Courdemanges

Location

Courdemanges lies on the eastern edge of the Champagne Pouilleuse (the "dry" Champagne), about five kilometres south-west of Vitry-le-François in the Marne département. Neighbouring communes include Huiron, Frignicourt, Châtelraould-Saint-Louvent, Le Meix-Tiercelin and Humbauville. The commune covers roughly 19 square kilometres, and the land rises from 98 to 214 metres. A small stream runs through the village. In 2023 it had 390 inhabitants.

The landscape is open and largely agricultural: just over 90 per cent of the land is farmed, and almost 89 per cent is arable. Woodland makes up a little over five per cent. The climate is tempered by the ocean; at the nearest weather station, in Frignicourt, the mean annual temperature is 11.5 °C and rainfall is just under 700 millimetres a year.

Wine and the origin of the name

Courdemanges has no Grand Cru or Premier Cru status. Even so, viticulture has left its mark here: the village's white wine was once very much sought after, and in 1773 there were 68 hectares of vines within the commune. Today arable farming shapes the scene, and there are no champagne houses in the village.

“From 1793 to 1801 Courdemanges was the main town of a short-lived canton of its own.The First World War left deep scars.

The name goes back to the Latin Curtis Dominica, the lord's farmstead. It is recorded in that form in 1135. Over the centuries the spelling changed several times, until it reached today's form.

History

At the entrance to the village there once stood a château belonging to the Franchecourt family, in which rare plants were grown. From 1793 to 1801 Courdemanges was the main town of a short-lived canton of its own.

The First World War left deep scars. In the First Battle of the Marne the village was completely destroyed. On 2 July 1922 it was awarded the Croix de guerre 1914-1918, presented by the Minister of War, André Maginot. Of the public buildings, only the recently built school, its covered playground and the wash-house survived the fire. The town hall was rebuilt in 1924. A relief depicting the sacrifice of Abraham, which had been listed as a protected monument, was lost.

Legal notice

Sights

• Church of Saint-Denis, listed as a monument historique
• School and town hall, testimonies to the rebuilding after 1914

For travellers

Courdemanges is a quiet village made up almost entirely of family homes; there are no second homes here. If you want to get to know Champagne away from the famous vineyard sites, this is a place where farming and the history of the war are plainly felt. For champagne tastings, you are better off continuing to the well-known wine-growing areas further north. Administratively, the commune belongs to the Communauté de communes Vitry, Champagne et Der.