Haute-Marne (; English: Upper Marne) is a department in the Grand Est region of Northeastern France. Named after the river Marne, its prefecture is Chaumont. In 2023, it had a population of 168,331.
<!-- From: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histoire_de_la_Haute-Marne -->
<!-- translated, but doesn't really make sense without some more previous text.
The Thirty Years' War brought new hardship, but under the Bourbons, Haute-Marne suffered relatively little. It had valleys with rich soils, plentiful supplies of wood for construction, iron for metal production, and a growing wine industry. There were Jesuit colleges in Langres and Chaumont. -->
In March 1814 the departmental prefecture, Chaumont, was the unwitting witness to the end of the First Empire. On 1 March, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom and Austria signed an accord forbidding any individual peace deal with Napoleon I, and to fight until his final defeat.
During World War II, Haute-Marne was partitioned under German occupation. The canal which runs from the Marne to the Saône served as a border, dividing the department into east and west. The east was a "reserved zone", intended for the creation of a new German (Ripuarian) state, whereas to the west would be the traditional "occupied zone". Haute-Marne was finally liberated by the Allies, in the form of the division of General Leclerc, between August and September 1944.
<!--
La Guerre de Trente Ans amènent de nouveaux périls, mais sous les Bourbons l'actuelle Haute-Marne est relativement épargnée par les guerres. Les vallées sont de bonnes terres agricoles, les forges et les hauts-fourneaux se multiplient, le minerais de fer est abondant dans la moitié Nord du département, la vigne se développe, les forêts sont de plus en plus exploitées, des collèges Jésuites fonctionnent à Langres et Chaumont.
En 1814 Chaumont est le témoin involontaire de la fin prochaine du Ier Empire. En effet le 1er mars la Prusse, la Russie, l'Angleterre et l'Autriche signent un accord où elles s'engagent à ne pas conclure de paix séparée et à combattre l'empereur Napoléon Ier jusqu'à sa défaite finale.
Pendant la Seconde Guerre Mondiale la Haute-Marne est divisée sous l'occupation allemande. Le canal de la Marne à la Saône (qui traverse le département dans sa longueur du Nord au Sud) sert de frontière : à l'Est la "zone réservée", destinée à la création d'un pays thiois, et à l'Ouest la traditionnelle "zone occupée". La Haute-Marne est libérée par les Alliés, notamment par la division du Général Leclerc, entre fin Août et début Septembre 1944.
-->
Geography
Haute-Marne is part of the region of Grand Est and is surrounded by the departments of Meuse, Vosges, Haute-Saône, Côte-d'Or, Aube, and Marne.
The highest mountain is Haut-du-Sac, in the Langres Plateau, in the southwest of the department, which rises to a height of . The lowest points at are found on the plains of Perthois and Der.
{| class=wikitable
! Commune
! Population (2023)
|-
| Saint-Dizier
| style="text-align: center;" | 22,858
|-
| Chaumont
| style="text-align: center;" | 20,827
|-
| Langres
| style="text-align: center;" | 7,421
|-
| Nogent
| style="text-align: center;" | 3,550
|-
| Joinville
| style="text-align: center;" | 2,915
|-
| Wassy
| style="text-align: center;" | 2,771
|}
Demographics
Population development since 1801:
Tourism
The Haute-Marne department is not among France's most widely known regions, yet it has a notable historical and cultural background. Historically, it was an important industrial centre, particularly due to its strong metallurgical economy. Throughout the centuries, its strategic location also made it a territory marked by numerous conflicts and confrontations.
Thus, among other examples, the French Wars of Religion (from 1562 to 1598) began with the Massacre of Vassy in the north of the Haute-Marne department. Following this event, open military conflicts across France Kingdom began. The Edict of Nantes is the consequence of this period.
The fortified town of Langres, famous for Denis Diderot author of the Encyclopédie, the Renaissance castle of Joinville, the Lake Der-Chantecoq (one of the biggest artificial lakes in Europe), the Chateau de Cirey where Voltaire lived for a while with Émilie du Châtelet and the village of Colombey-les-Deux-Églises where Charles De Gaulle lived until his death are all major attractions.
Haute-Marne is also well known for some famous French great men and women as:
- Louise Michel
- Camille Flammarion and his brother Ernest Flammarion
- Goncourt brothers most famous all around the world with the Prix Goncourt, literature prize given by the académie Goncourt for "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year"
- Albin Michel
<gallery>
File:2012 0057 Remparts de Langres.jpg|View from the walls of Langres
File:La Boisserie 04.jpg|Charles de Gaulle's private residence in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises
File:Épée 193.JPG|Frankish sword discovered in Saint-Dizier
File:Joinville-Eglise (18).jpg|Joinville
File:FR52 Cirey-sur-Blaise Château.jpg|Château of Cirey-sur-Blaise
</gallery>
Politics
Charles de Gaulle was a longtime resident of the department, in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, and died there on 9 November 1970, at the age of 79.
The president of the Departmental Council is Nicolas Lacroix, elected in 2017.
Presidential elections 2nd round
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Election!!Winning candidate!!Party!!%!!2nd place candidate!!Party!!%
|-
|style="background:;"|
|2022
|Marine Le Pen
|RN
|56.96
|Emmanuel Macron
|LREM
|43.04
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| 2017
| Emmanuel Macron
| LREM
| 50.48
| Marine Le Pen
| FN
| 49.52
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| 2012
| Nicolas Sarkozy
| UMP
| 54.43
| François Hollande
| PS
| 45.57
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| 2007
| Nicolas Sarkozy
| UMP
| 59.14
| Ségolène Royal
| PS
| 40.86
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| 2002
| Jacques Chirac
| RPR
| 52.17
| Lionel Jospin
| PS
| 47.83
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| 1988
| François Mitterrand
| PS
| 54.69
| Jacques Chirac
| RPR
| 45.31
|}
Current National Assembly Representatives
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Constituency!!Member!!Party
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Haute-Marne's 1st constituency
| Christophe Bentz
| National Rally
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Haute-Marne's 2nd constituency
| Laurence Robert-Dehault
| National Rally
|}
See also
- Arrondissements of the Haute-Marne department
- Cantons of the Haute-Marne department
- Communes of the Haute-Marne department
References
External links
- Prefecture website
- Departmental Council website
- Official Tourist Board website