Camp de Châlons

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.

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.

The camp was selected to host the individual and team 600 m free rifle shooting events for the 1924 Summer Olympics in neighbouring Paris.

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 Châlons-en-Champagne and shot the previous day.

[2] In May 2008, Michel Fourniret and Monique Olivier were convicted of the murder of Leroy and six other girls and women and sentenced to life imprisonment.