Varennes-en-Argonne





Commune in Grand Est, France


































































Varennes-en-Argonne
Commune

Tower Louis XVI and the river Aire
Tower Louis XVI and the river Aire


Location of Varennes-en-Argonne







Varennes-en-Argonne is located in France

Varennes-en-Argonne

Varennes-en-Argonne




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Varennes-en-Argonne is located in Grand Est

Varennes-en-Argonne

Varennes-en-Argonne




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Coordinates: 49°13′37″N 5°02′06″E / 49.2269°N 5.035°E / 49.2269; 5.035Coordinates: 49°13′37″N 5°02′06″E / 49.2269°N 5.035°E / 49.2269; 5.035
Country France
Region Grand Est
Department Meuse
Arrondissement Verdun
Canton Clermont-en-Argonne
Intercommunality Montfaucon - Varennes en Argonne
Government

 • Mayor .mw-parser-output .nobold{font-weight:normal}
(2008–2014)
Jean-Marie Lambert
Area
1

11.81 km2 (4.56 sq mi)
Population
(2012)2

656
 • Density 56/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zone
UTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)
UTC+02:00 (CEST)

INSEE/Postal code

55527 /55270
Elevation 144–264 m (472–866 ft)
(avg. 195 m or 640 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Varennes-en-Argonne or simply Varennes is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.




Contents






  • 1 Geography


  • 2 History


  • 3 Points of interest


  • 4 See also





Geography


Varennes-en-Argonne lies on the river Aire to the northeast of Sainte-Menehould, near Verdun.



History


It was the scene of the Flight to Varennes. In June 1791 Louis XVI, with his immediate family, made a dash for the nearest friendly border, that of the Austrian Netherlands in modern Belgium (Queen Marie-Antoinette being a sister to the Austrian emperor, Leopold II). But in Varennes Louis and his family were arrested, by Citizen Drouet, the local postmaster, who had been alerted by a message received from nearby Sainte-Menehould. It is said that at Sainte-Menehould, where the escaping party had spent the previous night, a merchant alerted the town authorities of their presence after recognizing the King's face on an Assignat, as Louis tried to buy something from a shop. Once more the royal family returned to the Tuileries in humiliating captivity, and Louis and Marie-Antoinette were subsequently guillotined in 1793.


Located in the Zone rouge, Varennes was completely destroyed during the First World War but was reconstructed afterwards. The Pennsylvania Memorial, a monument for volunteers from 28th Division Pennsylvania in the First World War, was erected in Varennes during the Interwar period.




Points of interest


  • Arboretum de Varennes-en-Argonne


See also


  • Communes of the Meuse department














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