- Département
- Aisne (Hauts-de-France)
- Site
- Tardenois, on the upper Ourcq, between Château-Thierry and Reims
- Inhabitants
- 2,836 (as of 1 January 2023)
- Source
- Wikipedia, eigene Zusammenfassung
A small town in the Tardenois, in the Aisne département, known for its ruined castle with a luxury hotel and as the birthplace of Camille Claudel. For champagne lovers, a place on the edge of the appellation rather than a cru.
Location
Fère-en-Tardenois lies in the Aisne département in the Hauts-de-France region, on the upper reaches of the Ourcq. The river rises only a few kilometres away and runs through the town. Château-Thierry is a good 20 kilometres to the south-west, Reims is 40 to 50 kilometres away depending on the route, and Paris about 100. The A4 motorway (Autoroute de l'Est) links the commune with both cities. The Tardenois is rolling hill country with deep valleys and large woods, which toward the east announces the climb to the Montagne de Reims.
Champagne and the surrounding area
Fère-en-Tardenois is neither grand cru nor premier cru, and it is not a centre of viticulture. Within the commune, arable land (a good 43 per cent) and woodland (a good 37 per cent) dominate. The vineyard slopes of the Vallée de la Marne and the Montagne de Reims, however, are within easy reach. The town therefore makes a handy stop for anyone travelling between Paris and Reims who wants a break on the way and would like to visit growers in the area from here.
The best-known baron was François d'Angoulême, who held the title from 1498 to 1515.
History
The name already appears in the early Middle Ages. From 1399 the lordship of Fère was a pairie. The best-known baron was François d'Angoulême, who held the title from 1498 to 1515. Later Fère passed, as a gift from King Francis I, to Anne de Montmorency, Constable of France. In November 1579 the Protestant commander Henri I de Bourbon, Prince de Condé, took the town, and in September 1580 royal troops recaptured it after a siege.
In the First World War Fère-en-Tardenois was an important railway junction. In the summer of 1918, during the Second Battle of the Marne, it was fiercely contested. The Allies retook it on 6 August 1918.
Sights
- Castle of Fère-en-Tardenois: The foundations date from the 13th century. The access bridge recalls the one at Château de Chenonceau. The keep had a heptagonal plan with seven round towers, which the Duke of Orléans had demolished in 1779. Within the ruins there is now a luxury hotel, and the hunting grounds around it cover 250 hectares.
- Market hall: It is protected as a monument historique.
- Oise-Aisne American Cemetery: The cemetery holds the graves of 6,012 US soldiers killed in the First World War. It is one of the largest American military cemeteries in Europe. Near the four burial plots lies the so-called "Plot E" with 94 executed US soldiers, marked only by small plaques bearing numbers.
The sculptor and painter Camille Claudel was born in Fère-en-Tardenois in 1864. Since 1989 the town has been twinned with Wertingen in Bavaria.
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