Connantre

Location

Connantre lies in the south of the Marne département in the Grand Est region. Administratively, the commune belongs to the arrondissement of Épernay and the canton of Vertus-Plaine Champenoise. Its neighbouring communes include Fère-Champenoise, Broussy-le-Grand, Bannes, Corroy, Ognes, Pleurs and Linthes. Fère-Champenoise is only 6 kilometres away. By road, Épernay is 45 kilometres away, Châlons-en-Champagne 44, Reims 86 and Paris 129.

Landscape: the chalk plain and the Superbe

Connantre belongs to the Champagne crayeuse, the broad chalk plain of the Champagne. The commune covers 2,855 hectares, with elevations ranging from 93 to 147 metres. The highest point lies in the north, near the Mont Août on the territory of Broussy-le-Grand. The relief is flat overall.

The Superbe, also known as the Vaure, flows through the village. The river is 40 kilometres long, rises at Vassimont-et-Chapelaine and flows into the Aube near Boulages. There is also the Étang du Château, a pond of 1.5 hectares. Land use is clear-cut: around 88.6 per cent of the area is arable land (as of 2018).

“Connantre itself most recently had 1,011 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2023).

The village and what to see

The village is a classic linear settlement, stretching along a central axis on both sides of the Superbe. Old farmsteads and houses stand close to the road, with newer housing estates added later. The commune also includes the hamlet of Nozet and the isolated farm of Sainte-Sophie.

• The church of Saint-Sulpice-et-Saint-Caprais, the village's main sight
• The Superbe and the Étang du Château, quiet spots for a stroll
• The Route nationale 4 between Paris and Strasbourg, which crosses the commune

Connantre is twinned with Holzmaden in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The handball players of ESC Connantre are also friends with TV Malsch. Both teams visit each other's tournaments and sports festivals every year.

A-C-Toullec-Champagner-2

Connantre and champagne

Neither grand cru nor premier cru: Connantre does not appear as a wine village. The commune is shaped by arable farming, not by vineyard slopes. For anyone travelling through the Champagne, it is still a useful stopover. The chalk beneath the surface is the foundation of the whole Champagne, and the landscape shows what the region looks like away from the famous slopes.

If you want to carry on from here to the vineyards, it is not far. Blancs-Coteaux, the main town of the canton, is 28 kilometres away, Épernay 45 kilometres. Connantre itself most recently had 1,011 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2023).