Commune de Durbuy

What Commune de Durbuy does

Commune de Durbuy (Ville de Durbuy) is a public Belgian municipality located in the Province de Luxembourg, administratively headquartered at the Hôtel de Ville (Basse Cour 13, 6940 Durbuy). Recognized as the smallest city in the world since 1331, it delivers a full spectrum of municipal services to permanent residents, local businesses, tourists, and youth organizations across its territory. Its functional scope spans civil status and population registration, urban planning, waste management, parking enforcement (horodateurs), communal taxation, fundamental education through 7 communal schools, sports (Le CODO omni-sports center), culture (DHAM museum, topiary garden with 250 boxwood sculptures), emergency planning, and tourism promotion (durbuytourisme.be).

The commune operates a digital administrative platform (durbuy.egovflow.be) for online service delivery, supplemented by an official website (durbuy.be), dedicated portals for tourism, culture, sports, and economic development (adl-durbuy.be), and the "Durbuy en Poche" mobile application. Back-office functions include GDPR compliance via external DPO (Privanot asbl), web development outsourced to Pragmacom, and POLLEC (Local Energy and Climate Policy) coordination supported by the Walloon Region. Electricity grid interactions for EV charging declarations are coordinated with ORES, the regional distribution system operator.

Revenue mechanics are tax-and-fee based rather than commercial: communal taxes and levies (waste, additional centimes on property tax, second-residence taxes, unoccupied building taxes), administrative fees (civil status documents, urban planning, library services), tourism-derived revenue (bed taxes, camping fees, kayak/boat descent fees on the Ourthe river), and commercial licenses (beverage, food vending, terrace placement, advertising). Real estate activity also generates one-time land sales (Heyd lotissement at €65,000–€75,000 per lot) and short-term land rentals. The entity is structured as a local government body with 21 proportionally elected council seats (Imperiali method since 1921) and no private ownership or commercial shareholders.

Name

Commune de Durbuy

Legal name

Ville de Durbuy

Website

https://durbuy.be

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Commune de Durbuy is a Belgian public municipality (the world's smallest city) in Province de Luxembourg that delivers administrative, educational, cultural, sports, and tourism services to residents, businesses, and visitors, funded by communal taxes, fees, and tourism receipts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Other General Government Support (92119), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (924110), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (BPAIACAI), Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH), Local Education Authorities & Municipal Education Offices (EDADABAD), Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs) (BPAIACAJ)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Public administration
• Civil registry services
• Urban planning services
• Communal education

Headquarters

HQ city

Durbuy

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Communal Taxes and Levies: The municipality collects various taxes and redevances including waste collection and treatment, property taxes (centimes additionnels), parking fees, and taxes on second residences and unoccupied buildings
2. Administrative Fees: Fees for administrative services including document copies, urban planning information, civil status documents, library services, name changes, marriage dossiers, and nationality acquisition
3. Tourism-Related Revenue: Taxes on tourist accommodation including bed taxes (taxe de séjour), camping fees, and kayak/boat descent fees on the Ourthe river
4. Commercial Licenses: Fees from commercial activities including beverage licenses (débits de boissons), food vendors, terrace placements on public domain, vending machines, and advertising panels

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Commune de Durbuy is a Belgian municipal government that delivers public administration services to residents including civil status registration, urban planning and permits, waste management, parking enforcement via horodateurs, communal tax collection, and population management. It also operates a network of 7 communal fundamental schools, sports facilities (Le CODO omnisports center with communal swimming pool), cultural venues (DHAM, 250-sculpture topiary garden, 16th-century Halle aux Blés), tourism services (durbuytourisme.be), local economic development (ADL Durbuy), and digital administrative services through its e-guichet platform.

Product overview

Commune de Durbuy is a municipal government website (ville de Durbuy) that provides administrative services to citizens. The website serves as an official portal offering access to municipal services including administration, tourism (durbuytourisme.be), sports (lecod.be), culture (ccdurbuy.be), and economic development (adl-durbuy.be). The site also features an e-guichet (electronic government) service for online administrative procedures, along with information about schools, taxes, parking, community events, and local governance. This is not a technology product company but rather a local government administrative portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• E-guichet Online Administrative Portal Digital administrative services platform hosted at egovflow.be that allows citizens to access municipal services online, submit administrative requests, manage documentation electronically, and complete procedures without visiting the town hall in person.
• Horodateurs Parking System Automated parking payment system operating daily from 10h00 to 20h00 via horodateurs (parking meters) with license plate recognition for resident parking exemptions at 'Pré Georis' and 'Centre-passerelle' zones. Includes a 15-day administrative processing time for free parking registration.
• Communal Fundamental Schools Network Network of 7 communal fundamental schools located in Barvaux, Bomal, Borlon, Heyd, Izier, Petithan, and Tohogne, providing primary education to children of the Durbuy commune.
• Le CODO Omnisports Center Communal omnisports center (Centre omnisports de Durbuy) providing a communal swimming pool and various sports activities accessible to residents and visitors of Durbuy.
• Centre Culturel de Durbuy (Cultural Center) Cultural center (Centre Culturel de Durbuy) operated by the commune, hosting cultural programming, an event agenda, and reservation services for community cultural activities.
• Topiary Garden of Durbuy Tourist attraction featuring 250 boxwood sculptures along the Ourthe river, claimed as the world's largest topiary garden, offering various visit formulas with or without guides and educational panels describing local fauna and flora.
• Bibliothèque communale (Municipal Library) Municipal library located in Barvaux-sur-Ourthe offering a wide selection of books, large print novels, audiobooks, DVDs, comics/manga, and graphic novels, organized by audience (children, teens, adults), genre, format, and reading level, with dedicated work, relaxation, and animation spaces.
• ADL Durbuy Local Economic Development Agency Agence de Développement Local (Local Economic Development Agency) promoting the local economy, providing business support, job listings, and economic directory services for the Durbuy commune.
• Tourism Services and Durbuy en Poche App Tourism portal (durbuytourisme.be) and the 'Durbuy en Poche' mobile app providing visitors with information on local attractions, accommodations, events, hiking trails, kayaking/boat descents on the Ourthe river, and cultural venues.

