Editing Village (section)

==Western and Southern Europe==
{{Redirect|Ortsteil|districts and subdistricts of Berlin|Boroughs and neighborhoods of Berlin#Localities}}

===France===
[[File:Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, France.jpg|thumb|[[Saint-Cirq-Lapopie]] in [[Lot (department)|Lot]] is one of [[Les Plus Beaux Villages de France|"The Most Beautiful Villages in France"]].]]
The [[Insee]] classifies [[Communes of France|French communes]] into four groups according to population density:<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-03-01|title=La grille communale de densité|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/information/2114627|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Insee}}</ref>

# Communes with high population density
# Communes with intermediate population density
# Communes with low population density
# Communes with very low population density

A commune in Group 3 or 4 is considered as a village (''commune rurale'').<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-12-09|title=Commune rurale|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/definition/c1902|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Insee}}</ref>

An independent association named {{Lang|fr|[[Les Plus Beaux Villages de France]]}} (affiliated to the international association [[The Most Beautiful Villages in the World]]), was created in 1982 to promote assets of small and picturesque French villages of quality heritage. As of July 2023, 172 villages in France have been listed in "The Most Beautiful Villages of France".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lpbvt.org/france/|title=France|access-date=29 July 2023}}</ref>

===Germany===
In Germany a ''Dorf'' (village) usually consists of at least a few houses but can have up to a few thousand inhabitants. Larger villages can also be referred to as a ''Flecken'' or ''Markt'' depending on the region and the settlement's market rights. Smaller villages usually do not have their own government. Instead, they are part ({{lang|de|Ortsteil}}) of the municipality of a nearby town.
In the settlement geography typology in Germany, a distinction is made between individual settlements and group settlements. Only group settlements of a certain size (“large group settlement”) are referred to as villages. The size that a settlement must have in order to be considered a village varies from region to region. Only settlements in rural areas are referred to as villages. Ideal villages were traditionally characterized by agriculture, most of the inhabitants were farmers or agricultural workers, the settlement form was determined by the farmhouses and was closely connected to the surrounding farmland, the meadow and the traditional land forms. In addition, the majority of the population used to live in rural settlements, whereas today only a small proportion still does. Whereas in the [[German Reich]] in 1900, almost half (46%) of the population lived in rural areas, the proportion in the [[Germany|Federal Republic of Germany]] had fallen to around a quarter (23%) by 2015.

===Italy===
{{See also|Frazione|Town#Italy}}
[[File:Montefioralle - narrow street (2661134628).jpg|thumb|[[Montefioralle]] in [[Tuscany]] is one of "[[I Borghi più belli d'Italia|The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy]]".]]
[[File:Monte isola, durante l'installazione floating piers, 2016, 04.jpg|thumb|right|[[Monte Isola]] in [[Lombardy]] is one of "[[I Borghi più belli d'Italia|The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy]]".]]

In Italy, villages are spread throughout the country. No legal definition of village exists in Italian law; nonetheless, a settlement inhabited by less than 2000 people is usually described as "village". More often, Italian villages that are a part of a [[municipality]] are called ''[[frazione]]'', whereas the village that hosts the municipal seat is called ''paese'' (town) or ''[[capoluogo]]''.

