Neutral Moresnet[1]
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| 1816–1921 | |||||||||
 Coat of arms (1908)
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| Anthem: The Amikejo-March[2][3] (Marche Amikejo[4]) | |||||||||
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| Status | Neutral zone | ||||||||
| Capital | Kelmis | ||||||||
| Languages |
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| Demonym(s) | Moresnetic | ||||||||
| Government | Condominium sui iuris | ||||||||
| Mayor | |||||||||
• 1817–1859 (first) | Arnold de Lasaulx | ||||||||
• 1918–1921 (last) | Pierre Grignard | ||||||||
| Historical era | Late modern | ||||||||
• Aachen Agreement | 26 June 1816 | ||||||||
• Prussian annexation | 27 June 1915 | ||||||||
| 28 June 1919 | |||||||||
• Belgian annexation | 10 January 1921 | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• Total | 3.5 km2 (1.4 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1900 | 3,000 | ||||||||
• 1914 | 3,500 | ||||||||
| Currency | French franc | ||||||||
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| Today part of | Belgium | ||||||||
Neutral Moresnet (French pronunciation: [mɔʁɛsnɛt],[6] [mɔʁɛsnɛ],[7] German pronunciation: [ˈmɔʁəsnɛt], [ˌmɔʁəsˈnɛt]) was a small Belgian–Prussian condominium in western Europe that existed from 1816 to 1921 and was administered jointly by the United Kingdom of the Netherlands (Belgium after its independence in 1830) and the Kingdom of Prussia. It was 1.5 kilometres (1 mi) wide and 5 kilometres (3 mi) long, with an area of 3.6 square kilometres (900 acres). After 1830, the territory's northernmost border point at Vaalserberg connected it to a quadripoint shared additionally with the Dutch Province of Limburg, the Prussian Rhine Province, and the Belgian Liège Province.[8] That border point's position is currently represented by the Three-Country Point, the meeting place of the borders of Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands.
During the First World War, Neutral Moresnet was annexed by Germany. The armistice between France and Germany in November 1918 forced Germany to withdraw from Belgium and Neutral Moresnet. A year later, the Treaty of Versailles awarded Neutral Moresnet to Belgium, as from 10 January 1921, when it become the municipality of Kelmis.
During the Second World War, Kelmis and the surrounding area were annexed by Germany and its name was changed to Moresnet. The territory was returned to Belgium at the end of the war.
- ^ Neutral-Moresnet Archive
- ^ Avez-vous déjà entendu parler de Moresnet ?
- ^ Het absurde verhaal van Neutraal Moresnet
- ^ le lieu de l'amitié
- ^ Van Reybrouck, David (2018). Zink. De Bezige Bij. ISBN 9789403105604.
Taal? Geen. Duits, Frans en Kelmeser Platt dooreen, iets tussen Plattdütsch en Limburgs in.
[Language? None. A mix of German, French and Kelmeser Platt, which is somewhere between Low German and Limburgish] - ^ "Plombières : visite du Viaduc de Moresnet par les écoles.x". Télé Vesdre. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
- ^ Max Mangold (2005). Das Aussprachewörterbuch. Mannheim/Zürich: Dudenverlag, p. 564.
- ^ Martin, Lawrence; Reed, John (2006). The Treaties of Peace, 1919–1923. Vol. 1. Lawbook Exchange. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-58477-708-3. LCCN 2006005097.
Neutral Moresnet, added to this map as an independent country, is a mile [1.6 km] wide and 3 miles [4.8 km] long. It is so small that it has never been shown on maps of Europe as a whole. It has an area of 900 acres [360 ha] and about 3500 people . . .