Bourse Militaria d'Ambonnay

Bourse Militaria d'Ambonnay

The Bourse Militaria d'Ambonnay is a specialized thematic event held every April at the Salle des fêtes d'Ambonnay (51150). Entry is set at 3 euros for visitors, which is usual for this type of specialized event where the quality of the items presented justifies a small contribution. This event brings together collectors, amateur historians, and dealers specializing in militaria from all eras.

Militaria is a collecting discipline that encompasses all objects related to military history: uniforms and effects, edged weapons and equipment, medals and decorations, official documents and personal notebooks, photographs, badges, and field equipment. The Champagne region and the Montagne de Reims are particularly rich in such items, given the two Battles of the Marne (1914 and 1918) that stained this territory with blood and left countless material testimonies in the soil and attics.

The Salle des fêtes d'Ambonnay offers an indoor setting suitable for this type of thematic fair: delicate items — documents, medals, fragile uniforms — can be displayed there, protected from the weather and in satisfactory safety conditions. The €3 entry fee helps filter for a genuinely interested audience, fostering quality exchanges between exhibitors and knowledgeable visitors.

For military history enthusiasts, the Bourse Militaria d'Ambonnay is a rare opportunity to find items that are difficult to find elsewhere. The Champagne region was the theater of major battles of the Great War, and local attics sometimes hold unexpected treasures: annotated staff maps, letters from soldiers, period equipment, photographs of soldiers. In addition to these local items, there are objects from all wars and all countries, brought by specialized dealers from the Paris region and neighboring departments.

Ambonnay and the memory of the First World War

Ambonnay (51150) and the villages of the Montagne de Reims were profoundly marked by the First World War. The Battle of the Marne in August-September 1914, followed by the Champagne offensive in 1918, transformed this region into a battlefield. Numerous monuments, military cemeteries, and museums perpetuate this memory in the surrounding area. The Bourse Militaria d'Ambonnay is part of this living memory of the territory, contributing to the preservation and transmission of the material heritage of these conflicts.