Durbuy (; ) is a
city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
and
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
of
Wallonia
Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...
located in the
province of Luxembourg,
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
.
The total area is 156.61 km
2, consisting of the following
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...
:
Barvaux, Bende,
Bomal, Borlon, Durbuy, Grandhan, Heyd, Izier, Septon, Tohogne,
Villers-Sainte-Gertrude, and
Wéris.
On 1 January 2018 the municipality had 11,374 inhabitants with the most populous town of the municipality being Barvaux. Durbuy, for commercial reasons, often calls itself the world's smallest city, although Belgium's official smallest city, since 2006, is
Mesen
Mesen (; , historically used in English) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. On 1 January 2006, Mesen had a total population of 988. The total area is ...
.
History
In medieval times, Durbuy was an important centre of commerce and industry. In 1331, the town was elevated to the rank of
city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
by
John I, Count of Luxemburg, and King of Bohemia.
In 1628
Anthonie II Schetz obtains the Seigneurie of Durbuy, by permission of Felipe IV of Spain. One of the people connected to the city was the son of
Lancelot II:
Charles Hubert Augustin Schetz, (1662-1726), Count of Durbuy. In 1756 the descendants of the House of Schetz obtain the Castle. Since then the House of
Ursel resides in the Castle. The current castle was built in 1880.
[Histoire, contes, légendes du Pays de Durbuy]
The
Ourthe river flows through the municipality.
Tourism and recreation are its main activities nowadays. Durbuy is often represented, by itself and by tourism promoters, as 'the smallest city of the world'.
Gallery
File:20130413 durbuy12.JPG, Castle of the Ursel family.
File:703durbuyLaPlusPetiteVilleDuMonde.jpg, City limit sign representing Durbuy as the smallest city in the world
File:20090710 durbuy34.jpg, Rue des Récollets in Durbuy
File:20091017-19 Durbuy (0076).jpg, Topiary park in Durbuy
See also
*
List of protected heritage sites in Durbuy
This table shows an overview of the protected heritage sites in the Walloon town Durbuy. This list is part of Belgium's national heritage.
See also
* List of protected heritage ...
References
External links
*
Durbuy municipality, official site
{{Authority control
Cities in Wallonia
Sub-municipalities of Durbuy
Municipalities of Luxembourg (Belgium)