Semur-en-Auxois Tests Hosting 25 Families to Revive the Small Town

Could spending a month in a small town in Côte-d'Or be enough to make someone want to settle there for good? That's the bet being tested in Semur-en-Auxois starting September 1, as 25 families from France and abroad arrive for a full-scale, month-long stay.

A Month to Picture a New Life

The initiative comes not from the town hall or a conventional regional development agency, but from two young entrepreneurs. Frenchman Noé Marguillard and Dane Nikolaj Astrup Madsen, who met on LinkedIn, founded the concept called Revillage: letting families test life in a rural town before committing to a permanent move.

In practice, the 25 selected households move into Semur-en-Auxois starting September 1 and will stay through the end of the month. The founders' stated goal is simple: let them experience the real daily life of a small fortified town in Burgundy — schools, shops, community groups, pace of life — in order to remove the obstacles that often keep people from taking the plunge.

Why Semur-en-Auxois?

Like many small towns attached to their rural way of life, Semur-en-Auxois has for several years been trying to halt its population decline and revive its downtown area. The town, known for its medieval ramparts and its collegiate church, is banking on this kind of full-scale experiment to become known to a public that might otherwise never have discovered it, perhaps during one of those road trips across France that bring the heritage of small towns back into the spotlight.

• 25 families from France and abroad
• Stay from September 1 to September 30, 2026
• Concept run by the organization Revillage
• Goal: encourage lasting settlement in the town

A Model That Could Spread

If the experience convinces some of the families to actually move in, Revillage's two founders plan to replicate the concept in other French and European towns facing the same demographic challenge. One key factor in turning the trial into a real commitment: access to suitable housing through local real estate professionals, a condition that is often decisive in getting a family to truly take the leap after a simple full-scale test.

For small rural towns, this kind of program changes the equation: rather than relying solely on financial incentives to move in, it addresses a more psychological obstacle — fear of the unknown — by offering a real immersion before any decision is made.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can take part in this kind of experiment?

Families are selected by Revillage, the organization behind the project, from among French and foreign applicants interested in settling in a rural area.

What happens at the end of the month-long stay?

Families are free to leave or to follow through on a plan to settle permanently in Semur-en-Auxois, with support from local housing and employment players.

Will other towns offer this program?

Revillage's founders say they want to expand the concept to other French and European towns if the Semur-en-Auxois experiment proves successful.

Sources

• France 3 Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
• Semur-en-Auxois Town Hall

This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence. Editorial policy