Varennes-en-Argonne

Varennes-en-Argonne or simply Varennes (German: Wöringen) is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est , in northeastern France.

For other uses of the name Varennes, see Varennes (disambiguation).
Varennes-en-Argonne
Commune
Tower Louis XVI and the river Aire
Coat of arms
Location of Varennes-en-Argonne
Varennes-en-Argonne
Varennes-en-Argonne
Coordinates: 49°13′37″N 5°02′06″E
CountryFrance
RegionGrand Est
DepartmentMeuse
ArrondissementVerdun
CantonClermont-en-Argonne
IntercommunalityMontfaucon - Varennes en Argonne
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2014) Jean-Marie Lambert
Area
1
11.81 km2 (4.56 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
655
 • Density55/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
55527 /55270
Elevation144–264 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.

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.

  • Arrest of Louis XVI and his Family in Varennes, 1791.
  • Ruins of Varennes in 1918.

Points of interest

See also

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.



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