Moresnet

Moresnet or Neutral Moresnet was a tiny European territory of about 3.5 km² that existed from 1816 to 1919. Its two large neighbors could not agree on who should own it, deciding therefore to make it a neutral territory where both would share control equally. It was located some 7 km southwest of Aachen, directly south of where the borders of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands intersect on the Vaalserberg.

Rise

During the Congress of Vienna of 1815 the European map was significantly redrawn to accommodate the new political balance of power. One of those borders was the one between the new United Kingdom of the Netherlands and Prussia. For the most part both parties agreed on the border as it mostly followed older lines, but in the mairie (district) of Moresnet there was a problem. Between the villages of Moresnet and Neu-Moresnet lay the valuable zinc mine called Vieille Montagne (French) or Altenberg (German). Both the Netherlands and Prussia were keen to include this resource in their territory and on June 26 1816 a compromise was reached: the mairie of Moresnet would be divided into three parts. The village of Moresnet itself would become Dutch, Neu-Moresnet would become part of Prussia, and the mine and the adjacent village of Kelmis (La Calamine in French) would, for the mean time, become neutral territory with both nations establishing a joint administration for the area. Formal installation of border demarcation markers for the territory occurred on September 23 1818.

The new territory of Neutral Moresnet had a more or less 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. Beside it two straight lines went northwards coming ever closer to each other until they finally met on the Vaalserberg. When Belgium gained its independence from the Netherlands in 1830 the land on the Dutch side came under Belgian control and therefore they took over the position of co-administrator (though technically the Dutch never ceded formal control). The territory was governed by two royal commissioners, one from each neighbor. In 1859 it was granted a greater measure of self-administration when a mayor and a council of ten members were installed, with the mayor appointed by the two commissioners.

Life in Neutral Moresnet was dominated by the zinc mine as the major employer, which attracted many workers from the neighboring countries, though the total population of the territory never exceeded 3000. Being a neutral territory had several benefits. Among these were the low taxes, the absence of import tariffs from both neighboring countries, and low prices compared to just across the border. Most services such as the mail were shared between Belgium and Prussia (in a fashion similar to Andorra). The local population also had the right to choose which country's military service and jurisdiction they wished to belong to. 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.

Fall

When the mine was exhausted in 1885, doubts arose about the continued survival of Neutral Moresnet. Several ideas were put forward to establish the territory as a more independent entity, amongst which were a casino and a postal service with its own stamps, though this last idea was thwarted by the local government. The most remarkable initiative came from Dr. Wilhelm Molly, who in 1908 proposed making Neutral Moresnet the world's first Esperanto-speaking state, named Amikejo ("place of friendship"). The proposed national anthem was an Esperanto march of the same name. A number of Kelmis residents learned Esperanto and a rally was held in Kelmis in support of the idea of Amikejo on August 13, 1908.

However, time was running out for the tiny territory. Neither Belgium nor Prussia had ever surrendered its original claim to it. Around 1900 Prussia in particular was taking a more aggressive stance towards the territory and was accused of sabotage and of obstructing the administrative process in order to force the issue. In 1914 during World War I Germany invaded Belgium and the Germans annexed the area in 1915.

The post-war Treaty of Versailles of 1919 would settle the matter of the "temporary neutrality" established a hundred years earlier when it awarded the territory of Neutral Moresnet to Belgium, along with the German municipalities of Eupen and Malmédy. The Germans would briefly re-annex the area during World War II, but it was returned to Belgium in 1944. Under Belgian administration the territory became the commune of Kelmis (La Calamine), which in 1977 absorbed the neighboring communes of Neu-Moresnet and Hergenrath.

Today, Dr. Molly's vision of an Esperanto state inspires interest in the territory's history among the Esperantists of the world. A small museum in Neu-Moresnet, the Göhltal Museum (Musée de la Vallée de la Gueule), includes exhibits on Neutral Moresnet. Of the 60 border markers for the territory, more than 50 are still standing.

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Neutral Moresnet

Disputed territories | Special territories | Former polities in the Netherlands

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