The camp de Châlons, also known as camp de Mourmelon, is a military camp of about at Mourmelon-le-Grand, near

Châlons-en-Champagne Châlons-en-Champagne () is a city in the Grand Est region of France. It is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, despite being only a quarter the size of the city of Reims. Formerly called Châlons ...

. It was created at the behest of

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

and opened August 30, 1857 during the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...

. The initial purpose was simply for practising military manoeuvres, but it quickly turned into a showcase of the French Imperial Army, a theatrical propaganda display, where French citizens could meet the army and watch parades. Each year the camp was transformed into a town of tents and wooden chalets. The camp survived the fall of the Second Empire in 1872, but changed into a training camp and a departure point for troops engaging in overseas operations. The camp is used for military manoeuvres, and cavalry training, along with the neighbouring 2,500 hectare large Camp de Moronvilliers. Firing of live ordnance (rockets, missiles) is prohibited.

Mourmelon 131 military airbase

A military airbase, designated ''base aérienne 131 Mourmelon'', was in operation near the camp from the beginning of the 1900s until 1965, when it was shut down. This site also hosted a flying school, founded by

Henri Farman Henri Farman (26 May 1874 – 17 July 1958) was a British-French aviator and aircraft designer and manufacturer with his brother Maurice Farman. Before dedicating himself to aviation he gained fame as a sportsman, specifically in cycling and mo ...

in 1909.

The Paris 1924 Summer Olympics

The camp was selected to host the individual and team 600 m free rifle

shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missile ...

events for the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad () and officially branded as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The opening ceremony was held on 5 July, but some competitions had al ...

in neighbouring

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. To that purpose, temporary facilities were constructed on and near the camp's

firing range A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, sports venue, venue, or playing field, field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice, or shooting sport, competitions. ...

Other history

On 4 August 1988, the dead body of 20-year-old Fabienne Leroy was found at the camp after she was kidnapped from a supermarket in nearby

and shot the previous day. In May 2008,

Michel Fourniret Michel Paul Fourniret (4 April 1942 – 10 May 2021) was a French serial killer who confessed to killing 12 people in France and Belgium between 1987 and 2003. After he was arrested in June 2003 for the attempted kidnapping of a teenage girl in ...

and Monique Olivier were convicted of the murder of Leroy and six other girls and women and sentenced to life imprisonment.

External links

History and photographs of Camp Chalons
DEAD LINK)

References

1924 Olympics official report.
pp. 565–6. {{DEFAULTSORT:Camp de Chalons French Army installations Venues of the 1924 Summer Olympics Olympic shooting venues Shooting ranges in France Defunct sports venues in France Event venues established in 1857 1857 establishments in France

Mourmelon 131 military airbase

The Paris 1924 Summer Olympics

Other history

Further reading

External links

References