Marne (river)

For the river of the same name in South Australia, see Marne River (South Australia).

Marne
Marne River; painted by Paul Cézanne
Origin	Champagne-Ardenne
Mouth	Seine
Basin countries	France
Length	514 km (319 mi)
Avg. discharge	100 m3/s (3,500 cu ft/s)
Basin area	12,800 km2 (4,900 sq mi)

The Marne is a river in France, an eastern tributary of the Seine in the area east and southeast of Paris. It is 514 kilometres (319 mi) long. The river gave its name to the départements of Haute-Marne, Marne, Seine-et-Marne, and Val-de-Marne.

File:Chelles ile Refuge.jpg

An island in the Marne river near Chelles

The Marne starts in the Langres plateau, runs generally north then bends west between Saint-Dizier and Châlons-en-Champagne, joining the Seine at Charenton just upstream from Paris. In the Champagne région, part of the water is led through the artificial lake Lac du Der-Chantecoq, in order to regulate the water discharge. This way, large inundations or low river levels downstream are prevented.

The Celts of Gaul worshipped a goddess known as Dea Matrona ("divine mother goddess") who was associated with the Marne.

The Marne is famous as the site of the eponymous two battles during the First World War. The first battle was a turning point of World War I, fought in 1914. The second battle was fought four years later, in 1918.

During the 19th and 20th centuries the Marne inspired many painters, among whom were:

• Camille Corot;
• Paul Cézanne;
• Pierre Emmanuel Damoye;
• Camille Pissarro;
• Henri Rousseau, known as "Le Douanier Rousseau";
• Albert Marquet;
• Raoul Dufy;
• André Dunoyer de Ségonzac;
• Louis Vuillermoz;
• Maurice Boitel;
• Daniel du Janerand.

Départements and main towns crossed

Banks of the Marne at Noisy-le-Grand

• Haute-Marne (52): Langres, Chaumont, Saint-Dizier;
• Marne (51): Vitry-le-François, Châlons-en-Champagne, Épernay;
• Aisne (02): Château-Thierry;
• Seine-et-Marne (77): Meaux, Lagny-sur-Marne, Saint-Thibault-des-Vignes, Torcy, Noisiel, Chelles;
• Seine-Saint-Denis (93): Neuilly-sur-Marne, Noisy-le-Grand, Gournay-sur-Marne, Neuilly-Plaisance;
• Val-de-Marne (94): Nogent-sur-Marne, Créteil, Charenton-le-Pont, Champigny-sur-Marne, Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Joinville-le-Pont, Saint-Maurice, Bry-sur-Marne, Le Perreux-sur-Marne.

External links

• River Marne guide Places, ports and moorings on the river.