Héloïse Pernin, who are pushing ahead with its restoration and running it with great dedication.
- Château de Braux-Sainte-Cohière, former fortified commandery
- Village church, dedicated to Saint Peter
- Battlefield and windmill of Valmy, a few kilometres to the west
For gourmets
As a destination for champagne lovers, Braux-Sainte-Cohière is best treated as a stopover. The A4 passes right by the village, and if you are driving east from Paris, you can combine a bit of history here with a detour to Valmy. The champagne houses and growers are further west along your route, in the wine-growing areas around Reims and Épernay.
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