A non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.repubblica.it/viaggi/2023/01/16/news/borghi_piu_belli_italia_14_nuovi_2023-383794441/|title=Borghi più belli d'Italia. Le 14 novità 2023, dal Trentino alla Calabria|date=16 January 2023 |access-date=28 July 2023|language=it}}</ref> named ''[[I Borghi più belli d'Italia]]'' ({{langx|en|The most beautiful Villages of Italy}}) and affiliated to the international association [[The Most Beautiful Villages in the World]], was created in 2001 on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities<ref name="borghipiubelliditalia.it">{{Cite web |url = http://borghipiubelliditalia.it/ |title = I Borghi più belli d'Italia, la guida online ai piccoli centri dell'Italia nascosta|access-date=3 May 2018|language=it}}</ref> with the aim of preserving and maintaining villages of quality heritage.<ref name="borghipiubelliditalia.it"/> Founded to contribute to safeguarding, conserving and revitalizing small villages and municipalities, but sometimes even individual hamlets, which, being outside the main tourist circuits, they risk, despite their great value, being forgotten with consequent degradation, depopulation and abandonment.<ref>{{Cite web |url = http://www.travelnostop.com/news/territori/borghi-piu-belli-italia_400333 |website=Travelnostop |date=4 July 2017 |title= I borghi più belli d'Italia si confermano tappa obbligata per conoscere l'altra Italia |access-date= 3 May 2018 |language=it}}</ref> Its [[motto]] is {{lang|it|Il fascino dell'Italia nascosta}} ("The charm of hidden Italy").<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.araldicacivica.it/ricerca/i-borghi-piu-belli-ditalia/ |website=Araldicacivica |title=I "Borghi più belli d'Italia"|access-date=3 August 2023 |language=it |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230803211209/https://www.araldicacivica.it/ricerca/i-borghi-piu-belli-ditalia/ |archive-date=3 August 2023 }}</ref> As of November 2023, 361 villages in Italy have been listed in "The Most Beautiful Villages of Italy".<ref name="borghi">{{cite web|url=https://borghipiubelliditalia.it/2023/11/09/7-i-nuovi-borghi-ammessi-nell-associazioneo-2/ |date=9 Nov 2023 |website=I Borghi Più Belli D'Italia |title=7 nuovi borghi ammessi nell'Associazione |access-date=13 December 2023|language=it |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231130115325/https://borghipiubelliditalia.it/2023/11/09/7-i-nuovi-borghi-ammessi-nell-associazioneo-2/ |archive-date= Nov 30, 2023 }}</ref>

The criteria for admission to the association meet the following requirements: integrity of the urban fabric, architectural harmony, livability of the village, artistic-historical quality of the public and private building heritage, services to the citizen as well as the payment of an annual membership fee.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://borghipiubelliditalia.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/regolamento-borghi.pdf|title=Regolamento|access-date=28 July 2023|language=it}}</ref>

