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.