Editing Malmedy (section)

== History ==
[[File:Cathédrale de Malmedy 004.jpg|left|thumb|Cathedral of Malmedy]]
The name of "Malmedy" comes from the Latin sentence "A malo mundarum", meaning "purifying from evil". The name originated due to regular flooding in the past from the [[Warche]] river, which passes through the town.<ref name="fondation"/>

The city was founded in 648 by [[Saint Remacle]], Abbot of [[Solignac Abbey]] in France. He had established his Benedictine Monastery in Malmedy. Between this date and 1794, the history of Malmedy is linked to the [[Princely Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy]], a [[cleric]]al [[microstate]] ruled by a [[prince-abbot]].

For 1,146 years, Malmedy and Stavelot together formed the Principality of Stavelot-Malmedy. Seventy-seven successive prince abbots of the Germanic Holy Roman Empire and the County of Logne led the state. However, a rivalry grew up rapidly between the two towns, because Saint Remacle decided to choose Stavelot as the main city of the Principality.

In the 16th century, a significant number of industries appeared in the area of Malmedy: cloth, leather and gunpowder production. In the 17th century, Stavelot-Malmedy became the most important tannery centre in Europe. But the main industry in Malmedy was the papermaking industry. It brought considerable wealth to the town.

In 1795, during the [[French Revolution]] and the [[Liège Revolution]], the Principality of Stavelot-Malmedy was annexed by France. Malmedy became a lower prefecture in the "département de l'Ourthe".<ref name="fondation">{{cite web|title=History and Growth |url=http://www.malmedy.be/en/Tourisme/Malmedy/Histoire/fondation.html |website=www.malmedy.be |access-date=7 January 2016}}</ref>

After the defeat of Napoléon in 1815, during the [[Congress of Vienna]], the decision was made to link Malmedy, a Romance and [[Walloons|Walloon]] town, to [[Prussia]], a Germanic state. This special situation of Malmedy caused a lot of problems in the first 50 years. However, the inhabitants were free to speak French as they pleased, including in the day-to-day running of the town council.

This situation changed following the [[Franco-German War]] of 1870 and the foundation of the [[German Empire]]. For the Prussian-German administration, Malmedy suffered a double disadvantage as it was both francophone and Catholic. From this moment, the government under [[Chancellor of Germany|Chancellor]] [[Otto von Bismarck|Bismarck]] implemented a policy of Germanisation: In schools, lessons in French were banned and the German language was mandatory. The priests were not allowed to preach any longer in French.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Prussian Epoch (1815-1919) |url=http://www.malmedy.be/en/Tourisme/Malmedy/Histoire/periode-prussienne.html |website=www.malmedy.be |access-date=7 January 2016}}</ref>

During the [[World War I|First World War]], the population of Malmedy fought in German uniforms. But when the defeat of the [[German Empire]] was proclaimed, Malmedy and the other eastern cantons were annexed to Belgium by virtue of the [[Treaty of Versailles]]. Malmedy and neighbouring [[Eupen]] were subject to a [[plebiscite]] to determine whether the region would be separated from [[Germany]] and [[annexation|annex]]ed to Belgium. The plebiscite [[ballot]]s required registration of the names and addresses of the pro-German [[voters]] (the others were assumed to be pro-Belgian), and the German-speaking population of Eupen and Malmedy were intimidated. Both were formally annexed on 6 March 1925.

The main church of Malmedy that was built in 1777 served as a cathedral from 1920 to 1925.<ref>{{cite news|first=Jean |last=Finot |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=30 May 1915}}{{fcn|date=July 2022}}</ref> 

Some older sources spell the city's name "Malmédy" - the accent was added when being part of [[Prussia]] and [[Germany]] - but its official website lists it as "Malmedy", with no accent. Along with the neighbouring city of Eupen, it formed a German-speaking area of Belgium. During this period{{which|date=June 2024}}, a few undaunted individuals went as far as founding a "Walloon Club" in 1897, and this still exists today.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Prussian Epoch (1815-1919)|url=http://www.malmedy.be/en/Tourisme/Malmedy/Histoire/periode-prussienne.html |website=www.malmedy.be |access-date=7 January 2016}}</ref>

Between 1940 and 1945, Malmedy was re-incorporated into Germany. In 1944, during the [[Battle of the Bulge]], the area was the site of the [[Malmedy massacre]], where 84 American [[prisoners of war]] were killed by [[Nazi Germany|Nazi]] [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] troops under the command of [[Joachim Peiper]]. This was one of a number of such massacres of prisoners and Belgian civilians which took place in the Malmedy area.

On 21 December 1944 the town, which was then held by US troops, was attacked by German forces (under the command of [[Otto Skorzeny]]), who were repelled. On 23, 24 and 25 December 1944 the city was bombed repeatedly by the [[United States Army Air Forces]] in a series of [[friendly fire]] incidents. Approximately 200 civilians were killed in the attacks, while the number of American casualties has never been revealed by the [[United States Department of Defense]].{{Cn|date=December 2022}}

Today, the people of Malmedy are a mix of Romance and German cultures. Despite all the changes, the Malmedians seem to have preserved the qualities recognised by an 18th-century English chemist when he stated, "The inhabitants of Malmedy are honest, skillful, opulent, gracious, sociable and courteous towards foreigners."{{Cn|date=December 2022}}

Nowadays, the population consists of approximately 12,000 inhabitants. There are seven male choirs, two song groups, four brass bands, an accordion club, a mandolin club and a very active music academy.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Malmedy Today |url=http://www.malmedy.be/en/Tourisme/Malmedy/Histoire/actuellement.html |website=www.malmedy.be |access-date=7 January 2016}}</ref>