The association organizes initiatives within the villages, such as festivals, exhibitions, [[fete]]s, conferences and concerts that highlight the cultural, historical, gastronomic and linguistic heritage, involving residents, schools, and local artists.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://borghipiubelliditalia.it/eventi-borghi/|title=Scopri tutti gli Eventi dei Borghi|date=24 December 2019 |access-date=28 December 2021|language=it}}</ref> The club promotes numerous initiatives on the international market.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.iicmonaco.esteri.it/iic_monaco/it/gli_eventi/calendario/2017/11/i-borghi-piu-belli-d-italia.html|title = Ministero degli Affari Esteri/Istituto italiano di cultura|access-date = 2 March 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180303105732/http://www.iicmonaco.esteri.it/iic_monaco/it/gli_eventi/calendario/2017/11/i-borghi-piu-belli-d-italia.html|archive-date = 3 March 2018|url-status = live|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.enit.it/it/sediestere/europa/stoccolma/comunicati/1836-borghi-piu-belli-ditalia-si-presenta-ai-tour-operator-svedesi-presso-la-sede-enit-di-stoccolma.html|title = ENIT, sito ufficiale/Borghi più belli d'Italia a Stoccolma|access-date = 2 March 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180303050738/http://www.enit.it/it/sediestere/europa/stoccolma/comunicati/1836-borghi-piu-belli-ditalia-si-presenta-ai-tour-operator-svedesi-presso-la-sede-enit-di-stoccolma.html|archive-date = 3 March 2018|url-status = live|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.enit.it/it/sediestere/europa/londra/comunicati/2850-educational-i-borghi-piu-belli-d-italia-nov-2016.html|title = ENIT, sito ufficiale/Borghi più belli d'Italia a Londra|access-date = 2 March 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180303050732/http://www.enit.it/it/sediestere/europa/londra/comunicati/2850-educational-i-borghi-piu-belli-d-italia-nov-2016.html|archive-date = 3 March 2018|url-status = live|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.ilikepuglia.it/ilike/i-like-russia/bari/12/01/2014/presentata-a-mosca-la-rete-dei-borghi-piu-belli-ditalia.html|title = Borghi più belli d'Italia a Mosca/12/01/2014 da Centro Economia e Sviluppo Italo Russo|access-date = 2 March 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180303051110/http://www.ilikepuglia.it/ilike/i-like-russia/bari/12/01/2014/presentata-a-mosca-la-rete-dei-borghi-piu-belli-ditalia.html|archive-date = 3 March 2018|url-status = live|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.lavocedinewyork.com/travel/italia/2016/01/15/new-york-borghi-piu-belli-d-italia-222/|title = Borghi più belli d'Italia a New York/VNY| date=15 January 2016 |access-date = 2 March 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180303110038/http://www.lavocedinewyork.com/travel/italia/2016/01/15/new-york-borghi-piu-belli-d-italia-222/|archive-date = 3 March 2018|url-status = live|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.italcamara-es.com/it/2017/03/24/presentata-a-madrid-lassociazione-i-borghi-piu-belli-ditalia/|title = Associazione Borghi più belli d'Italia presentata a Madrid/Camera Commercio Italiana per la Spagna|access-date = 2 March 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180303050622/http://www.italcamara-es.com/it/2017/03/24/presentata-a-madrid-lassociazione-i-borghi-piu-belli-ditalia/|archive-date = 3 March 2018|url-status = live|language=it}}</ref> In 2016, the association signed a global agreement with [[ENIT]],<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.restipica.net/scenari/articoli/i-borghi-piu-belli-ditalia-in-giappone/|title = Res Tipica, Italia da conoscere, associazione costituita da ANCI e Associazioni Nazionali delle Città di Identità|access-date = 2 March 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180303105613/http://www.restipica.net/scenari/articoli/i-borghi-piu-belli-ditalia-in-giappone/|archive-date = 3 March 2018|url-status = dead|language=it}}</ref> to promote tourism in the most beautiful villages in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://stream24.ilsole24ore.com/video/mondo/in-giappone-i-borghi-piu-belli-d-italia/ADOuNdHB|title = In Giappone "I Borghi più belli d'Italia"/Il sole24ore|access-date = 2 March 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180303105612/http://stream24.ilsole24ore.com/video/mondo/in-giappone-i-borghi-piu-belli-d-italia/ADOuNdHB|archive-date = 3 March 2018|url-status = dead|language=it}}</ref> In 2017, the club signed an agreement with [[Costa Cruises]]<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.costacrociere.it/B2C/I/Info/Pages/borghi.aspx|title = Sito ufficiale Costa Crociere|access-date = 2 March 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180303110040/https://www.costacrociere.it/B2C/I/Info/Pages/borghi.aspx|archive-date = 3 March 2018|url-status = live|language=it}}</ref> for the enhancement of some villages, which are offered to cruise passengers arriving in Italian ports aboard the operator's ships.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.guidaviaggi.it/notizie/187775/costa-crociere-partnership-con-l-associazione-de-i-borghi-pi%C3%B9-belli-d%E2%80%99italia|title = Costa Crociere: partnership con l'associazione dei Borghi più belli d'Italia/GV|access-date = 2 March 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180303050814/http://www.guidaviaggi.it/notizie/187775/costa-crociere-partnership-con-l-associazione-de-i-borghi-pi%C3%B9-belli-d%E2%80%99italia|archive-date = 3 March 2018|url-status = live|language=it}}</ref>

===Spain===
[[File:View of Olvera.jpg|thumb|[[Olvera]] ([[Spain]]) is one of the [[White Towns of Andalusia]].]]
In Spain, a village (''pueblo'') refers to a small population unit, smaller than a town (''villa'' [an archaic term that survives only in official uses, such as the official name of Spain's capital, "la Villa de Madrid"]) and a city (''ciudad''), typically located in a rural environment. While commonly it is the smallest administrative unit (''municipio''), it is possible for a village to be legally composed of smaller population units in its territory. There is not a clear-cut distinction between villages, towns and cities in Spain, since they had been traditionally categorized according to their religious importance and their relationship with surrounding population units.

