Concours des villes et villages fleuris

Successful communes are awarded the right to display a badge (one to four flowers) on road signs and in other local promotional material.

[1] The Concours des villes et villages fleuris originates in the various horticultural contests that appeared at the beginning of the 20th century.

As tourism was growing, competitions were created for train stations and hotels for them to improve their visual quality.

After the Second World War, the Touring Club created an itinerary of flower-decked roads (routes fleuries) together with the Horticultural Association and the magazine Rustica.

The success of the itinerary led to the creation of the present Concours des villes et villages fleuris in 1959.

Nowadays, it focuses more on general planning and how it improves the lives of local residents and the experience of visitors.

They help examiners to evaluate the motivation of the local authorities, the development they expect through plants and green spaces, how they communicate to the public about it, how they respect the environment, and so forth.

It started in 1975 between Great Britain and France and has since expanded to include all members of the European Union and the EFTA.