Editing Florenville

{{Short description|Municipality in Luxembourg Province, Belgium}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name              = Florenville 
|native_name       = Floravile
|type              = [[City status in Belgium|City]] and [[Municipalities of Belgium|municipality]]
|image_skyline     = Florenville JPG000.jpg
|image_caption     = A church in Florenville
|image_map         = Florenville Luxembourg Belgium Map.svg
|map_caption       = Location of Florenville in Luxembourg province
|image_seal        = Blason Florenville (Belgique).svg
|subdivision_type  = [[Countries of the world|Country]]
|subdivision_name  = Belgium
|subdivision_type2 = [[Regions of Belgium|Region]]
|subdivision_name2 = [[Wallonia]]
|subdivision_type3 = [[Provinces of Belgium|Province]]
|subdivision_name3 = {{BE-PROV-LX}}
|subdivision_type4 = [[Arrondissements of Belgium|Arrondissement]]
|subdivision_name4 = [[Arrondissement of Virton|Virton]]
|area_total_km2    = 148.1
|area_footnotes    = <ref name="Info">{{cite web|url=https://citypopulation.de/en/belgium/luxembourg/virton/85011__florenville/|title=Florenville|work=Citypopulation.de|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref>
|population_as_of  = 2021
|population_total  = 5687
|population_footnotes = <ref name="Info"/>
|postal_code_type  = Postal code
|postal_code       = 6820 to 6824
|area_code_type    = Telephone
|area_code         = 061
|website           = {{url|www.florenville.be}}
}}
'''Florenville''' ({{IPA|fr|flɔʁɑ̃vil|-|LL-Q150 (fra)-Manestra-Florenville.wav}}; [[Lorrain language|Gaumais]]: ''Floravile'') is a [[City status in Belgium|city]] and [[Municipalities of Belgium|municipality]] in the [[Luxembourg (Belgium)|province of Luxembourg]], [[Wallonia]], Belgium. It is located in the southwest part of the country bordering France, on the banks of the [[Semois]] river. Spread across an area of {{cvt|148.1|km2}}, the municipality incorporates seven  [[deelgemeente|districts]]. In 2021, the municipality had a population of 5,687 inhabitants.

== History ==
Archeological excavations in the region have yielded artifacts dating back to at least 15th century BCE. During the rule of the [[Roman Empire]], it was part of the route between [[Reims]] and [[Trier]], built in 45 CE by [[Emperor Claudius]]. Around 1070 CE, a group of [[Order of St. Benedict|Benedictine]] monks from [[Calabria]] settled in the region at the invitation of [[Arnold I, Count of Chiny]], and [[Conrad I, Count of Luxembourg|Conrad I]], [[Count of Luxembourg]], and began construction of a church and monastery, which later became the [[Abbey of Orval]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Luxembourg in the Middle Ages |first=John A.|last=Gades |publisher=Brill |year=1951|page=56 }}</ref> It was consecrated in the 12th century. [[Chiny]] was the center of the region during the early years. In the 13th century, Florenville was established during the marriage of Isabelle, the daughter of [[Louis IV, Count of Chiny]]. The name Florenville is probably derived from "Florent's estate".<ref name="History">{{cite web|url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/be-wlxfl.html|title=Florenville (Municipality, Province of Luxembourg, Belgium)|work=CRW|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref>

In the 17th century, [[Louis XIV]] fortified the region around the [{Semois]] river. During the [[French Revolution]], the town was the location of fighting between insurgents and French soldiers. On 23 June 1793, the abbey of Orval was burned down and plundered. Later, during the [[Second World War]], the town was occupied by [[Nazi Germany]] in 1940. The Germans destroyed many of the houses, damaged the church, and killed the residents. The town returned to France after the war. The municipality of Florenville was established in 1976 and it was granted the honorific title of town (ville) in 1997.<ref name="History"/>

== Geography ==
Florenville is a [[City status in Belgium|city]] and [[Municipalities of Belgium|municipality]] in the [[Wallonia]] [[Regions of Belgium|region]].<ref name="Info"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Loi accordant le titre de ville à la commune de Florenville|url=https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/eli/loi/1997/09/08/1997000707/moniteur|date=8 September 1997|lang=fr|work=[[Belgian Official Gazette]]|access-date=28 February 2025}}</ref> It is one of the ten municipalities in the [[Arrondissements of Belgium|arrondissement]] of [[Arrondissement of Virton|Virton]] in the [[Provinces of Belgium|province]] of [[Luxembourg (Belgium)|Luxembourg]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uvcw.be/communes/infos-com-896-ville-de-florenville.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160802131419/http://uvcw.be/communes/infos-com-896-ville-de-florenville.htm|title=Union des Villes et Communes Wallones|lang=fr|archive-date=2 August 2016|work=UVCW}}</ref><ref name="Virton">{{cite web|url=https://citypopulation.de/en/belgium/luxembourg/85000__virton/|title=Virton|work=Citypopulation.de|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref> It is located in the southwest part of the country and shares a {{cvt|50|km}} international border with France. The [[Semois]] river flows through the north of the city.<ref name="Floren">{{cite web|url=https://www.florenville.org/en/|title=Florenville|work=Syndicat d'initiative de Florenville sur Semois|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref> It borders the municipalities of [[Chiny]], [[Herbeumont]], [[Bouillon, Belgium|Bouillon]], and [[Meix-devant-Virton]].<ref name="Floren"/>

Spread across an area of {{cvt|148.1|km2}}, the municipality incorporates the seven [[deelgemeente|districts]] of [[Chassepierre]], Florenville, Fontenoille, [[Lacuisine]], [[Muno, Belgium|Muno]], [[Sainte-Cécile, Belgium|Sainte-Cécile]], and [[Villers-devant-Orval]].<ref name="Info"/><ref name="Floren"/> In 2021, the municipality had a population of 5,687 inhabitants.<ref name="Info"/> It is the second largest municipality by population in the Virton arrondissement.<ref name="Virton"/>

== See also ==
* [[List of protected heritage sites in Florenville]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.florenville.be/ Florenville official website] {{in lang|fr}}

* {{Commons category-inline}}

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Florenville
|N  = [[Bertrix]], [[Herbeumont]]
|NE = 
|E  = [[Chiny]]<br/>[[Tintigny]]
|SE = [[Meix-devant-Virton]]
|S  = [[Pure, Ardennes|Pure]], [[Matton-et-Clémency]], [[Mogues]], [[Puilly-et-Charbeaux]], [[Auflance]], [[Sapogne-sur-Marche]], [[Margny, Ardennes|Margny]] (all in [[France|FR]]-[[Ardennes (department)|08]])
|SW = [[Messincourt]] ([[France|FR]]-[[Ardennes (department)|08]])
|W  = [[Bouillon, Belgium|Bouillon]]
}}
{{Municipalities in Luxembourg}}
{{Authority control}}

{{coord|49|41.9|N|5|18.6|E|region:BE|display=title}}

[[Category:Florenville| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Wallonia]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Luxembourg (Belgium)]]