Varennes-en-Argonne
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox French commune
|name = Varennes-en-Argonne
|commune status = Commune
|image = Varennes-en-Argonne, tour Louis XVI et rivière.jpg
|caption = Tower Louis XVI and the river Aire
|image coat of arms = Blason de la ville de Varennes-en-Argonne (Meuse).svg
|arrondissement = Verdun
|canton = Clermont-en-Argonne
|INSEE = 55527
|postal code = 55270
|term = 2020–2026
|intercommunality = Argonne-Meuse
|coordinates = {{coord|49.2269|5.035|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation m = 195
|elevation min m = 144
|elevation max m = 264
|area km2 = 11.81
|population = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
}}
Varennes-en-Argonne ({{IPA|fr|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.
Geography
Varennes-en-Argonne lies on the river Aire to the northeast of Sainte-Menehould, near Verdun.
History
Varennes is most notable as it was the ending point of the Flight to Varennes. In June 1791, Louis XVI and 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). In Varennes, Louis and his family were arrested by Jean-Baptiste 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. The royal family was 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.
File:Arrest of Louis XVI and his Family, Varennes, 1791.jpg|Arrest of Louis XVI and his Family in Varennes, 1791.
File:Town of Varennes, France, view due west across the River Aire., 09-27-1918 - NARA - 530757.tif|Ruins of Varennes in 1918.
Points of interest
See also
References
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{{Commons category|Varennes-en-Argonne}}
{{Meuse communes}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Varennes-En-Argonne}}
{{Meuse-geo-stub}}