Neu-Moresnet is a village and sub-municipality of

Kelmis Kelmis (; french: La Calamine, ) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège, named for the historical deposits of calamine (zinc ore) nearby. , the population was 10,881; the area is and the population density is . The municipali ...

in the German-speaking community of the province of Liège,

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

, Belgium. The village was founded as Prussian-Moresnet (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: ''Preußisch-Moresnet'') as part of the

Lower Rhine Province The Grand Duchy of the Lower Rhine (german: Großherzogtum Niederrhein), or simply known as the Lower Rhine Province ('), was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and existed from 1815 to 1822. History The province was created after the Congress ...

. In 1919, after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, it was awarded to Belgium, and renamed Neu-Moresnet. In 1940, it was annexed by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

, and in 1944, it was returned to Belgium. Neu-Moresnet was an independent municipality until 1977 when it was merged into

History

Originally there were two villages in the area: Moresnet and Kelmis. In 1794, the area was conquered by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, and the villages became part of the Moresnet municipality. In 1806, Jean-Jacques Dony received permission to look for

zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...

. Dony founded the

Vieille Montagne Vieille Montagne was a zinc mine in Kelmis (La Calamine), a town in Belgium between Liège and Aachen. The mine's name is French for "old mountain", and this is also reflected in its German name, (earlier, ). The mine was once a bone of contenti ...

mine in the municipality, and became Europe's largest producer of zinc. In 1815, after the defeat of Napoleon, the borders of Europe were redrawn at the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...

. The

United Kingdom of the Netherlands The United Kingdom of the Netherlands ( nl, Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden; french: Royaume uni des Pays-Bas) is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed between 1815 and 1839. The United Netherlands was cr ...

and

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''. ...

could not reach an agreement about the ownership of the zinc mine. In 1816, a compromise was reached at the : the village of

Moresnet Neutral Moresnet (, , , ) was a small Belgian–Prussian condominium in western Europe that existed from 1816 to 1920 and was administered jointly by the United Kingdom of the Netherlands (Belgium after its independence in 1830) and the Kingdom ...

was awarded to the Netherlands, Kelmis and the zinc mine became

Neutral Moresnet Neutral Moresnet (, , , ) was a small Belgian–Prussian condominium in western Europe that existed from 1816 to 1920 and was administered jointly by the United Kingdom of the Netherlands (Belgium after its independence in 1830) and the Kingdom ...

, a Dutch–Prussian condominium, and the remainder was awarded to Prussia as Prussian-Moresnet. In 1830, Belgium became an independent country, and the village of Moresnet became part of Belgium. On 28 June 1919, all three parts were awarded to Belgium by the

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...

, and Prussian-Moresnet was renamed Neu-Moresnet. The treaty came into effect in 1920. In 1940, Belgium was invaded by Nazi-Germany who merged Moresnet, Kelmis, Neu-Moresnet, and

Hergenrath Hergenrath () or Hergenraedt (Standard Dutch: ''Hergenraat''; Limburgish: ''Herjent'') is a village and sub-municipality in Belgium. It is located in the municipality of Kelmis in Liège Province, part of Wallonia. It is part of the German-spe ...

into Amt Moresnet as an integral part of Germany. In 1944, the villages were returned to Belgium. Neu-Moresnet remained an independent municipality until 1977 when it was merged into Kelmis. Neu-Moresnet is home to the Göhltal Museum which is dedicated to the political and historical peculiarities of the Moresnet region as well as minerals and flora of the region.

Notable people

Heintje Simons Hendrik Nikolaas Theodoor "Heintje" Simons (born 12 August 1955) in Heerlen, later known as Hein Simons, is a Dutch schlager singer and actor. Background Heintje was born the son of a coal miner who had to retire because of silicosis, reduci ...

(born 12 August 1955), Dutch schlager singer and actor. (lived in Neu-Moresnet)

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline Populated places in Liège Province Kelmis Former municipalities of Liège Province Populated places in the German-speaking Community