Belgium–Luxembourg Border
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Belgium and her neighbors Belgium shares borders with France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Belgium became de facto independent from the
United Kingdom of the Netherlands The United Kingdom of the Netherlands is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed from 1815 to 1839. The United Netherlands was created in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars through the fusion of territories t ...
in 1830. Its borders were formalized between 1839 and 1843. Over the years there have been various adjustments, notably after the
Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. As the most important treaty of World War I, it ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allies of World War I, Allied Powers. It was signed in the Palace ...
(1919) when some territory was transferred to Luxembourg. There remain enclaves of Germany and the Netherlands within Belgium and enclaves of Belgium within the Netherlands.


General

Belgium obtained de facto independence from the
United Kingdom of the Netherlands The United Kingdom of the Netherlands is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed from 1815 to 1839. The United Netherlands was created in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars through the fusion of territories t ...
with the
Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was a conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. The ...
in 1830. Its extent was formalized by the
Treaty of London (1839) The Treaty of London of 1839, was signed on 19 April 1839 between the major European powers, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Kingdom of Belgium. It was a direct follow-up to the 1831 Treaty of the XVIII Articles, which the Neth ...
. The border between Belgium and the Netherlands was only delimited by the Boundary Treaty signed in the Hague on 5 November 1842, and the Convention of Maastricht of 8 August 1843. The Hague Treaty delimited the border in general terms while the Maastricht Convention delineated the boundary with detailed descriptions and maps on a 1:10,000 or, where necessary, 1:2,500 scale.


Belgium–France border

The limits of the Belgium–France border are outlined in the 1820 Treaty of Kortrijk, agreed between France and the then-
United Kingdom of the Netherlands The United Kingdom of the Netherlands is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed from 1815 to 1839. The United Netherlands was created in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars through the fusion of territories t ...
. Belgium inherited the border upon its independence. Maintenance of and disputes concerning the border markers are managed by a mixed Franco-Belgian border delimitation commission, which is convened when required. A commission was convened in 2000 concerning maintenance of the 78 border markers between France and the Belgian province of
West Flanders West Flanders is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest. It has land borders with the Dutch province of Zeeland to the northeast, the Flemis ...
. On 4 May 2021 a border post was moved by a Belgian farmer, shifting it approximately into France.


Belgium–Luxembourg border

The border between Belgium and Luxembourg is about long. It runs between the Belgian provinces of
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
and
Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...
and the Luxembourg regions of
Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...
,
Luxembourg City Luxembourg (; ; ), also known as Luxembourg City ( or ; ; or ), is the capital city of Luxembourg and the Communes of Luxembourg, country's most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxe ...
and Red Lands. There are 507 border markers along the S-shaped border. The Belgium–Luxembourg border was defined in 1839. The French-speaking part of the
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembourg ...
and the
Arlon Arlon (; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Luxembourg (Belgium), province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium. With a population of just over 28,000, it ...
region were allocated to Belgium, while the German speaking part of the Grand Duchy was within the German Confederation. The border was redrawn in 1919 after the
Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. As the most important treaty of World War I, it ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allies of World War I, Allied Powers. It was signed in the Palace ...
, with the French-speaking province being transferred to Luxembourg.


Belgium–Germany border

The border between the modern states of Belgium and Germany has a length of . The border runs between the Belgian region of Liege and the German regions of
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...
and
Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...
. It runs from the Germany-Belgium-Luxembourg tripoint to the Germany-Belgium-Netherlands tripoint. There were many changes to the border demarcation until
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. After the war ended in 1945, Belgium was given administration of the German territories of Aachen-Bildchen, Losheim and Losheimergraben. The accord of 26 September 1956 returned these towns to Germany. The Vennbahn was a railway line built in Germany close to the Belgian border. When the areas of Eupen, Malmedy and St. Vith became part of Belgium as a result of the Versailles Treaty, a strip wide along the railway line became Belgian territory. Some of the land to the west of the line remained German in five small enclaves. From north to south they are named Munsterbildchen, Rötgener Wald, Rückschlag, Mützenich and Ruitzhof. A sixth German enclave to the south, Hemmeres, was also cut off by a railway line, but it was handed back to Germany in 1956.


Belgium–Netherlands border

A total of 365 border posts were erected to indicate the border between Belgium and the Netherlands after it was agreed in 1843. While the two treaties resulted in the finalisation and demarcation of the main border between the two countries, they left the complicated territorial situation in Baarle unresolved. The current Belgian enclaves as well as Dutch counter-enclaves have resulted in what has been called the world's most complicated international boundary. This is a continuation of land ownership from the feudal age. Several subsequent negotiations failed to resolve the territorial issues here.


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