- Département
- Marne (Grand Est region)
- Site
- Edge of the Brie champenoise, north of the Marais de Saint-Gond
- Inhabitants
- 72 (as at 1 January 2023)
- Source
- Wikipedia, eigene Zusammenfassung
Givry-lès-Loisy is a small village in the Marne département with 26 hectares of vines. It lies on the edge of the Brie champenoise and is part of the Route touristique du Champagne.
Location
Givry-lès-Loisy lies in the Marne département, where the vineyards give way to the Brie champenoise, north of the Marais de Saint-Gond wetland. Châlons-en-Champagne is about 32 kilometres to the north-east. Administratively, the village belongs to the arrondissement of Épernay and the canton of Vertus-Plaine Champenoise. With 72 inhabitants (as at 1 January 2023), it is one of the smallest communes in the region. The village has no grand cru or premier cru status.
Viticulture and landscape
The commune covers 505 hectares. Of these, 257 hectares are arable land, 162 hectares woodland and 26 hectares vineyards. Givry-lès-Loisy is therefore not a pure wine village but a patchwork of fields, forest and vines. The village sits on the Route touristique du Champagne, the signposted scenic route through the growing areas. Anyone driving it passes through one of its quieter stretches here.
The commune's woods hold two ponds: the Étang du Grand Givry, at 4.6 hectares, and the Étang du Petit Givry, at 2 hectares. There is no watercourse in the village. The paths around the ponds are good for a walk, for example before or after a tasting in the area.
With 72 inhabitants (as at 1 January 2023), it is one of the smallest communes in the region.
Name and history
The village name goes back to the Gaulish Gabriacum, a word for a wood where roe deer live. Early spellings include Givri (around 1222) and Givery-lez-Vertus (1367). The addition «lès» means «near» and here refers to neighbouring Loisy-en-Brie.
A château once stood above the village but has since disappeared. It belonged to the lordships of Étoges and Anglure. Their estates were divided among the communes of Givry-lès-Loisy, Loisy-en-Brie and Chaltrait. After the Revolution, Givry-lès-Loisy received around a hundred hectares of woodland. The last count of the village, ennobled under Louis XIV, was a physician at the court of the Sun King.
Sights
- The church of Saint-Pierre, which is floodlit at night
- Three restored wash-houses, fed by natural springs
- The forest with its two ponds
Getting there
Givry-lès-Loisy belongs to the Communauté d'agglomération Épernay, Coteaux et Plaine de Champagne. A bus stop on line Z links the village with Épernay and Vertus. In 2025 there are two return journeys a day from Monday to Saturday (except on public holidays). A car gives you far more freedom, especially if you want to visit more villages along the route.
Givry-lès-Loisy is a place for anyone who wants to get to know the rural side of Champagne away from the big names: few inhabitants, plenty of forest, and vines in between.
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