Three-country point or was it four?
Vaals, Kelmis, Moresnet
From Vaals, we cycle a short distance through Germany towards Kelmis in Belgium. There is a fantastic story to tell about this place. Kelmis ( La Calamine) was home to an important zinc mine. After Napoleon was finally defeated in 1815, the Netherlands and Prussia were redivided. The division went smoothly, except for one small area: Kelmis in the municipality of Moresnet. Both Prussia and the Netherlands were eager to annex this area of more than three square kilometres because of its rich zinc mine, and the lords in high office could not agree. They finally decided to separate the border negotiations from the discussion about the zinc mine and to declare Moresnet temporarily neutral. Neutral Moresnet was a pie slice whose northernmost part bordered Prussia and the Netherlands. Temporarily, was the intention. Belgium's independence in 1830 threw a spanner in the works. King William 1 now had no control over the southern Netherlands and negotiations began again, this time with the heated Belgian rebels as opponents. The Three-Country Point became a Four-Country Point, the only one in Europe. Demand for zinc was high due to the industrial revolution and the mine came into the hands of a French company: Société des Mines et Fonderies de Zinc de la Vieille-Montagne. The population of Neutral Moresnet skyrocketed because the mine was known as an excellent employer and because there were no taxes, no conscription and hardly any enforcement, the little state was not only a devout mining village but also a rampant nest of robbers. In 1894, the village had 60 pubs, four distilleries and many brothels. There was plenty of smuggling: coffee, tea, tobacco and spirits. Anyone who had something on their record just across the border in Prussia fled to Kelmis. Belgium and Prussia still argued about who was entitled to the mine, but the inhabitants themselves thought it was fine after a while. In 1903, 95% of the inhabitants voted in favour of neutrality. In 1914, Germany invaded Neutral Moresnet and the small state was under German rule. Residents were given German citizenship and young men had to fight in the German army. After the war, the area was occupied by the Belgian army and in 1920 Neutral Moresnet was finally incorporated by Belgium in the Treaty of Versailles. A painful, strange situation ensued for families in Kelmis: Men, fathers and sons who had previously been forced to fight for Germany in World War I were fighting against Germany in World War II. The official language in Moresnet is still German, but people also speak Plat-Diets, a Limburg dialect spoken throughout the Euregio. In spring, the Zinc Pansy, an extremely rare plant that only grows on zinc-rich soil, still blooms here as a silent witness to this special piece of history. This Premium Cycle route was compiled by our editor: Yvonne Vlaskamp.
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
|
Start: Oude Akerweg , 6295 NC Vaals | 33.1 KM | |
|
From
93
to
95
|
3517 M | 3.5 KM | |
| Head southeast on Oude Akerweg | 64 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Oude Akerweg | 1.3 KM | ||
| Continue slightly left onto Heuvel | 1.2 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Koperstraat | 136 M | ||
| Turn right onto Lindenstraat | 189 M | ||
| Turn right onto Kerkstraat | 168 M | ||
| Turn left onto Akenerstraat | 196 M | ||
| Turn left onto Püngelerstraße | 223 M | ||
| Turn left onto Vaalser Straße (B 1) | 44 M | ||
| You are now at section 95 | 0 M | ||
|
From
95
to
46
|
1541 M | 1.5 KM | |
| Head southwest on Grensstraat | 7 M | ||
| Turn left onto Vaalser Straße (B 1) | 121 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 151 M | ||
| Turn right onto Keltenstraße | 126 M | ||
| Turn left onto Alte Vaalser Straße | 611 M | ||
| Turn right | 525 M | ||
| You are now at section 46 | 0 M | ||
|
From
46
to
15
|
585 M | 0.6 KM | |
| Head east | 17 M | ||