Quantifiable outcome

• 21 council seats allocated via proportional Imperiali method since 1921
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Province de LuxembourgcoreOthersThe Province de Luxembourg provides regional services and support to Durbuy municipality, including the heat wave alert call service for vulnerable populations (084/320 972). The province also hosts the deliberation platform for communal council publications.
• Convention des Maires (Mayors' Convention)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDurbuy joined the Covenant of Mayors on March 29, 2017, committing to reduce CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030, strengthen climate resilience, and reduce energy poverty. The commune develops its PAEDC (Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan) under this framework.
• Privanot asblcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDesignated Data Protection Officer (DPO) service provider under Madame Aurélie Van der Perre, managing GDPR compliance for the commune. Contact: rue de la Montagne 30, 1000 Brussels, [email protected], 02/500.14.15.
• Walloon Region (Région Wallonne)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides POLLEC coordinator funding and support for local energy and climate initiatives. Supports housing renovation grants, energy premiums, and energy renovation programs. Manages the sustainable development fund and biodiversity enterprise subsidies (€10,000-24,000).
• ADL Durbuy (Agence de Développement Local)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal Economic Development Agency promoting local economy, providing business support, job listings, and economic directory services for the Durbuy commune.
• Zone de Secours LuxembourgcoreOthersEmergency response zone responsible for safety at recreational events. Publishes the 'Mémento des règles de sécurité concernant les événements récréatifs' and requires 112 notification before lighting large fires.
• PragmacomminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWeb development partner for the commune's official website (durbuy.be).
• Ourthe Energie (GAL)minorOthersLocal Action Group providing support for energy renovation projects in the Ourthe region.
• Mouvements de JeunessecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational youth movement organization that co-developed the Youth Camps Charter governing camp organization on the commune's territory during July and August.

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Commune de Namur: Larger Walloon capital city government with the same fundamental municipal mandate (administration, schools, urban planning, tourism) but at a meaningfully larger scale. Useful as a comparable governance structure in Belgium.
• Province de Luxembourg: Regional authority that operates one tier above Durbuy and provides shared services, deliberation platform hosting, and emergency call centers. Comparable as a Belgian public administration body with overlapping citizen-service mandate.

Direct peers

• Ville de Dinant: Belgian municipality on the Meuse with similar tourism profile (citadel, river cruises, sax heritage), comparable administrative services, and similar dependence on tourist taxes and cultural venue revenues.
• Commune de Stavelot: Belgian commune in the Province of Liège with comparable population size, tourism assets (historic abbey, Formula 1 circuit), and municipal administrative model. Similar fiscal structure and reliance on tourist taxes.
• Ville de Spa: Small Belgian city famous for its heritage brand (Spa-Francorchamps, thermal heritage) with similar governance scale and tourism-led fiscal identity. Directly comparable in scope of municipal services and tourist revenue streams.
• Ville de La Roche-en-Ardenne: Small Belgian municipality in the Ardennes/Province of Luxembourg with a similar tourism-led economy (castle, Ourthe river, outdoor activities). Directly comparable in scale, governance structure, and reliance on tourism revenue.
• Commune de Bouillon: Belgian commune with a heritage tourism identity (Bouillon castle), broadly comparable resident population, and similar scope of municipal services (schools, sports, tourism, waste collection).

Emerging players

• Civadis: Belgian IT solutions provider specializing in municipal e-government platforms analogous to Durbuy's e-guichet (egovflow.be). Comparable as the technology vendor/peer in the municipal digital services category.
• Paradigm NV: Belgian vendor of municipal IT and administrative solutions (including egovflow platform). Directly comparable as the underlying technology platform for Durbuy's e-guichet services.

Others

• ADL Durbuy (Agence de Développement Local): Local economic development agency within the commune providing business support, job listings, and commercial directory. Thematically adjacent - ecosystem participant supporting Durbuy's economic mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/commune-de-durbuy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Commune de Durbuy