Hubert Schmetz was Mayor of Neutral Moresnet, a small neutral territory, from 20 June 1885 until 15 March 1915.

Life

Schmetz became mayor of Neutral Moresnet on 20 June 1885, succeeding Oskar Anton Bilharz to become the territory's fifth mayor. As mayor, Bilharz served as the territory's head of state, alongside two commissioners, one each from the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918. Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...

and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. During his term, Germany invaded Belgium on 4 August 1914, initially leaving Neutral Moresnet as "an oasis in 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. As a result of the occupation, Schmetz was removed from his post on 15 March 1915 and Germany appointed

Wilhelm Kyll Wilhelm Kyll (1876–1956) was a German politician who served as the Mayor of Neutral Moresnet from 29 March 1915 until 7 December 1918. Life Wilhelm Kyll was town clerk (''Stadtsekretär'') in Wittlich (1900-1907) and Linz am Rhein (1907-1910), ...

to succeed him. Neutral Moresnet was formally annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia on 27 June 1915, although the annexation never received international recognition. With a term of nearly 30 years, Schmetz was Neutral Moresnet's second-longest-serving mayor, having served more than a quarter of the territory's existence.

References

Mayors of Moresnet 1862 births 1930 deaths Neutral Moresnet {{Neutral Moresnet-stub