Шалон-ан-Шампань: Тарих және мәдениеттер қаласы

Prefecture and commune in Grand Est, France

Châlons en Champagne (ʃɑlɔ̃ ɑ̃ ʃɑ̃paɲ) is a city in the Grand Est region of France. It is the capital of the department of Marne, despite being only a quarter the size of the city of Reims. Formerly called Châlons sur Marne, the city was officially renamed in 1998. It should not be confused with the Burgundian town of Chalon sur Saône.

The city was a Gallic and later a Gallo Roman settlement known in Latin as Catalaunum, taking its name from the Catalauni, a Belgic tribe dwelling in the region of modern Champagne. Châlons is conjectured to be the site of several battles including the Battle of Châlons fought in 274 between Roman Emperor Aurelian and Emperor Tetricus I of the Gallic Empire. The Catalaunian Fields was the site of the battle of Châlons in 451 which turned back the westward advance of Attila.

Saint Etienne's cathedral, including parts of the first Romanesque cathedral built in the 12th century. Nevertheless, it was mainly rebuilt in Gothic style. The west façade (in Baroque style) and two close spans were added in the 17th century. Notre Dame en Vaux church, part of the UNESCO World Heritage. Built between 1157 and 1217, the collegiate church had a cloister and was a place of pilgrimage in the 12th century, and Museum du Cloitre de Notre Dame en Vaux 12th century. Saint Alpin, perhaps the oldest church of the city. It was rebuilt around 1170 in Gothic style, but still marked by the Romanesque style. Hôtel de Ville (city hall). It has a façade representative of the neo classic period of the end of the 18th century. The steps of the building are protected by four stone lions. Porte Sainte Croix (Sainte Croix Gate). Previously called Porte Dauphine, this gate was one of the entries into the city. It was dedicated to Marie Antoinette when she came via Châlons on her way to Paris to marry the future king Louis XVI of France. La Dernière Relève ("The Last Relief"): war memorial next to the cathedral, with group of bronzes by French sculptor Gaston Broquet. Ancien Hotel des Intendants de Champagne (eighteenth century). Today home to the Prefecture of the Champagne Ardenne region and Prefecture of the Marne. Le Cirque. The old town circus, completed in 1899, is sheltering the Centre National des Arts du Cirque (CNAC).

ESPE Basket Châlons en Champagne is a Châlons' basketball team. A temporary firing range was used for some shooting events at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.

The Camp de Mourmelon (formerly known as Camp de Châlons) is a military camp of circa 10,000 hectares located near Mourmelon le Grand north. It was created at the behest of Napoleon III and opened 30 August 1857 during the Second French Empire. The initial purpose was simply for practising military manoeuvres, but it quickly turned into a showcase of the French Imperial Army, a theatrical propaganda display, where French citizens could meet the army and watch parades. Each year the camp was transformed into a town of tents and wooden chalets. The camp survived the fall of the Second Empire in 1870, but changed into a training camp and a departure point for troops engaging in overseas operations. The camp is used for military manoeuvres, and cavalry training, along with the neighbouring, 2,500 hectare, Camp de Moronvillers. Firing of live ordnance (rockets, missiles) is prohibited.

It is the setting of the last operetta of Johann Strauss II, Die Göttin der Vernunft (The Goddess of Reason), (1897). The town is also mentioned in It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown as where Snoopy crashes his doghouse in territory held by the Imperial German Army, after losing an imaginary aerial dogfight against the Red Baron.