Petite Cité de Caractère is a label awarded to towns or villages that meet a set of criteria as set by the Petites Cités de Caractère de France.
[1] As of 2021 there are more than 200 communes listed as a Petite Cité de Caractère.
[2] The label was created in Brittany in 1976 by Jean-Bernard Vighetti, a Breton geography professor, worried about the decline of France's heritage, particularly the heritage of small towns in the country, which were in decline during the 1960s, as people and industry moved to larger cities.
[5] In 2009 a national Charte de Qualité, which formalised the criteria and objectives, was established.
[6] To be classified as a Petite Cité de Caractère the commune must