Reims

Reims, city, Marne département, Grand Est région, northeastern France. It lies east-northeast of Paris. On the Vesle River, a tributary of the Aisne, and the Marne–Aisne canal, the city is situated in vine-growing country in which champagne wine is produced. It is overlooked from the southwest by the Montagne de Reims.

The Gallic tribe of the Remi (from which Reims derives its name) was conquered without difficulty by the Romans, and the town flourished under their occupation. In the 5th century, Clovis, the Frankish king, was baptized at Reims by Bishop Remigius (Rémi), and in memory of this occasion most French kings were subsequently consecrated there. (Charles VII, for example, was crowned there in 1429 in the presence of Joan of Arc.) The traditional wool industry was stimulated in the 17th century by King Louis XIV’s finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, who was a native of Reims. During World War I, the city was occupied briefly by the Germans in their offensive of September 1914, and after evacuating it they held the surrounding heights, from which they subjected the city to intermittent bombardment during the next four years. In World War II Reims was again almost completely destroyed, although the cathedral escaped damage. The act of Germany’s capitulation in World War II was signed at Reims in May 1945.

The 13th-century cathedral of Notre-Dame, greatly damaged during World War I but admirably restored, ranks as one of the most beautiful Gothic churches in France. Although its building took more than a century, it has a remarkable unity of style. It has a harmonious facade with graceful and expressive statues; fine 13th-century stained-glass windows (restored); and a collection of reliquaries. The basilica and abbey of Saint-Rémi, begun in the 11th century, was also damaged in World War I, but its interior, with a narrow nave, an early Gothic choir, and 12th-century windows, is still striking. An imposing 3rd-century triumphal arch is one of the city’s few remains dating from Roman times. The cathedral of Notre-Dame and the abbey were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991.

Reims is an administrative and commercial centre. Together with Épernay, it forms the industrial centre of the champagne wine district. The wine is stored in large cellars tunneled in the chalk that underlies the district. The nature of the soft stone, however, has led to collapse of some surface structures into the caves, endangering the city’s architectural heritage. Engineering, chemical, and packaging industries are also important. The city is home to the University of Reims, Champagne-Ardenne, and a large conference centre. An airport lies about 4 miles (7 km) north of the city centre. Pop. (1999) 187,206; (2014 est.) 183,042.