Editing Neutral Moresnet (section)

==History==

===Origins===
After the demise of [[Napoleon's]] [[Napoleonic Empire|Empire]], the [[Congress of Vienna]] of 1814–15 redrew the European map, intending to create a [[Balance of power in international relations|balance of power]] [[European balance of power|in Europe]]. One of the borders to be delineated was the one between the newly created [[United Kingdom of the Netherlands]] and the [[Kingdom of Prussia]]. Both parties could agree on the larger part of the territory, as borders mostly followed older lines, but the district of Moresnet proved problematic, mainly because of a valuable [[zinc spar]] mine named Altenberg ([[German language|German]]) or [[Vieille Montagne]] ([[French language|French]]) located there. The governments of both the Netherlands and Prussia desired to appropriate this resource, which was needed for the production of [[zinc]] and [[brass]] – at that time, [[Bristol]] in the United Kingdom was the only other place where zinc ore was processed.<ref name="vmzinc"/>

In December 1815, Dutch and Prussian representatives convened in nearby [[Aachen]], and on 26 June 1816 a compromise was obtained, dividing the district of Moresnet into three parts. The Dutch absorbed the village of Moresnet itself into [[Liège Province]], while the Prussian village Moresnet (renamed [[Neu-Moresnet]] after {{nowrap|[[World War I]]}}) became part of the Prussian [[Rhine Province]] and the mine and village adjacent became a [[neutral territory]] pending a future agreement. The two powers, whose armies were prohibited from occupying the area, established a [[condominium (international law)|joint administration]].{{citation needed|date=February 2019}}

When Belgium gained its independence from the Netherlands in 1830, the Belgians assumed control of the Dutch role in Neutral Moresnet (though the Dutch never formally ceded their claim).{{citation needed|date=February 2019}}

===Borders===
Formal installation of border demarcation markers for the territory occurred on 23 September 1818. The territory of Neutral Moresnet had a somewhat triangular shape with the base being the main road from Aachen to [[Liège]]. The village and mine lay just to the north of this road. To east and west, two straight lines converged on the [[Vaalserberg]].

The roads from Germany and Belgium to the [[Three‑Country Point]] are named {{lang|de|Dreiländerweg}} ({{literally|Three Countries Way}}) and {{lang|fr|Route des Trois [[:fr:borne frontière|Borne]]s}} ('Three [[border stone|Border Stone]]s Road') respectively; the road from the Netherlands is called {{lang|nl|Viergrenzenweg}} ('Four Borders Way').<ref name="GrenzRouten2009">{{cite web |url=http://grenzrouten.eu/content/mus/grenzrouten_fr/pdf/4Landgraben_f.pdf |title=Route&nbsp;4: Landgraben |date=2009 |pages=45–46, 49 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315191559/http://www.grenzrouten.eu/content/mus/grenzrouten_fr/pdf/4Landgraben_f.pdf |archive-date=15 March 2016 |url-status=dead |language=fr |publisher=GrenzRouten |access-date=16 March 2016 }}</ref>

===Flag===
[[File:Old Vieille-Montagne logo.svg|thumb|Emblem of the [[Vieille Montagne]] company may have inspired the Moresnet flag.]]
From 1883, Neutral Moresnet used a [[tricolour]] with horizontal bars in black, white and blue as its territorial flag. The origin is unknown and has been explained in two different ways:<ref>[http://www.moresnet.nl/english/geschiedenis_en.htm Neutral-Moresnet: History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812001647/http://www.moresnet.nl/english/geschiedenis_en.htm |date=12 August 2012 }}</ref>
* It is argued by some that the colours were taken from the two conflicting powers' flags, with black and white representing Prussia and white and blue the Netherlands.
* According to ''[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]]'', "it seems more likely that the colours have been taken from the emblem of the [[Vieille&nbsp;Montagne]]", a mining company.<ref name="Sache2005">{{cite web |url=https://flagspot.net/flags/be-wlgkm.html#mor |title=The Neutral Territory of Moresnet&nbsp;(1816–1918) |work=Flags of the World |date=1 May 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928042318/http://flagspot.net/flags/be-wlgkm.html#mor |archive-date=28 September 2015 |url-status=live |first1=Ivan |last1=Sache |first2=Mark |last2=Sensen |oclc=39626054 }}</ref>