| Turn right onto Steppenbergallee | 66 M | ||
| Turn left onto Steppenbergweg | 62 M | ||
| Turn right onto Steppenbergweg | 223 M | ||
| Turn left | 187 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Gemmenicher Weg | 30 M | ||
| You are now at section 15 | 0 M | ||
|
From
15
to
14
|
2655 M | 2.7 KM | |
| Head southwest on Friedrichweg | 255 M | ||
| Turn left | 1 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Am Hasselholz | 200 M | ||
| Turn right onto Hasselholzer Weg | 876 M | ||
| Turn right onto Preusweg | 311 M | ||
| You are now at section 14 | 0 M | ||
|
From
14
to
13
|
955 M | 1 KM | |
| Head southeast on Karlshöher Talweg | 919 M | ||
| Turn right | 21 M | ||
| Turn left | 15 M | ||
| You are now at section 13 | 0 M | ||
|
From
13
to
15
|
4487 M | 4.5 KM | |
| Head west | 15 M | ||
| Turn left | 2.5 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Hergenrather Weg | 1.2 KM | ||
| Continue onto Aachener Straße | 778 M | ||
| You are now at section 15 | 0 M | ||
|
From
15
to
9
|
839 M | 0.8 KM | |
| Head south on Aachener Straße | 333 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Martinsstraße | 70 M | ||
| Turn right onto Martinsstraße | 436 M | ||
| You are now at section 09 | 0 M | ||
|
From
9
to
8
|
2410 M | 2.4 KM | |
| Head northwest on Altenberger Straße | 32 M | ||
| Turn left onto Emmaburgerweg | 711 M | ||
| Turn right | 875 M | ||
| Turn left onto Lütticher Straße - Rue de Liège (N3) | 792 M | ||
| You are now at section 08 | 0 M | ||
|
From
8
to
7
|
1914 M | 1.9 KM | |
| Head north on RAVeL L 39 B (RAVeL 39A Kelmis Moresnet) | 411 M | ||
| Continue onto Heide | 64 M | ||
| Continue onto RAVeL L 39B | 1.4 KM | ||
| You are now at section 07 | 0 M | ||
|
From
7
to
4
|
1620 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head northeast on RAVeL L 39 | 15 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on RAVeL L 39 | 1.1 KM | ||
| Make a slight right onto RAVeL 39 Moresnet Gemmenich | 497 M | ||
| You are now at section 04 | 0 M | ||
|
From
4
to
6
|
868 M | 0.9 KM | |
| Head northeast on Chemin de Schimper | 32 M | ||
| Keep left at the fork | 836 M | ||
| You are now at section 06 | 0 M | ||
|
From
6
to
3
|
1402 M | 1.4 KM | |
| Head northeast on Marveld | 183 M | ||
| Turn left onto Chemin de Roerberg | 571 M | ||
| Turn right onto Belle-Vue | 577 M | ||
| Turn right onto Völkerich (N608) | 50 M | ||
| Turn left onto Schroubel | 21 M | ||
| You are now at section 03 | 0 M | ||
|
From
3
to
91
|
3622 M | 3.6 KM | |
| Head east on Ligne 39 | 1.5 KM | ||
| Make a slight left onto Droegweide | 187 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Droegweide | 28 M | ||
| Turn right onto RAVeL 39 | 481 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto RAVeL 39 Moresnet Gemmenich | 29 M | ||
| Turn right onto Route des Trois Bornes | 1.4 KM | ||
| You are now at section 91 | 0 M | ||
|
From
91
to
93
|
6680 M | 6.7 KM | |
| Head north on Route des Trois Bornes | 96 M | ||
| Continue straight | 48 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 129 M | ||
| Turn right onto Viergrenzenweg | 374 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Viergrenzenweg | 648 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Viergrenzenweg | 785 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Nieuwe Hertogenweg | 215 M | ||
| Turn right onto Gemmenicherweg | 59 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Gemmenicherweg | 1.1 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Schuttebergsweg | 1.3 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Eschberg | 115 M | ||
| Turn left onto Weijerweg | 674 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Ulengats | 440 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Holset | 107 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Holset | 107 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Holset | 503 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Oude Akerweg | 64 M | ||
| You are now at section 93 | 0 M |