An oddity of the Champagne region, the Verzenay lighthouse was born in the mind of a wine merchant, Joseph Goulet, with the idea of publicising his Champagne brand. At the time of construction, in 1909, his name was displayed on all sides of the lighthouse, which is solidly planted at the top of Mont Rizan (Mount Rizan) near Verzenay. Its lantern was lit every evening and its light could be seen as far away as Reims, more than 12.4 miles (20 km) away. During the First World War, shells hit it and left it in a very bad state. It was not until 1994 that the commune of Verzenay bought it, renovated it, and built an eco-museum of Vine nearby.