===Status===
[[File:Moresnet Karte.jpg|left|thumb|Neutral Moresnet on a postcard {{circa|1900}}]]
The territory was governed by two royal commissioners, one from each neighbour. Eventually, these commissioners were commonly civil servants from the Belgian [[Verviers]] and the Prussian [[Eupen]]. The municipal administration was directed by a [[#List of mayors|mayor]] appointed by the commissioners.

The [[Napoleonic code|Napoleonic civil and penal codes]], introduced during French rule, remained in force throughout the existence of Neutral Moresnet. However, since no law court existed in the neutral territory, Belgian and Prussian judges had to come in and decide cases based on the Napoleonic laws. Since there was no administrative court either, the judge's decision could not be appealed.

In 1859, Neutral Moresnet was granted a greater measure of self-administration by the installation of a municipal council of ten members. The council, as well as a welfare committee and a school committee, were appointed by the mayor and served an advisory function only. The people had no [[voting rights]].<ref>Robert Shackleton, ''[https://archive.org/stream/unvisitedplaceso005722mbp#page/n213 Unvisited Places of Old Europe]'', 1914, p. 161.</ref>

Life in Neutral Moresnet was dominated by the Vieille Montagne mining company, which not only was the major employer but also operated residences, shops, a hospital and a bank. The mine attracted many workers from the neighboring countries, increasing the population from 256 in 1815 to 2,275 in 1858 and 4,668 in 1914. Most services, such as the mail, were shared between Belgium and Prussia (in a fashion similar to [[Andorra]]). There were five schools in the territory, and Prussian subjects could attend the schools in Prussian Moresnet.

Living in the territory had several benefits. Among these were the low taxes (the national budget being fixed at 2,735 [[Belgian franc]]s throughout most of its history), the absence of import [[tariff]]s from both neighbouring countries, and low prices compared to just across the border. A downside to their special status was the fact that people from Neutral Moresnet were considered to be stateless and were not allowed a military of their own.

Many immigrants settled in Moresnet so they would be exempt from [[military service]], but in 1854 Belgium began to conscript its citizens who had relocated to Moresnet, and Prussia did likewise in 1874. From then on, the exemption applied only to descendants of the original inhabitants.<ref>Charles Hoch, ''The Neutral Territory of Moresnet'', trans. William Warren Tucker, 1882, p. 13.</ref>

===Currency===
Neutral Moresnet did not have its own currency. The [[French franc]] was legal tender. The currencies of Prussia (and then Germany, after 1871), Belgium and the Netherlands were also in circulation. In 1848 local currency began circulating, though these coins were not considered the official medium.<ref>{{cite web |last=Damen |first=Cees |title=Coins |work=Neutral Moresnet |url=http://www.moresnet.nl/english/munten_en.htm |access-date=24 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081104081247/http://www.moresnet.nl/english/munten_en.htm |archive-date=4 November 2008 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

===Uncertain future===
[[File:Drilandenpunt.jpg|right|thumb|The Three-Country Point on the [[Vaalserberg]] presently. Until 1915 this was also the location of Neutral Moresnet's apex.]]
When the mine was exhausted in 1885, the continued survival of Neutral Moresnet was in doubt. Perhaps in response, the next year Dr. [[Wilhelm Molly]] (1838–1919), the mine's chief medical doctor and an avid [[philatelist]], tried to organise a local postal service with its own stamps. This enterprise was quickly thwarted by Belgian intervention.<ref name="Hoffman2003">{{cite web |last1=Hoffmann |first1=Eduard |last2=Nendza |first2=Jürgen |title=Galmei und Esperanto, der fast vergessene europäische Kleinstaat Neutral‑Moresnet |publisher=[[Südwestrundfunk]] |date=19 September 2003 |url=http://www.swr.de/-/id=11528232/property=download/nid=660374/1orb31p/swr2-wissen-20130820.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315141447/http://www.swr.de/-/id=11528232/property=download/nid=660374/1orb31p/swr2-wissen-20130820.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date=15 March 2016 |language=de |access-date=15 March 2016 }}</ref>

About 1900, Germany began a more aggressive policy concerning the territory and was accused of sabotage and obstructing the administrative process in order to force the issue.

