Viaduct of Moresnet - Plombières

The Geul Valley Viaduct in Moresnet spans the Geul Valley near Moresnet with a total length of 1,107 metres and a height of 52 metres. It was built during the German occupation of Belgium in World War I by order of the German military authorities. Around 14,000 workers and prisoners of war were used for its construction. Many of them did not survive the heavy and dangerous work.

The structural work was completed in an unimaginably short period of seven months. The viaduct was destroyed by Belgian soldiers in 1940 during World War II to prevent German troops from advancing. The viaduct was repaired under renewed German occupation, but was again destroyed by German soldiers in 1944, this time to prevent Allied troops from advancing.

By the end of the 20th century, about 70% of freight traffic between the port of Antwerp and Germany was transported over the viaduct. Today, around 80-100 goods trains cross the viaduct every day, mostly at night.