Merfy

Location

Merfy lies about 7.5 kilometres north-west of Reims, in the north of the historic province of Champagne. The Vesle forms the southern boundary of the commune, where its bed sits at around 75 metres. The village centre stands at roughly 135 metres, and to the north the land rises to over 190 metres. Merfy belongs to Grand Reims and has 609 inhabitants (2023). Neighbouring villages include Saint-Thierry, Pouillon, Chenay and Champigny.

Viticulture and landscape

Merfy has no classification as grand cru or premier cru. Anyone looking for champagne here will not find a big name, but a landscape on the edge of the Massif de Saint-Thierry, which is known for its vineyard plantings. The land-use figures (2018) show how varied the commune's territory is:

• Arable land: 47%
• Forest: 35.3%
• Permanent crops: 9.1%
• Water: 3.7%
• Built-up area: 3.1%

The source does not name any grape varieties under permanent crops. In this area, however, vines are part of the landscape. The climate is oceanic. At the nearest weather station in Chambrecy, 16 kilometres away, the annual mean temperature is 10.7 °C and rainfall is about 734 millimetres. These are cool, temperate conditions, typical of northern Champagne.

“In the First World War, the 36th Infantry Regiment dug trenches in the plain of Courcy and in front of Saint-Thierry in the autumn of 1914.

History

The name of the place is documented early: around the year 850 it appears as Milfiacum. Nearby, Thomas de Beaumetz founded the village of Beaumetz around 1240. It was abandoned again between the end of the 13th and the 14th century. In the First World War, the 36th Infantry Regiment dug trenches in the plain of Courcy and in front of Saint-Thierry in the autumn of 1914. Merfy was awarded the Croix de guerre 1914-1918 on 30 May 1921. The church of Saint-Sébastien was rebuilt in the 1920s after the wartime destruction.

Chartogne Taillet Champagne

Sights

The sights include:

• the Château de Merfy
• the church of Saint-Sébastien
• the war memorial and the Resistance memorial
• the Pietà of Villers-Sainte-Anne
• the regional nature reserve of the moors and sand pits of the Massif de Saint-Thierry

In 2023 the commune was awarded "One Flower" in the flower-decorated villages competition. Part of the territory also belongs to a Natura 2000 protected area north of Reims.

Getting there

The A26 motorway crosses the south of the commune but has no junction there. The D26 links Merfy with Chenay and Saint-Thierry. From Reims you can reach the village in a few minutes by car. That makes it a peaceful starting point for walks before you drive on to the great sites of the Montagne de Reims.