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34-628: After he developed an original refining process, Belgian industrialist Jean-Jacques Dony received a decree from the Napoleonic authorities in 1806, allowing him to mine the zinc ore deposit at La Vieille Montagne near Liège. At that time, the area belonged to the French département of the Ourthe . After Napoleon's defeat, in 1816 the département was divided between Prussia , the Netherlands and

68-972: A quadripoint shared additionally with the Dutch Province of Limburg , the Prussian Rhine Province , and the Belgian Liège Province . 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,

102-549: 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: 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 mayor appointed by

136-556: A desert of destruction". 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. On 27 June 1915, Neutral Moresnet was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia, although the annexation never received international recognition. In 1918, the 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

170-519: 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

204-603: 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: La Calamine ) – after kelme , the 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

238-569: A rally was held in Kelmis to endorse the idea of Amikejo on 13 August 1908, and a coat of arms was publicized. The World Congress of Esperanto , meeting in Dresden , even declared Neutral Moresnet the world capital of the Esperanto community. 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

272-404: A result, the workmen were not paid. The strike went on for 9 weeks. Many charities were set up by inhabitants of Mol and Balen. Jef Sleeckx , a politician, convinced the banks to cancel payments temporarily for affected workmen. Landlords did not ask rent during the strike. All kind of shops gave food for free or gave the impacted workmen a temporary job. At the end, the directors board agreed and

306-594: A workforce of 300 produced 8,500 ton of crude zinc annually. The company opened a second zinc mine in Zinkgruvan in Sweden , which is still in operation. It also ran a harbour in Åmmeberg to ship the zinc. The ore was shipped to another affiliate in Balen , Belgium . The Société des Mines et Fonderies de Zinc de la Vieille-Montagne company of Belgium (or ‘VM’ for short) came to England in 1896, specifically to

340-582: 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. After the demise of Napoleon's Empire , the Congress of Vienna of 1814–15 redrew

374-670: The European map, intending to create a 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 ) or Vieille Montagne ( French ) located there. The governments of both

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408-557: 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. After 1920, Moresnet shared the history of Eupen-Malmedy. Germany briefly re‑annexed the area during 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

442-493: 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. 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

476-578: The Netherlands in 1830, the Belgians assumed control of the Dutch role in Neutral Moresnet (though the Dutch never formally ceded their claim). 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

510-484: 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

544-790: The association of the Old Mountain were taken over in 1989 by the Union Minière (Mining Union) group, which is known since 2001 as Umicore . In 1809, Dony opened a factory in Liège, but ran into financial difficulties, and was forced to sell 75% of his stocks. In 1819, he was declared bankrupt, and died in Bois-l'Évêque on 6 November 1819, at the age of 60. Moresnet Neutral Moresnet ( French pronunciation: [mɔʁɛsnɛt] , [mɔʁɛsnɛ] , German pronunciation: [ˈmɔʁəsnɛt] , [ˌmɔʁəsˈnɛt] )

578-464: The brand VMZinc, which still refers back to the historical link with Vieille Montagne. In 1971 it was discovered the workmen in the other Belgian plants had a much higher salary for similar work. The workers in Balen wanted a raise. This led to a dispute between the workmen, the trade unions and the directors board. The 1500 workmen in Balen went on strike, but this was not accepted by the trade unions. As

612-486: The commissioners. The 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

646-430: 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. About 1900, Germany began a more aggressive policy concerning the territory and was accused of sabotage and obstructing

680-412: The exemption applied only to descendants of the original inhabitants. 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. When the mine was exhausted in 1885,

714-578: The exploitation of the zinc mines of Moresnet , now in Liège Province , Belgium . The mines were successful, and his company became Europe's largest producer of zinc. These mines continued operating until 1880. From the exploitation of the Moresnet mines rose the 'Vieille Montagne Association' ( French for Old Mountain), which later expanded its operations abroad (to France , Germany and Sweden (Zinkgruvan) among others). The activities of

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748-406: The gambling. Around this same time, Moresnet boasted three distilleries for the manufacture of gin . During 1908, Dr. Molly proposed making Neutral Moresnet the world's first Esperanto ‑speaking state, named Amikejo ("friendship-place"). The proposed national anthem was an Esperanto march of the same name, set to the tune of " O Tannenbaum ". A number of residents learned Esperanto and

782-604: The lease on the zinc mines at Bentaillou in the Pyrenees , also after World War II. The name became synonymous with zinc oxide and with rolled zinc, especially for building applications. The company was the world's oldest and also largest zinc producer, producing at its peak at least 149,000 tonnes per year. In 1989 Vieille Montagne was merged into the Union Minière group, based in Belgium, which became Umicore in 2003. The group continues its rolled zinc activity under

816-600: The low taxes (the national budget being fixed at 2,735 Belgian francs throughout most of its history), the absence of import tariffs 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,

850-546: The neighbouring communes of Neu‑Moresnet and Hergenrath. 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. As a company, Vieille Montagne survived Neutral Moresnet. It continues to exist as VMZINC, a part of Union Minière , the latter renamed in 2001 as Umicore , a global materials company. On 26 October 2016, Catharina Meessen became

884-400: The neutral zone of Neu-Moresnet, which contained the zinc mine. The Société des Mines et Fonderies de Zinc de la Vieille-Montagne ( lit. ‘Vieille Montagne Zinc Mining Company and Foundries ’) was created in 1837, after the independence of Belgium (which took over the Dutch claim to the neutral zone). The Belgian mine continued its operation until the end of the nineteenth century, when

918-551: 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 Dreiländerweg ( lit.   ' Three Countries Way ' ) and Route des Trois Bornes ('Three Border Stones Road') respectively; the road from the Netherlands is called Viergrenzenweg ('Four Borders Way'). From 1883, Neutral Moresnet used

952-500: 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. The treaty became effective 10 January 1920, ending the territory's existence and converting it into

986-576: The small remote village of Nenthead in the Pennine Hills of Cumbria . The company survived two world wars and the inter-war economic depression, as well as fluctuations in the geological supply and market demand for zinc and lead. Then in 1949, after fifty-three years of operation, the VM sold its mineral leases, plant and equipment and left. In the department of Ariège in France, the VM company took

1020-481: The village of Moresnet itself into Liège Province , while the Prussian village Moresnet (renamed Neu-Moresnet after 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 joint administration . When Belgium gained its independence from

1054-542: The workmen even got a higher wage than requested. The events in Balen were written in the theatre play and novel Groenten uit Balen by Walter van den Broeck . The book was filmed in 2012. All events regarding the strike did happen, all referenced places do/did exist, and only the family Debreucker is a fictive one. 50°36′36″N 5°36′45″E  /  50.6101241°N 5.6123829°E  / 50.6101241; 5.6123829 Jean-Jacques Dony Jean-Jacques Daniël Dony (24 February 1759 – 6 November 1819)

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1088-517: 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

1122-517: Was an inventor and industrialist . He invented a procedure for the production of pure zinc , and opened a mine in Moresnet . Dony was born on 24 February 1759 in Liège . He studied to become a priest, but in 1797 took over his father's business as a cattle transporter. Dony invented a procedure for the industrial production of totally pure zinc . In 1806, Napoleon granted him a monopoly for

1156-504: 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 . Life in Neutral Moresnet was dominated by the Vieille Montagne mining company, which not only was the major employer but also operated residences, shops,

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