Épernay

Épernay
Épernay
Subprefecture and commune
	Vineyards near Épernay
	Coat of arms
	Location of Épernay
	Épernay Épernay
	Coordinates: 49°02′25″N 3°57′36″E / 49.0403°N 3.96°E
Country	France
Region	Grand Est
Department	Marne
Arrondissement	Épernay
Canton	Épernay-1 and 2
Intercommunality	CA Épernay, Coteaux et Plaine de Champagne
Government
• Mayor (2023–2026)	Christine Mazy
Area 1	22.69 km2 (8.76 sq mi)
Population (2021)	22,001
• Density	970/km2 (2,500/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	51230 /51200
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Épernay (French pronunciation: [epɛʁnɛ]) is a commune in the Marne department of northern France,^[3] 130 km north-east of Paris on the mainline railway to Strasbourg. The town sits on the left bank of the Marne at the extremity of the Cubry valley which crosses it.^[4]

Épernay is a sub-prefecture of the department and seat of an arrondissement.^[3]

History

Épernay (Sparnacum) belonged to the archbishops of Reims from the 5th until the 10th century, when it came into the possession of the counts of Champagne. It was badly damaged during the Hundred Years' War, and was burned by Francis I in 1544. It resisted Henry of Navarre in 1592, and Marshal Biron fell in the attack which preceded its eventual capture. In 1642 it was, along with Château-Thierry, named as a duchy and assigned to the duc de Bouillon.^[4]

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1793	3,736	—
1800	4,480	+2.63%
1806	4,544	+0.24%
1821	4,977	+0.61%
1831	5,318	+0.66%
1836	5,457	+0.52%
1841	5,978	+1.84%
1846	6,095	+0.39%
1851	7,386	+3.92%
1856	9,346	+4.82%
1861	10,598	+2.55%
1866	11,704	+2.01%
1872	12,927	+1.67%
1876	15,506	+4.65%
1881	16,388	+1.11%
1886	17,907	+1.79%
1891	18,361	+0.50%
1896	19,377	+1.08%

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1901	20,478	+1.11%
1906	21,637	+1.11%
1911	21,811	+0.16%
1921	21,806	−0.00%
1926	20,589	−1.14%
1931	20,381	−0.20%
1936	20,406	+0.02%
1946	19,703	−0.35%
1954	21,222	+0.93%
1962	21,882	+0.38%
1968	26,583	+3.30%
1975	29,677	+1.59%
1982	27,668	−1.00%
1990	26,682	−0.45%
1999	25,844	−0.35%
2007	24,591	−0.62%
2012	23,529	−0.88%
2017	22,671	−0.74%

Source: EHESS^[5] and INSEE (1968-2017)^[6]

Main sights

In the central and oldest quarter of the town, the streets are narrow and irregular; the surrounding suburbs, however, are modern and more spacious, with La Folie to the East, for example, containing many villas belonging to rich wine merchants. The town has also spread to the right bank of the Marne.^[4]

One of its churches retains a portal and stained-glass windows from the sixteenth century, but the other public buildings are of modern construction.^[4] The most famous street in Épernay is the Avenue de Champagne which features the leading Champagne manufacturers.

Other sights outside the town include:

Château de Pierry
Château de Montmort
Château de Condé

Economy

Épernay is best known as the principal "entrepôt" for champagne wines, which are bottled and kept in large cellars built into the chalk rock on which the town is built. The major grape varieties used in champagne are the pinot noir, the pinot meunier and the chardonnay.^[7] The production of the equipment and raw materials used in the champagne industry is a major source of local employment. Champagne Pannier, among others, was established in Épernay before moving to Château-Thierry in 1937. Brewing and sugar refinery and the production of hats and caps, are also major industries.^[4]

Épernay station has rail connections to Paris, Strasbourg, Reims, Metz, Nancy and several regional destinations.

Notable people

Épernay was the birthplace of:

Flodoard (894–966), chronicler
Maakan Tounkara, handball player
Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière, Québécois politician
Gabrielle Dorziat, comedian
Yohann Diniz, athlete
John Gadret, cyclist
Léon Homo (1872–1957), historian
Jean-Baptiste-Maximien Parchappe de Vinay (1800–1866), psychiatrist
Alex Vanopslagh, Danish politician

Épernay was the final resting place of:

Léon Azéma (1888–1978), French architect, died in Épernay and is buried in the cemetery there.
Yvette Lundy (1916–2019), member of the French Resistance.^[8]

Twin towns — sister cities

Épernay is twinned with:^[9]

Ettlingen, Germany
Clevedon, England, United Kingdom
Fada N'gourma, Burkina Faso
Middelkerke, Belgium
Montespertoli, Italy

References

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 6 June 2023.
^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
^ ^a ^b INSEE commune file
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Chisholm 1911.
^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Épernay, EHESS (in French).
^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
^ Simpson, James (16 October 2011). Creating Wine: The Emergence of a World Industry, 1840-1914. Princeton: Princeton University Press. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-691-13603-5. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
^ "'Great lady of the French Resistance' dies at 103". 3 November 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
^ "Villes jumelées". epernay.fr (in French). Épernay. Retrieved 21 November 2019.

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Épernay". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 669.