More recently, many people sought to move from the countryside to live in the city, because there are much more opportunities, prospects and interesting places. Large cities have constantly attracted provincials who want to find new life, wealth and happiness in noisy megacities.
Over time, cities grow, the pace of life in them becomes more and more crazy, the noise on the streets is louder ... And now the townspeople often think about how to move from annoying huge cities to a quiet place where there is no multi-million population and haste.
In our world there are cities whose size is so insignificant that they will be smaller than almost any village or village, and the constant silence in them will please any person tired of the bustle.
Durbuy
Durbuy is a town in Belgium where the majority of the population speaks French. Despite the fact that the first mention of the settlement dates back to the XI century, Durbuy received the status of a city only in 1331. About 11 thousand people now live on the territory of Durbuy, but in fact there are much more people in it due to tourism. Since the XIX century, hundreds of travelers constantly come to the city, which allowed the authorities to equip here a developed tourist infrastructure with good hotels, souvenir shops and restaurants.
Around the small town there are several geological zones – forests, mountains, valleys, a river and even caves. Durbuy carefully preserves the atmosphere of the Middle Ages. Here the traveler can stroll through the cobbled narrow streets, look at the stone buildings built several hundred years ago, visit the Bread Market, founded in 1380, and see with his own eyes the castle, which was erected more than 1100 years ago.
Kallaste
The Estonian town is inhabited by just over 700 people. Kallaste got its name due to its location: the name of the city is translated as the coast, because Kallaste is based on the shore of Lake Peipus, located in the north of the country. Until 1923, the settlement was called differently - Krasnye Gory, and in 1938 it received the title of city.
Kallaste is considered the poorest city in Estonia, because more than 40% of children live in poverty here. Almost 80% of the city's population are Russians engaged in fishing. The area of the former Red Mountains is 2.27 square kilometers, and on its territory there is a famous cemetery of Soviet soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War. There is still a church of the Old Believers' faith, which receives a few parishioners.
Melnik
The population of the Bulgarian city has greatly decreased over the past century. At the beginning of the twentieth century, more than 5 thousand people lived in Melnik, the bulk of the population were Greeks. Now only 239 people live in the town. Despite the fact that the population of the city is constantly decreasing, here you can find many interesting sights, because Melnik is not only the smallest city in Bulgaria, but also one of the oldest.
Here you can see with your own eyes more than a hundred monuments of architecture, including the oldest building in the country - the Boyar House, erected in the XIII century. Also, tourists will have the opportunity to look at the Church of the Apostles Paul and Peter, the Roman Bridge and the Slavova Fortress. Residents of Melnik are the keepers of the recipe for thick homemade wine, prepared according to ancient technologies. The general atmosphere of Melnik resembles a medieval town, because its architecture has not changed for centuries, and there are no modern buildings here, which allows you to preserve its historical value.
Rabstein over Strzela
The town, located in the Czech Republic, is officially recognized as the smallest in Eastern Europe: its population is only 23 people. The place received the status of a city in 1337, there is only one street and a small town square.
Although almost no one lives in Rabstein nad Strzela, tourists often walk here and look at local attractions: a Gothic fortress built in the XIV century, a small Baroque castle, a church, an abandoned stable, a wooden mill and an old stone bridge. Many of the city's houses are used by locals as summer houses where you can relax, receive guests or tourists, telling the long history of this tiny town.
Hum
Legend has it that the Croatian city of Hum was built by giants from huge stones. This place is a medieval fortress, which received the status of a city in the distant XI century. Hum entered the book of records as the smallest city on the planet, because it is inhabited by less than 23 people, and on the territory of the former fortress there are only 13 houses, 2 churches, a restaurant, a hotel, a shop and a cemetery.
The town is located on the top of a hill standing on the Istrian peninsula, and elections for the mayor of the city are held annually, in which only male representatives take part. Also here on a permanent basis there is one policeman, a doctor, a firefighter and even a judge. Even 70 years ago, about 500 people lived here, but the young population in search of a better life moved to large cities.
Buford
For many years, Buford was a city where only one person lived – Don Sammons. In the city, he performed all the duties - he was the mayor, worked at the gas station, the seller in the only store, the janitor and the policeman. The story of the loneliest man in the United States began in 1980, when he moved to Buford with his wife and son. Soon, The wife of Sammons died, and the city began to be inhabited by only 2 people - father and son.
In 2008, Don's child moved to another location, and his father remained the only resident of Buford. After 4 years, the man got tired of hermit life, and he put his city up for auction. Buford was bought by a Vietnamese entrepreneur for 900 thousand dollars. For this money, he purchased a school building built in the early twentieth century, a Salmons house, a barn, a shop and a garage.
Now no one lives in Buford, and the city is officially considered abandoned. It appeared in 1866, when the Transcontinental Railroad was being built in Wyoming. At that time, a little less than two thousand people lived in the city, but residents began to quickly leave for other places when the route of the railway tracks changed and no longer passed through Buford.
