Varennes-en-Argonne
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- For other uses of the term Varennes, see Varennes (disambiguation).
Coordinates: 49°13′37″N 5°02′06″E / 49.22694444°N 5.035°E
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Commune of Varennes-en-Argonne |
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| Location | |
  Varennes-en-Argonne
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Lorraine |
| Department | Meuse |
| Arrondissement | Verdun |
| Canton | Varennes-en-Argonne |
| Intercommunality | Montfaucon - Varennes en Argonne |
| Mayor | Jean-Marie Lambert (2008 - 2014) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 195 m (640 ft) avg. |
| Land area1 | 11.81 km2 (4.56 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 691 (1999) |
| - Density | 59 /km² (150 /sq mi) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 55527/ 55270 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population sans doubles comptes: 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 Lorraine in northeastern France.
Population (1999): 691.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Varennes-en-Argonne lies on the river Aire to the northeast of Sainte-Menehould, near Verdun.
[edit] 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 Austrian 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 a coin, as Louis tried to buy something from a shop. Once more France's king, queen, and dauphin (crown prince) returned to the Tuileries in humiliating captivity, and Louis and Marie-Antoinette were subsequently executed on the guillotine. The dauphin probably died in prison in 1795.
[edit] Points of interest
[edit] See also
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