Durbuy

Durbuy received city rights in 1331 from the Count of Luxembourg and never grew, so the old centre is a knot of narrow cobbled lanes and grey stone houses in a tight loop of the Ourthe below a wooded crag, with a castle above it and a total historic core that can be crossed in a few minutes. The claim to be the smallest city in the world rests on the medieval charter rather than any modern definition and is a marketing line, but the scale is genuine. It has become a weekend destination for Belgium, with restaurants, hotels and shops filling the small centre, and there is a topiary park, kayaking on the Ourthe and an adventure park in the woods. The castle is private and not open.

History

In the Middle Ages Durbuy was a centre of trade and industry, and in 1331 John I, Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia, raised it to the rank of city. Anthonie II Schetz obtained the lordship in 1628 with the leave of Philip IV of Spain, the castle passed to the descendants of the Schetz family in 1756, whose line, the house of Ursel, still lives there, and the present castle was built in 1880 (Wikipedia, Durbuy).

The main sights

• A medieval core of a few streets - cobbled lanes in a river loop.
• The Ourthe loop and crag - the river bending round the town below cliffs.
• The topiary park - clipped box figures on the riverbank.
• Kayaking on the Ourthe - the standard summer activity from the town.

When to go

April to October. Half a day. Weekends and Belgian holidays fill the centre completely and parking is impossible; weekday mornings are far better. Autumn colour in the valley is good.

Things to know

It is extremely crowded at weekends for a place this small, and the centre is almost entirely restaurants and gift shops. The smallest city claim is marketing. The castle cannot be visited. Prices are high for the region.

Nearby

The Weris megaliths are south; Hotton caves lie north.

Key facts