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Heritage

The Champagne region holds particular significance for French history. It was originally part of the Roman province of Gallia Belgica, which in the 5th Century became the seat of the Merovingian dynasty that ousted the Romans. At its head was the Frankish King Clovis, whose baptism in Rheims established the precedent for royal anointing in Rheims cathedral that ended with the last King of France, Charles X. In medieval times, Champagne was the venue of great annual trading fairs. In World War I it was the bloody battlefield of the Western Front, later coming to symbolise the reconciliation between France and Germany.
For 300 years the Champagne Houses have been adding to this exceptional heritage through the commissioning of architectural masterpieces that sing the praises of the King of Wines.

All heritage assets

Domaine Pommery — Hill of Saint Nicaise

1868

This Victorian-style estate, at the top of the Hill of Saint-Nicaise in Rheims, was built for Madame Louise Pommery (1819-1890) and remains a Pommery possession to this day.


Gustave Navlet’s works

1882-1884

These huge tableaux are sculpted directly in the soft chalk of the deepest crayères, up to 15m in length and 6m in height. They illustrate various bacchanalian scenes: "Silenus" and his Mad Maenads court in 1884; the "Festivals of Bacchus", an allegory of the five senses in 1883.


Pressoria

1890

In 2021 Champagne Pommery’s historic press house was repurposed as the Centre d’Interprétation Sensorielle Dédié aux Vins de Champagne (dedicated centre for the sensory appreciation of Champagne wines). Otherwise everything about the building itself remains unmistakably Pommery, starting with its neo-Elizabethan architecture inspired by the Pommery Head Office in Reims.


Gallé decorates a Pommery barrel

1903

A celebration of the friendship between Champagne and America by Master woodworker Emile Gallé.


Château des Crayères

1904

The Château des Crayères was built in 1904 at the top of the Hill of Saint Nicaise in Rheims, by Melchior de Polignac (grandson of Madame Pommery). The architecture is representative of its time: sober but with an air of majestic power.


The Champagne Sports Park

1908

First conceived in 1908, opened in 1910 and dedicated in 1912, the Parc Pommery was designed by the House of Pommery with the sole aim of providing access to sport for all. The park was then gifted to the city of Rheims and renamed the Parc de Champagne.


The Crayères of the Hill of St Nicaise

Ve siècle

First dug in the 3rd Century and worked until the time of the Revolution, these chalk pits (carrières) offer ideal conditions for the aging of Champagne: constant temperature, a complete absence of vibrations and a perfect level of humidity.