===Portugal===
Villages (''aldeias'', singular: ''aldeia'') are more usual in the [[Norte Region, Portugal|northern]] and [[Centro Region, Portugal|central regions]], [[Azores Islands]] and in the [[Alentejo]]. Most of them have a church and a ''Casa do Povo'' (people's house), where the village's summer ''romarias'' or religious festivities are usually held. Summer is also when many villages are host to a range of folk festivals and fairs, taking advantage of the fact that many of the locals who reside abroad tend to come back to their native village for the holidays.

===Netherlands===
In the flood-prone districts of the Netherlands, particularly in the northern provinces of Friesland and Groningen, villages were traditionally built on low man-made hills called [[Artificial dwelling hill|terpen]] before the introduction of regional dyke-systems. In modern days, the term ''dorp'' (lit. "village") is usually applied to settlements no larger than 20,000, though there's no official law regarding status of settlements in the Netherlands.

===United Kingdom===
{{See also|List of the largest villages in England|List of towns and villages in the Scottish Highlands}}
A village in the UK is a compact settlement of houses, smaller in size than a town, and generally based on agriculture or, in some areas, mining (such as [[Ouston, County Durham]]), quarrying or sea fishing. They are very similar to those in Ireland.
[[File:Main street of the village of Castle Combe, Wiltshire, England.jpg|thumb|The main street of the village of [[Castle Combe]], [[Wiltshire]], England]]
The major factors in the type of settlement are: location of water sources, organization of agriculture and landholding, and likelihood of flooding. For example, in areas such as the [[Lincolnshire Wolds]], the villages are often found along the [[spring line]] halfway down the hillsides, and originate as [[spring line settlement]]s, with the original [[open field system]]s around the village. In northern [[Scotland]], most villages are planned to a [[grid plan|grid pattern]] located on or close to major roads, whereas in areas such as the [[Forest of Arden]], woodland clearances produced small hamlets around village greens.<ref>{{cite book|title=Village England: A Social History of the Countryside|first=Martin Trevor |last=Wild |publisher=I.B.Tauris |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-86064-939-4 |ref=Wild |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M7AmyuGr5Y8C|page=12}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Village and farmstead: A History of Rural Settlement in England|first=Christopher|last=Taylor|author-link=Christopher Taylor (archaeologist)|publisher=G. Philip |year=1984 |isbn=978-0-540-01082-0 |ref=Taylor|url=https://books.google.com/books?ei=NksHTpXqIo6t8QPE1ozADQ|page=192}}</ref> Because of the topography of the [[Clent Hills]] the north [[Worcestershire]] village of [[Clent]] is an example of a village with no centre but instead consists of series of hamlets scattered on and around the Hills.

[[File:Mini-roundabout, Kilmaurs - geograph.org.uk - 1715058.jpg|thumb|right|[[Kilmaurs]] in [[East Ayrshire]], Scotland]]

Some villages have disappeared (for example, [[deserted medieval village]]s), sometimes leaving behind a church or [[manor house]] and sometimes nothing but [[Earthworks (archaeology)|bumps in the fields]]. Some show archaeological evidence of settlement at three or four different layers, each distinct from the previous one. Clearances may have been to accommodate [[sheep]] or game estates, or [[enclosure]], or may have resulted from depopulation, such as after the [[Black Death]] or following a move of the inhabitants to more prosperous districts. Other villages have grown and merged and often form hubs within the general mass of suburbia—such as [[Hampstead, London]] and [[Didsbury]] in [[Manchester]]. Many villages are now predominantly [[dormitory]] locations and have suffered the loss of shops, churches and other facilities.

