Varennes-en-Argonne (, literally Varennes in Argonne) or simply Varennes (German: Wöringen) is a commune in the Meuse department in the Grand Est region in Northeastern France. As of 2023, the population of the commune was 636.
Geography
Varennes-en-Argonne lies on the river Aire to the northeast of Sainte-Menehould, near Verdun.
History
Varennes is most notable as it was the ending point of the Flight to Varennes. In June 1791, Louis XVI and 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 Leopold II, Archduke of Austria and Holy Roman Emperor). In Varennes, Louis and his family were arrested by Jean-Baptiste 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. The royal family was 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.
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File:Arrest of Louis XVI and his Family, Varennes, 1791.jpg|Arrest of Louis XVI and his Family in Varennes, 1791.
File:Town of Varennes, France, view due west across the River Aire., 09-27-1918 - NARA - 530757.tif|Ruins of Varennes in 1918.
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Points of interest
- Arboretum de Varennes-en-Argonne
See also
- Communes of the Meuse department
- Flight to Varennes