A casino was established in August 1903 after the Belgians closed all such resorts in Belgium. The Moresnet casino operated with strict limitations, permitting no local resident to gamble, and no more than 20 people to gather at a time. The venture was abandoned, however, when [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]] threatened to partition the territory or cede it to Belgium in order to end the gambling. Around this same time, Moresnet boasted three [[distilleries]] for the manufacture of [[gin]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Awaiting a Crisis in Belgium |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |date=13 September 1903 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1903/09/13/102434270.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315174441/http://article.archive.nytimes.com/1903/09/13/102434270.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJBTN455PTTBQQNRQ&Expires=1458064129&Signature=nbPvkoxiC3Irz40wFRms0p28CnQ%3D |archive-date=15 March 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{anchor|Amikejo}}
During 1908, Dr. Molly proposed making Neutral Moresnet the world's first [[Esperanto]]‑speaking state, named {{lang|eo|Amikejo}} ("friendship-place"). The proposed national anthem was an Esperanto [[march (music)|march]] of the same name,<ref name="Hoffman2003"/> set to the tune of "[[O Tannenbaum]]".<ref name=Middleton2015>{{cite book|last=Middleton|first=Nick|title=An Atlas of Countries That Don't Exist: A Compendium of Fifty Unrecognized and Largely Unnoticed States|year=2015|publisher=Macmillan|location=London|isbn=978-1-4472-9527-3|page=38}}</ref> A number of residents learned Esperanto and a rally was held in [[Kelmis]] to endorse the idea of {{lang|eo|Amikejo}} on 13 August 1908,<ref name="Hoffman2003"/> and a coat of arms was publicized.<ref name=Middleton2015/> The [[World Congress of Esperanto]], meeting in [[Dresden]], even declared Neutral Moresnet the world capital of the Esperanto community.<ref name="Hoffman2003"/>

===First World War===
[[File:La Calamine - Plaque commémorative dans l'église Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption 1914-1918 - 01.jpg|thumb|left|Memorial to the sons of Neutral Moresnet fallen in both armies during World War I, in the right portal of the Our-Lady-of-Assumption church. At bottom, in German: "United in death, R.I.P."]]
The First World War resulted in the end of neutrality. On 4 August 1914, Germany invaded Belgium, initially leaving Neutral Moresnet as "an oasis in a desert of destruction".<ref name="Musgrave1918">{{cite book |first=George Clarke |last=Musgrave |title=Under Four Flags for France |date=1918 |page=8 |chapter=The Belgian Prelude |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/underfourflagsfo00musgiala#page/8 |publisher=D.&nbsp;Appleton &&nbsp;Company |location=New York |hdl=2027/uc2.ark:/13960/t8qb9xr4b |lccn=18003816 |oclc=1157994 |ol=7209571M |quote=As a proof of German preparation, war had come automatically at 7&nbsp;a.m., 3 August {{bracket|1914}}. At 23&nbsp; o'clock (Belgian time) the outposts on the main roads holding Pepinster, Battice, Herve and smaller hamlets, were heavily engaged and finally forced back to the fortified lines of {{bracket|Liège}}. The pretty towns defended near the frontier were soon flaming ruins, the quaint neutral territory of Moresnet rising as an oasis in a desert of destruction.}}{{nbsp}}{{open access}}</ref> A total of 147 Neutral Moresnet citizens were killed, though it is unclear whether they were killed inside the territory or in fighting outside its borders.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} On 27 June 1915, Neutral Moresnet was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia, although the annexation never received international recognition.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

In 1918, the [[Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)|armistice between France and Germany]], signed on 11 November at [[Compiègne]], forced Germany to withdraw from Belgium and also from Moresnet. It also resulted in the ousting of Mayor [[Wilhelm Kyll]], a German national who had been appointed after the German invasion.

