Editing Eupen (section)

==History==
[[File:Carte Belgique 1843.jpg|thumb|left|Map of Belgium in 1843: Eupen and the East Cantons were then German.]]

===Early history===
Eupen and the St. Nikolaus Chapel were first mentioned in 1213 as part of the [[Duchy of Limburg]]. In 1288, after the [[Battle of Worringen]], the Duchy of Limburg was annexed by [[John I of Brabant]]. Brabant and Limburg were inherited by [[Duchy of Burgundy|Burgundy]] in 1387, and Eupen was burnt to the ground during the war against the [[Guelders]]. Burgundy was dissolved in 1477 by the [[Austria]]n [[Habsburgs]] who then inherited Eupen after gaining both Limburg and Brabant.

===Habsburgs and Germans===
Habsburg [[Holy Roman Emperor Charles V]] granted Eupen the privilege to conduct two markets per year in 1544. In 1555, both Brabant and Limburg were passed to the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs. Ten years later, [[Protestantism]] was mentioned for the first time in the town. In 1582, during the [[Dutch Revolt]] against the Spanish Habsburgs, rebels burnt Eupen but did not take control of it. [[Bubonic plague]] reached Eupen in 1635, with devastating consequences. Eupen obtained its own court of law in 1648, and in 1674 received [[City status in Belgium|city rights]], giving it greater recognition and autonomy. Six years later, textile manufacture was introduced to the city.

In 1713, with the [[Treaty of Utrecht]], Brabant and Limburg were returned to the Austrian Habsburgs. Revolutionary France took the city in 1794, incorporating it into the [[Ourthe (department)|''Département'' Ourthe]], {{lang|fr|préfecture}} [[Liège]] and {{lang|fr|sous-préfecture}} [[Malmedy]]. Following the [[Congress of Vienna]] in 1815, Eupen became part of the [[Prussia]]n [[Rhine Province]]. All Prussian possessions became part of the [[German Empire]] in 1871, while Eupen itself enjoyed its popularity as a spa town.

Records show that a weaver named 'Schunck' was established as early as 1776. His eldest son, Nikolaus Severin Schunck (1799–1865), had six sons, of whom the third oldest, Arnold, would later found the firm in Heerlen. The youngest son, Joseph, remained at the weaving mill and there is still a weaving mill in [[Kettenis]] run by descendants of Nikolaus. The company became the famous [[Schunck]].

===20th century===
After the [[First World War]], the 1919 [[Treaty of Versailles]] transferred Eupen and the nearby municipality of [[Malmedy]] from Germany to Belgium. The effect led to the formation of National Socialist groups in Eupen. From 1938 the Vesdre Dam was constructed (completed in 1950), creating [[Lake Eupen]]. In 1940, [[Nazi Germany]] invaded Belgium; in an attempt to reverse Versailles, Eupen and Malmedy were annexed to Germany. In September 1944, American forces reached Eupen which became a centre of fierce fighting in the [[Battle of the Bulge]].

In 1949, the left tower of the St Nikolaus Church burnt down. The city centre was affected by [[North Sea flood of 1953|flooding in 1953]]. Eupen merged with the [[Kettenis|municipality of Kettenis]] in 1976, amidst protest from that town.

In 1980, following a state reform ten years earlier, the [[German-Speaking Community of Belgium]] was established and Eupen was named as its capital.