Ében-Émael (; ; ; ) is a village of

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

and a district of the municipality of

Bassenge Bassenge (; , ; ) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Liège Province, province of liège, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 Bassenge had a total population of 8,335. The total area is 38.17 km2 which gives a po ...

, located in the province of Liège,

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. The village is located on the French-speaking side of the language border, next to

Kanne Kanne (Limburgish: ''Kan'') is a village in the municipality of Riemst in the southeastern part of the Belgium, Belgian province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg. As of 2021, the village has 1,162 inhabitants, a significant number of whom have Dut ...

on the Flemish side and not far from the border with the Netherlands near

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; ; ; ) is a city and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital city, capital and largest city of the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. Maastricht is loca ...

. It is located at an altitude of above sea level. Until 1963, Eben-Emael belonged to the Dutch-speaking province of Limburg, but when the language border was established, the place was transferred to the province of Liège in Wallonia. It was a municipality in its own right before the 1977 Merger of Municipalities.

History

The town was created under the French regime by the merger of the villages of Ében and Émael. It was then part of the department of Meuse-Inferieure, which became the province of

Limburg Limburg or Limbourg may refer to: Regions * Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium * Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands * Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...

Vicinity

The river

Jeker The Jeker (; , ) is a river in Belgium and in the Netherlands. It is a left-bank tributary to the river Meuse. The source of the Jeker is near the village of Geer, in the Belgian provinces, Belgian province of Liège (province), Liège. The river ...

flows past the village and drains its water in a northward direction. There are several quarries in the vicinity of Eben-Emael. The largest quarry is located on the west side of the village up to the border with the municipality of

Riemst Riemst (; ) is a small town and a municipality in the Belgian province of Limburg. Riemst is in the Flemish speaking area of Belgium. On January 1, 2018 Riemst had a total population of 16,665. The total area is 57.88 km² which gives a p ...

The Marnebel quarry is located on the east side of the village. To the east of Eben-Emael is the Plateau of Eben-Emael, which is crossed by the road to Ternaaien. The nearby

Fort Eben-Emael A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

, reputed to be impregnable, was taken by a combined action of German gliders and paratroopers on 11 May 1940. Local sights include: * Eben-Ezer Tower *Tumulus of Emael *The Church of Our Lady in Emael, from 1876, in neo-Romanesque style *The Saint George Church in Eben, from 1844, in Empire style *The Musée d'Eben, local history museum in Eben * Watermills on the Jeker: **Moulin Loverix **Moulin Thonnard **Moulin Depuis or Vieux Moulin {{Authority control Former municipalities of Liège Province