Varennes-en-Argonne (French pronunciation: ​[vaʁɛn ɑ̃.n‿aʁɡɔn], literally Varennes in Argonne) or simply Varennes (German: Wöringen) is a commune in the Meuse department in the Grand Est region in Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 639.

Varennes-en-Argonne
Commune
Tower Louis XVI and the river Aire
Coat of arms
Location of Varennes-en-Argonne
Varennes-en-Argonne Show map of France Varennes-en-Argonne Show map of Grand Est
Coordinates: 49°13′37″N 5°02′06″E
Country	France
Region	Grand Est
Department	Meuse
Arrondissement	Verdun
Canton	Clermont-en-Argonne
Intercommunality	Argonne-Meuse
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Philippe Fosseprez
Area 1	11.81 km2 (4.56 sq mi)
Population  (Jan. 2019)[1]	639
• Density	54/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	55527 /55270
Elevation	144–264 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 Leopold II, Archduke of Austria and Holy Roman Emperor). 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

• Arboretum de Varennes-en-Argonne

See also

• Communes of the Meuse department

References

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[de] Varennes-en-Argonne

[es] Varennes-en-Argonne

[fr] Varennes-en-Argonne

[ru] Варен-ан-Аргон