Haute-Marne

Haute-Marne is a department in northeastern France and part of the Grand Est administrative region. Its name means “Upper Marne,” referring to the Marne River, whose source is near Langres and which runs for approximately 120 kilometres through the department. Chaumont is the departmental prefecture, while Saint-Dizier is the most populous commune. In 2023, Haute-Marne had a population of 168,331, making it one of France’s less densely populated departments. The department was established on 4 March 1790 during the French Revolution as one of France’s original departments. Its territory was assembled from portions of the former provinces of Champagne, Burgundy, Lorraine and Franche-Comté. This mixed historical inheritance is reflected in the department’s architecture, political history, industrial traditions and cultural landmarks. Haute-Marne occupies a transitional area east of the Paris Basin. It is bordered by Meuse, Vosges, Haute-Saône, Côte-d’Or, Aube and Marne. Its landscape includes the Langres Plateau, wooded uplands, river valleys and the plains of Perthois and Der. The department’s highest point is Haut-du-Sac, at approximately 516 metres, while its lowest areas are around 117 metres. The canal linking the Marne and Saône is an important geographic feature and historically became a significant dividing line during the Second World War. The department has a long association with metallurgy and industrial production. Its strategic position also exposed it to religious, military and political conflict. The Massacre of Vassy, in the northern part of the present department, helped trigger the French Wars of Religion in the sixteenth century. In March 1814, Chaumont witnessed the signing of the Treaty of Chaumont by Austria, Prussia, Russia and the United Kingdom, an agreement designed to prevent a separate peace with Napoleon and to continue the campaign against the First French Empire. During the Second World War, Haute-Marne was divided under German occupation. The area east of the Marne–Saône canal was designated a reserved zone intended for German settlement, while the western part remained within the conventional occupied zone. Allied forces, including General Philippe Leclerc’s division, liberated the department between August and September 1944. Haute-Marne’s visitor economy is built around historic towns, literary and scientific associations, landscapes and memorial sites. Langres is known for its fortifications and for its association with Denis Diderot. Other notable destinations include the Renaissance château of Joinville, Lake Der-Chantecoq, the Château de Cirey associated with Voltaire and Émilie du Châtelet, and Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, where Charles de Gaulle lived and died. The department is also associated with figures including Louise Michel, Camille and Ernest Flammarion, the Goncourt brothers and publisher Albin Michel. Its institutional identity is represented by the prefecture, the Departmental Council and local tourism organizations rather than by a conventional commercial brand.

Haute-Marne was created on 4 March 1790 during the French Revolution as one of the 83 original departments of France. Its boundaries brought together territories formerly belonging to Champagne, Burgundy, Lorraine and Franche-Comté. The department was named for the upper course of the Marne River, whose source lies near Langres. Its location has given Haute-Marne both strategic importance and a history of conflict. The Massacre of Vassy, which occurred in the northern part of the modern department in 1562, is widely associated with the beginning of the French Wars of Religion. During the Napoleonic period, Chaumont became an important political setting. On 1 March 1814, Austria, Prussia, Russia and the United Kingdom concluded the Treaty of Chaumont, agreeing to continue the war against Napoleon and to reject separate peace arrangements. The department’s economic history includes a substantial metallurgical tradition. Its mineral resources, forests, waterways and location between eastern and central France supported ironworking and related industries. Industrial activity remained an important part of Haute-Marne’s identity even as its economy became more diversified and its population declined over the long term. The Second World War brought another major territorial division. Under German occupation, the canal connecting the Marne and Saône was used as a boundary between the western occupied zone and an eastern reserved zone intended for German colonization. Haute-Marne was liberated by Allied forces between August and September 1944, including units associated with General Philippe Leclerc. In the postwar period, Haute-Marne remained an administratively rural department with Chaumont as its prefecture and Saint-Dizier as its largest commune. Its public identity has increasingly combined industrial heritage, agriculture, landscape conservation, tourism and remembrance. The department is notable for Langres and its fortifications, the source region of the Marne, Lake Der-Chantecoq, the historic sites of Joinville and Cirey, and Colombey-les-Deux-Églises. Charles de Gaulle maintained his home in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises and died there on 9 November 1970. Haute-Marne is currently part of Grand Est. It is bordered by Meuse, Vosges, Haute-Saône, Côte-d’Or, Aube and Marne. The departmental council is led by its president, Nicolas Lacroix, who was elected to that office in 2017.

• 2023

  Population recorded at 168,331

  [1]Haute-Marneen.wikipedia.org

  The department’s population was reported as 168,331.

• 2017

  Nicolas Lacroix elected departmental council president

  [1]Haute-Marneen.wikipedia.org

  Nicolas Lacroix became president of the Haute-Marne Departmental Council.

• 1944

  Liberation during the Second World War

  [1]Haute-Marneen.wikipedia.org

  Allied forces liberated Haute-Marne between August and September after the department had been divided under German occupation.

• 1814

  Treaty of Chaumont

  [1]Haute-Marneen.wikipedia.org

  The Treaty of Chaumont was signed on 1 March by Austria, Prussia, Russia and the United Kingdom during the campaign against Napoleon.

• 1790

  Creation of the department

  [1]Haute-Marneen.wikipedia.org

  Haute-Marne was established on 4 March as one of the original departments created during the French Revolution, from parts of Champagne, Burgundy, Lorraine and Franche-Comté.

A rural and historically significant French department combining industrial heritage, fortified towns, river and lake landscapes, and nationally important political and cultural sites.

Product categories. Metallurgical and metalworking products · Industrial goods · Agricultural and forestry products · Tourism and cultural heritage experiences

1. 1Haute-Marneen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Haute-Marne Prefecturehaute-marne.pref.gouv.fr