On 28 June 1919, the [[Treaty of Versailles]] settled the dispute that had created the neutral territory a century earlier by awarding Neutral Moresnet, along with Prussian Moresnet and the German cantons of [[Eupen and Malmedy]], to Belgium.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/versa/versa2.html|title=Peace Treaty of Versailles, Articles 31 – 117, Political Clauses for Europe and Annexes|website=net.lib.byu.edu}}</ref> The treaty became effective 10 January 1920, ending the territory's existence and converting it into a municipality in Belgium.

To distinguish it from the already existing town of Moresnet (in the neighboring municipality of [[Plombières]]), Neutral Moresnet was renamed Kelmis (in French: {{lang|fr|La Calamine}}){{spnd}}after ''kelme'', the [[Limburgish|local dialect]] word for zinc spar.

Despite the annexation, Neutral Moresnet Mayor [[Pierre Grignard]] effectively stayed in office and became the first mayor of Kelmis. The ten members of Neutral Moresnet's council were confirmed for the Kelmis municipal council after its Prussian members renounced their nationality. They remained in office until the election of a new municipal council on 7 February 1923.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/be-wlgkm.html|title=Kelmis (Municipality, Province of Liège, Belgium)|website=www.crwflags.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kelmis.be/de/unsere-gemeinde/geschichte/versailler-vertrag|title=Startseite – Ihre Gemeinde Kelmis-Hergenrath-Neu Moresnet|website=www.kelmis.be|access-date=20 March 2017|archive-date=20 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320144435/http://www.kelmis.be/de/unsere-gemeinde/geschichte/versailler-vertrag|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Post-annexation history===
[[File:Kelmis-Direktionsgebäudes der Société anonyme des Mines et Fonderies de Zinc de la Vieille Montagne (3).jpg|left|thumb|Local museum dedicated to the former territory]]

After 1920, Moresnet shared the history of Eupen-Malmedy.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wenselaers |first=Selm |title=De laatste Belgen, een geschiedenis van de oostkantons (The last Belgians, a history of the eastern districts) |publisher=Meulenhoff/Manteau |year=2008 |isbn=978-90-8542-149-8}}</ref> Germany briefly re‑annexed the area during {{nowrap|[[World War II]]}}, but it returned to Belgium in 1944. Since 1973, Kelmis has formed a part of the [[German‑speaking community of Belgium]]. During 1977, Kelmis absorbed the neighbouring communes of Neu‑Moresnet and Hergenrath.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.ostbelgien.net/ob_net/Kelmis/Gemeinde_Kelmis?catid=1162|language=de|title=Gemeinde Kelmis}}</ref>

A small museum in Kelmis, the ''Museum Vieille Montagne'', includes exhibits on Neutral Moresnet. Of the 60 border markers for the territory, more than 50 are still standing.<ref>{{cite web |last=Berns |first=Eef |title=In search of the bordermarkers of Moresnet |year=2002 |url=http://www.grenspalen.nl/archief/index.html |access-date=1 September 2008}}</ref>

As a company, Vieille Montagne survived Neutral Moresnet. It continues to exist as VMZINC, a part of [[Union Minière du Haut Katanga|Union Minière]], the latter renamed in 2001 as [[Umicore]], a global materials company.<ref name="vmzinc">{{cite web |title=VMZINC&nbsp;: un leadership enraciné dans l'histoire |work=Qui sommes nous? |publisher=VMZINC |url=http://www.vmzinc.fr/qui-sommes-nous/vm-zinc/zinc-presentation-histoire-produits/ |language=fr |access-date=24 October 2008}}</ref>