History and religion
Many personalities have influenced the religious and political history of not only the region but of France more generally.
Various sites preserve and illustrate their memory: Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises recalls General de Gaulle, Brienne-le-Château pays homage to Bonaparte who attended the military academy here. The spirit of Bernard of Clairvaux haunts the buildings of the Abbey, that of Clovis can still be felt in Reims and its Cathedral. Charleville-Mézières and its Place Ducale must also be mentioned, the legacy of Charles de Gonzague, Fort Charlemont overhauled by Vauban and the Château de Joinville where the memory of Claude de Lorraine is still very much alive.