- Département
- Marne (Grand Est region)
- Site
- Argonne, on the Tourbe, north-eastern Marne
- Inhabitants
- 216 (2023)
- Source
- Wikipedia, eigene Zusammenfassung
Ville-sur-Tourbe is a small village in the Marne département, on the River Tourbe in the Argonne. Winegrowing does not define the place; it is known above all for the fighting of the First World War in Champagne.
Ville-sur-Tourbe is a quiet village in the north-east of the Marne département. It is not a grand cru or premier cru village, and we know of no champagne houses here. For wine lovers, then, it is something of a footnote: a look at Champagne away from the vineyard slopes, with a history worth knowing if you are travelling in the region.
Location
The village lies on the lower course of the Tourbe, a small river 21 kilometres long. It rises at Somme-Tourbe and joins the Aisne near Servon-Melzicourt. In terms of landscape, Ville-sur-Tourbe belongs to the Argonne, around 45 kilometres west-north-west of Verdun. North of the village centre lie the Étang de Ville, a pond of a good 15 hectares, and, to the north-east, the Bois de Ville. The D982 and D66 roads run through the village. Administratively, the commune belongs to the arrondissement of Châlons-en-Champagne and the canton of Argonne Suippe et Vesle.
Landscape and climate
The land use shows how little part wine plays here: roughly two thirds of the commune is arable land and a good fifth is woodland, with meadows and wetlands making up the rest. The statistics list no vineyard area at all. The climate is temperate with fresh summers. For 1991 to 2020, the annual mean at the nearest weather station is 11.0 °C, with rainfall of around 722 millimetres.
The First World War left deep marks: In September 1914, heavy fighting raged in the Bois de Ville.
History
The name combines the Old French ville, meaning village, with the river name Tourbe. During the French Revolution the commune was briefly known as Val-sur-Tourbe. The First World War left deep marks:
- In September 1914, heavy fighting raged in the Bois de Ville.
- On 15 May 1915, German troops attacked after mining operations. The French colonial infantry suffered heavy losses but held the line.
- In the French offensive of 25 September 1915, the commune lay at the very eastern end of the attack front. The 403rd and 410th Regiments were decimated without gaining ground.
A calvary in the fields north of the village commemorates this event.
What to see
The church of Saint-Rémi dates from 1924. It replaced the earlier building of 1862, which was completely destroyed in the First World War. It was built by contractors from Reims to plans by the architect Maurice. The village had just 216 inhabitants in 2023; it is a rural commune with scattered buildings and lies within the catchment area of Sainte-Menehould.
For champagne travellers
If you want to explore Champagne in earnest, you will find no tastings in Ville-sur-Tourbe, but you will find a place that shows the region beyond its famous sites. The vineyards of the great growing areas lie further west and south. The village makes a quiet stopover if you want to trace the history of the Champagne front of 1915.
Pictures
0 %