Champagne-Ardenne is located between Paris (Ile de France) and the Belgian border is a famous wine region of France. As its name suggests this region is the home of the world’s best known and original sparkling white wine. Over 270 million bottles are produced in Champagne each year, but less than half is exported. In addition to champagne the area is a significant agricultural area devoted to arable farming such as barley, wheat, alfalfa, beets etc. Like other regions of northern France Champagne-Ardenne has had more than its share of conflict visited upon it especially during the 20th Century. It was a major battleground of World War One and the Ardenne Forest was the scene of Nazi Germany’s last big offensive that momentarily halted and almost reversed the Allies progress. The Battle of the Bulge as it was known cost the Americans 19,000 dead and remains the bloodiest single engagement of the US Army. The Ardenne region is sparsely populated consisting of dense forested hill country making it a popular nature lover’s destination. A rural exodus over the last few decades has reduced the region’s population to 1.3 million making it one of the least populated of Europe in terms of density. The historic city of Troyes is peculiar for having its streets laid out in the shape of a champagne cork. The large town of Reims is the home of a world heritage listed cathedral and centre of the champagne producing area. | | 
Champagne-Ardenne Quick Facts Population: 1,334,000 Departments: 10), Ardennes (08), Haute-Marne (52) and Marne (51) Major Centres:Reims, Troyes and Épernay What to see and do: What to eat: What to drink: Obvious! Airport: Region Official Tourism Site Region Wikipedia Site |
