- Département
- Marne (Grand Est region)
- Site
- Argonne, im Osten der Marne an der Grenze zur Meuse
- Inhabitants
- 82 (Stand 1. Januar 2023)
- Source
- Wikipedia, eigene Zusammenfassung
A small village in the Argonne in the east of the Marne, well away from the vineyards. Éclaires is known not for champagne but for the TGV world speed record of 574.8 km/h set in 2007.
Éclaires is one of those places in the Marne département that never appear on a champagne map as a wine-growing village. If you come looking for cru vineyards or cellars, you will not find any. For the curious traveller it is still an interesting detour: it shows the rural side of the Marne beyond the vine slopes, and it has a record-breaking story that is all about speed.
Location
Éclaires lies in the east of the Marne département, right on the border with the Meuse, in the Argonne region. Verdun is about 40 kilometres away, and the sub-prefecture of Sainte-Menehould is a good 15 kilometres off. There you will find the railway station and the link to the A4 motorway between Paris and Strasbourg. To the prefecture, Châlons-en-Champagne, it is 63 kilometres by road.
The commune covers just under eleven square kilometres, with altitudes ranging from 148 to 220 metres. To the north-east rises the Côte de Brémont, a hill on the southern edge of the Argonne massif. The Tabas and the Evre meet in the village and form the Hardillon, which flows into the Aisne in neighbouring Le Chemin. One curious detail: the point where the 49th parallel crosses the 5th meridian east of Greenwich lies within the commune.
It sits rather in the borderland between Champagne and Lorraine.With 82 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2023), Éclaires is very small.
Farming, not winegrowing
Around 92 per cent of the land is farmed, mostly as pasture (66.7 per cent) and arable land (24.1 per cent). Woodland makes up only about 6 per cent. Three farms in the village raise cattle, goats and sheep. So Éclaires has little to do with the Champagne of the vines. It sits rather in the borderland between Champagne and Lorraine.
With 82 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2023), Éclaires is very small. Its population peaked in 1841 at 471. The commune includes the hamlets of Grigny and Gumont and the Ferme de Vernaux Fays.
Drappier ChampagnerA world record on rails
Éclaires became famous on 3 April 2007. On the LGV Est européenne high-speed line, which runs through the north of the commune, the V150 test train based on the TGV Est reached 574.8 km/h. It was a new world record for rail vehicles, beating the old one of 515.3 km/h. About 100 people were on board, including engineers from Alstom and SNCF, journalists and guests. The run was broadcast live on television.
Worth seeing
The village mainly offers rural calm and a few reminders of village life:
- Saint-Vannes church
- The lavoir, the former public washhouse
- The water tower in the hamlet of Gumont
- A wayside cross on the Plat des Valettes hill
If you are planning a trip through Champagne, Éclaires combines well with a visit to Sainte-Menehould. For tasting champagne, though, you are better off in the wine-growing villages further west.
Pictures
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