The most beautiful European villages/hamlets/small towns

[Dzwonsson]

Originally Posted by dexter2

The problem is that most of those examples from western and southern Europe are cities not villages

Definition of village varies per country, in the most dense regions of Europe villages with population of several thousand people are quite common, for example, for quite some time I lived in a lovely village called Vinkeveen and despite having a population of approximately 10,000 people it's still a village.

[dexter2]

Even in Poland we meet big ad small villages, because amount of people is not the only indicator. Bałuty in Łódź was once a village (officialy) that had more than a 100000 people living there. Only because of the speed of urbanization. But that is not a point - I think character of settlement is most important here.
For example: how is that a village? We got thread about lovely towns and cities, so please stay on topic.

[uunxx]

Originally Posted by Dzwonsson

Definition of village varies per country, in the most dense regions of Europe villages with population of several thousand people are quite common, for example, for quite some time I lived in a lovely village called Vinkeveen and despite having a population of approximately 10,000 people it's still a village.

I've checked how Vinkeveen looks and well, it looks like village. It's not matter of population and size, villages have generally rural character with mostly individual houses. 3 floor contiguous tenaments, as we see here often, are definitely urban kind of architecture. If towns are also allowed here then the thread title is misleading.

[jumping_jack]

Originally Posted by uunxx

I've checked how Vinkeveen looks and well, it looks like village. It's not matter of population and size, villages have generally rural character with mostly individual houses. 3 floor contiguous tenaments, as we see here often, are definitely urban kind of architecture. If towns are also allowed here then the thread title is misleading.

oh god... why?

i just explained that the villages with detached houses are typical for central europe or northern regions but they don't even exist in mediterranean counties...

ronda is of course a city but the number of the floors and contiguous character of buildings depends on the development history of a country and process of evolution of settlements.

[Dakaro]

Great thread! I love Europe! Thanks, for photos!

[uunxx]

Originally Posted by jumping_jack

i just explained that the villages with detached houses are typical for central europe or northern regions but they don't even exist in mediterranean counties...

Perhaps I have put my words unclear, by individual I meant 1 house -> 1 family, of course they can be connected which is often a case in Central Europe too. I don't know how it is in Italy but if in Italian villages people live in flats then what is a difference between a town and a village?

[jumping_jack]

no these are not flats, most of them are inhabited by one family on all the floors, these houses are mostly very narrow so in the villages there are one or two rooms per floor.

what is a difference between a town and a village?

this is the point. in poland both towns and villages were founded with a clear purpose of their future function. the settlements "were made" for different purposes and for this reason have very different building types and spatial schemes. in southern europe the settlements evolved gradually for example from roman villas (this is the etymology of the word village) and in time became villages, then boroughs and in the end cities. there's no a clear boundary between these phases of evolution. the difference is mainly in the economy of the settlement (the importance of the handicraft and commerce), presence of civic infrastructure and the size of the settlement rather than it's original destination, spatial pattern or housing type.

[Bavarian Angelshark]

Monreal (Rhineland-Palatinate), Germany
population: 838

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Monreal von CarlaAxtman auf Flickr

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Monreal in der Eifel von mama knipst! auf Flickr

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Monreal --- Eifel von Polybert49 auf Flickr

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Kirchstrasse von Herzkasper auf Flickr

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Monreal, Elzbach von einfallsreich auf Flickr

[Bastilani]

Varenna,Lake of Como,Lombardia,Italy

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from http://www.flickr.com/photos/metamerist/

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from http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesbenson/

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from http://www.flickr.com/photos/davharuk/

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from http://www.flickr.com/photos/vly/

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from http://www.flickr.com/photos/ev0ev0/

[Bastilani]

Monte Isola,Lake Iseo, Lombardia, Italy

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from http://www.flickr.com/photos/ac_theart/

[Bavarian Angelshark]

Stolberg/Harz (Saxony-Anhalt), Germany
population: 1286

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Stolberg 070408 048 von juergen.mangelsdorf auf Flickr

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Castle Stolberg von ivlys auf Flickr

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Stolberg Niedergasse mit Saigerturm von Wolfsraum auf Flickr

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stolberg im harz 1 von Finelux auf Flickr

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Stolberg Rathaus am Markt von Wolfsraum auf Flickr

[Bavarian Angelshark]

Fraueninsel / Lake Chiemsee (Bavaria), Germany
population: 304

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Fraueninsel von aspri1 auf Flickr


Alois Köppl, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...JPG?uselang=de


Gerhard66, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...JPG?uselang=de

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Chiemsee von JP-ZMR auf Flickr

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Convent von justfordream auf Flickr

[Cloudship]

Originally Posted by photolitherland

I wish to live in Europe so freaking bad. Here in Texas, everything is so ugly and new and any history we had, was mostly destroyed during the 50s through 80s and still to this day.

But you have San Antonio Riverwalk. I still consider that one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen at Christmas, and I have been many places.

[Silano]

Originally Posted by Bastilani

Varenna,Lake of Como,Lombardia,Italy

My turn:

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Varenna por A FUTURE FOTO, no Flickr

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Varenna por Juan Rubiano, no Flickr

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Varenna por Massimo Santo | Photography, no Flickr

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Varenna - Lake Como Italy por mbell1975, no Flickr

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Varenna - Lake Como Italy por mbell1975, no Flickr

[Silano]

Castelluccio, Italy

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Castelluccio di Norcia, surrounded by mountains and flowers, Umbria - Italy por luigig75, no Flickr

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Castelluccio di Norcia -3956.jpg por :-:claudiotesta:-:, no Flickr

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source

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source

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Castelluccio di Norcia. Fioritura 2010 por marcotraferri, no Flickr

[Silano]

Levanzo, Italy

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reaching at Levanzo isle por prdsra2, no Flickr

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Back To Cala Dogana por Fabio Montalto, no Flickr

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Cala Dogana por Fabio Montalto, no Flickr

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Levanzo por bego87, no Flickr

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Levanzo por gordonpi, no Flickr

[takeonme]

Originally Posted by weird

PERATALLADA (SPAIN)

Stunning!

[Giorgio]

Wow, I am shocked that the village of Levanzo is Italian and not Greek.

Fiscardo, Kefalonia - Greece

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Fiscardo or Φισκάρδο. Kefalonia. Greece. by elsa11, on Flickr

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Fiscardo or Φισκάρδο. Kefalonia. Greece. by elsa11, on Flickr

Assos, Kefalonia

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Assos. Kefalonia. Greece. by elsa11, on Flickr

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Assos. Kefalonia. Greece. by elsa11, on Flickr

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Assos. Kefalonia. Greece. by elsa11, on Flickr

[CitoyenNéerlandais]

Heusden, the Netherlands
population: 1500









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Windmill #2 of Heusden by John^R, on Flickr

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Heusden_25_IMGP16692 by Canned it, on Flickr

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heusden by la5me, on Flickr

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1105_Heusden_22.jpg by maartenzwemmer, on Flickr

[weird]

Levanzo is just gorgeous! What a beautiful sea they have.

Originally Posted by dexter2

For example: how is that a village? We got thread about lovely towns and cities, so please stay on topic.

Well, maybe Ronda is not the best example and I agree with you. Nevermind, jumping_jack explanation was great. In Spain, no matter if a fishermen village or a farmer's place, people tend to live close to each other.