Châlons-en-Champagne

Chalons-en-Champagne is a commune in the Marne department in the Grand Est region in northeastern France. It is the prefecture (capital) of the department.
Even if Chalons-en-Champagne is the capital of the department, it is only the second largest city in population after Reims. It should not be confused with Chalon-sur-Saone, a city in the Saone-et-Loire department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comte region.
History
Formerly called Chalons-sur-Marne, the name of the city was changed to Chalons-en-Champagne in 1995 but it was rejected in 1997. But, finally, this change was accepted in 1998.
Geography
Chalons-en-Champagne is in the centre of the Marne department. The Marne river flows through the western part of the city.
It has an area of . Its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .
The distances from Chalons-en-Champagne to other cities are:
Paris, the national capital - ;
Strasbourg - ;
Reims - ;
Bordeaux - ;
Toulouse - ;
Montpellier - ;
Lyon - ;
Nantes - ;
Marseille - .
The commune of Chalons-en-Champagne is surrounded by the communes L'Epine, Saint-Memmie, Sarry, Compertrix, Fagnieres and Saint-Martin-sur-le-Pre.
Climate
The Koppen climate classification type for the climate at Chalons-en-Champagne is an "Oceanic climate" (also known as Maritime Temperate climate) and of the subtype "Cfb".
The average temperature for the year in Chalons-en-Champagne is . The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of . The coolest month, on average is January, with an average temperature of .
The average amount of precipitation for the year in Chalons-en-Champagne is . The month with the most precipitation on average is July with of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is February with an average of .
Population
The inhabitants of Chalons-en-Champagne are known, in French, as Chalonnais (women: Chalonnaises ).
With a population of 45,002, Chalons-en-Champagne has a population density of inhabitants/km2.
Evolution of the population in Chalons-en-Champagne
Chalons-en-Champagne forms, with other 4 communes, the urban area of Chalons-en-Champagne with a population of 57,571 inhabitants (2014) and an area of . This urban area is the centre of the metropolitan area of Chalons-en-Champagne, formed by 66 communes, with a population of 81,486 inhabitants (2014) and an area of .
Administration
Chalons-en-Champagne is a prefecture of the Marne department since 1800. It is also the capital of the arrondissement of Chalons-en-Champagne and the administrative centre () of three cantons:
Chalons-en-Champagne-1 formed by 3 communes and part of Chalons-en-Champagne, with 26,915 inhabitants (2014).
Chalons-en-Champagne-2 formed by 18 communes and part of Chalons-en-Champagne, with 25,837 inhabitants (2014).
Chalons-en-Champagne-3 formed by 41 communes and part of Chalons-en-Champagne, with 25,430 inhabitants (2014).
It is part of the intercommunality Chalons Agglo ().
Twinned and partner towns
Chalons-en-Champagne is twinned with:
Ilkeston, United Kingdom, since 1957
Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, since 1970
Neuss, Germany, since 1972
Wittenberge, Germany, since 1978
Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, since 2000
Razgrad, Bulgaria, since 2005
Places of interest
Some interesting places in Macon are:
The Macon Cathedral (Cathedrale Saint-Vincent de Macon) in the town centre
The Saint-Pierre Church (Eglise Saint-Pierre) in the Place Saint-Pierre
The Museum of Fine Arts (former Ursuline Convent)
Hotel Senece (Lamartine museum)
People from or related to Macon
Alphonse de Lamartine (1790-1869), poet
Georges Duby (1919-1996), historian
Gallery
Related pages
Arrondissement of Chalons-en-Champagne
Communes of the Marne department
References
Other websites
Ville de Chalons-en-Champagne - official website
Tourism office website
Chalons Agglo website
Communes in Marne
Departmental capitals in France