[[File:Finchingfield, Essex.jpg|thumb|[[Finchingfield]], [[Essex]] - a quintessential English village.]]For many British people, the village represents an [[ideal (ethics)|ideal]] of Great Britain. Seen as being far from the bustle of modern life, it is represented as quiet and harmonious, if a little inward-looking. This concept of an unspoilt [[Arcadia (utopia)|Arcadia]] is present in many popular representations of the village such as the radio serial ''[[The Archers]]'' or the [[best kept village]] competitions.<ref>{{cite book|title=OECD Rural Policy Reviews: England, United Kingdom 2011|author=OECD|publisher=OECD Publishing|year=2011|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bQCGWKfXJNMC|page=237|isbn=978-9264094420}}</ref>
[[File:Bisley, Gloucestershire, a village in the Cotswolds.jpg|thumb| [[Bisley, Gloucestershire]], a village in the Cotswolds]]
Many villages in [[South Yorkshire]], north [[Nottinghamshire]], north east [[Derbyshire]], [[County Durham]], [[South Wales]] and [[Northumberland]] are known as [[pit village]]s. These (such as [[Murton, County Durham]]) grew from [[hamlet (place)|hamlets]] when the sinking of a [[colliery]] in the early 20th century resulted in a rapid growth in their population and the colliery owners built new housing, shops, pubs and churches. Some pit villages outgrew nearby towns by area and population; for example, [[Rossington]] in [[South Yorkshire]] came to have over four times more people than the nearby town of [[Bawtry]]. Some pit villages grew to become [[town]]s; for example, [[Maltby, South Yorkshire|Maltby]] in South Yorkshire grew from 600 people in the 19th century<ref>{{cite book|title=The Parliamentary gazetteer of England and Wales|publisher=A. Fullarton & Co.|year=1851|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mxIQAAAAYAAJ|volume=3|page=344}}</ref> to over 17,000 in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/download/553/maltby_ward|title=Maltby Ward|publisher=Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council|access-date=26 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321023001/http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/download/553/maltby_ward|archive-date=21 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Maltby was constructed under the auspices of the [[Maltby Main Colliery|Sheepbridge Coal and Iron Company]] and included ample open spaces and provision for gardens.<ref>{{cite book|title=The history of the Yorkshire miners, 1881–1918|first=Carolyn Louise|last=Baylies|publisher=Routledge|year=1993|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WEIOAAAAQAAJ|isbn=0415093597}}</ref>

In the UK, the main historical distinction between a [[hamlet (place)|hamlet]] and a village was that the latter had a [[church (building)|church]],<ref name="BBC" /> and so usually was the centre of worship for an [[ecclesiastical parish]]. However, some [[civil parishes in England|civil parishes]] may contain more than one village. The typical village had a pub or inn, shops, and a [[blacksmith]]. But many of these facilities are now gone, and many villages are dormitories for commuters. The population of such settlements ranges from a few hundred people to around five thousand. A village is distinguished from a town in that:
* A village should not have a regular agricultural [[market (place)|market]], although today such markets are uncommon even in settlements which clearly are towns.
* A village does not have a [[City and town halls|town hall]] nor a [[mayor]].
* If a village is the principal settlement of a [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]], then any administrative body that administers it at parish level should be called a [[Parish councils in England|parish council]] or [[parish meeting]], and not a [[town council]] or [[city council]]. However, some civil parishes have no functioning parish, town, or city council nor a functioning parish meeting. In Wales, where the equivalent of an English civil parish is called a [[Community (Wales)|Community]], the body that administers it is called a [[Community council|Community Council]]. However, larger councils may elect to call themselves town councils.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/parishes.asp |title=National Statistics |publisher=Statistics.gov.uk |access-date=28 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313040555/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/parishes.asp |archive-date=13 March 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In Scotland, the equivalent is also a community council, however, despite being statutory bodies they have no executive powers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.porty.org.uk/council/index.php |title=Portobello Community Council |publisher=Porty.org.uk |access-date=28 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304050953/http://www.porty.org.uk/council/index.php |archive-date=4 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* There should be a clear [[green belt]] or open fields, as, for example, seen on aerial maps for [[Ouston, County Durham|Ouston]] surrounding its parish<ref>{{cite web|url=http://parishes.durham.gov.uk/ouston/Pages/wherewelive.aspx |title=Ouston Parish Council |publisher=durham.gov.uk}}</ref> borders. However this may not be applicable to urbanised villages: although these may not be considered to be villages, they are often widely referred to as being so; an example of this is [[Horsforth]] in [[Leeds]].