Champagne & Unesco
UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE
To be on the world heritage list, sites must have exceptional, universal value. The inscription, a true mark of excellence, is a great source of pride for natural and cultural sites.
With the diversity of these landscapes and a unique historical heritage, France is one of the countries with the most sites on this list.
CHAMPAGNE HILLSIDES, HOUSES AND CELLARS
The inscription in July 2015 of the Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars, is a true reflection of man working with nature.
This alchemy which allowed a wine of excellence to emerge, is known as the universal symbol of festiveness, celebration and reconciliation!
CULTURAL SITES
Treasures from our heritage, also UNESCO inscribed, await you:
> The ancient Chemin de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle with stages from the college museum at the Cloître Notre-Dame-en-Vaux in Châlons-en-Champagne and the Basilique Notre-Dame de l’Épine
> The combination of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame, Palais du Tau and Ancienne Abbaye Saint-Remi in Reims.
It highlights the sites representing Champagne’s wine industry:
> The hillsides of the Vallée de la Marne from Cumières through Hautvillers to Mareuil-sur-Aÿ,
> Saint-Nicaise hill (and the limescale cellar heritage) in Reims
> The Avenue de Champagne in Epernay.
CHAMPAGNE HILLSIDES, HOUSES AND CELLARS IN WORLD HERITAGE
The Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in the “Cultural Landscapes” category.
The three ensembles that make up the property embody the Champagne terroir and serve both as a living and a working environment. It is a showcase of traditional know-how. This is the place where the benchmark method of producing sparkling wine was born. Champagne is a product of excellence, renowned as the universal symbol of festiveness, celebration and reconciliation.
THROUGH THIS INSCRIPTION, UNESCO HIGHLIGHTS
“THE SYMBOLIC IMAGE, UNIQUE IN THE WORLD, OF CHAMPAGNE AS A SYMBOL OF THE ART OF FRENCH LIVING
THE 3 ENSEMBLES
- The wine hillsides of the Vallée de la Marne between Hautvillers and Mareuil-sur Aÿ, where at the heart of the vines you can see the shafts (ventilation chimneys from the cellars), the lodges (tiny houses for sheltering the winemakers)… the engraved markers indicating the boundaries between plots.
- The 370 limestone cellars and 25 kilometres of caves situated under the hillside of Saint-Nicaise in Reims, old limescale extraction wells where tens of millions of bottles aged at just the right temperature…
- The Avenue de Champagne in Epernay (under which are hidden 110 kilometres of cellars). This secular route is bordered with the most beautiful private Champagne residences (châteaux) which were built by businessmen in the 19th century.
HERITAGE TREASURES
Discover these priceless riches by visiting the sites listed as UNESCO World Heritage!
Coteaux historiques de Champagne
Within the area of Champagne making, the property inscribed on the List of UNESCO’s World heritage is composed of 3 flagship sites: avenue...
Palais du Tau - Fermé pour travaux
A listed Unesco World Heritage site, the palace was the former residence of the bishops and then the palace of the archbishops of Reims...
Collégiale Notre Dame en Vaux
This church is a listed Unesco World Heritage site due to its association with the Routes of Saint-James-of-Compostela. It is a jewel of...
Basilique Notre-Dame de l'Epine
The building is a place of pilgrimage which is a listed Unesco World Heritage site. It has a remarkable lace-like flamboyant Gothic-style...
Basilique Saint-Remi
This Romanesque Benedictine abbey was transformed during the Gothic period and became a parish church during the French Revolution. It is a...