Étain is situated on the river Orne, approximately 19 km (12 mi) to the east north east of Verdun.
History
The town, which dates from the late 7th/early 8th century, does not have any natural defense features so has fallen to the Prussians and Russians in 1815 right after the Battle of Waterloo, and to the Germans in 1870, 1914 and again in 1940.