Subject: Re: Vennbahn area and municipal maps<br/>
Date: Jun 25, 2001 @ 08:06<br/>
Author: Peter Smaardijk (&quot;Peter Smaardijk&quot; &lt;smaardijk@...&gt;)<br/>
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<div id="ygrps-yiv-2114026416">So, judging from the 1973 map, the part of the Vennbahn that forms <br/>
the two Monschau enclaves belongs to Robertville municipality in its <br/>
entirety. The municipal boundaries are at the spots on the north side <br/>
of the northern enclave and on the south side of the southern <br/>
enclave, where the Vennbahn enters &quot;normal&quot; Belgium. So this is where <br/>
the four extra bi-national tripoints are. At least, that is what I <br/>
think I see on this map, but it is very hard to see. The 1983 one is <br/>
not clear at all here. I assume (although I can&#39;t be sure) that the <br/>
post-merger situation didn&#39;t change anything to these boundaries, so <br/>
this part of the Vennbahn is now part of Waimes, and thus of <br/>
Francophone Wallonia. Waimes is a &quot;facility municipality&quot; though, so <br/>
some rights for inhabitants that speak German exist (just as such <br/>
rights exist for French-speaking inhabitants in all of the nine <br/>
Germanophone municipalities).<br/>
<br/>
So, part of the Vennbahn speaks French! Sounds like a regular Belgian <br/>
oddity. A pity really, since if it was completely Germanophone, it <br/>
would probably be the longest and narrowest isthmus connecting two <br/>
territories. Now this title probably goes to that road which makes <br/>
Dhekelia look funny.<br/>
<br/>
Peter S.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<blockquote><span title="qreply"> --- In BoundaryPoint@y..., &quot;Brendan Whyte&quot; &lt;brwhyte@h...&gt; wrote:<br/>
&gt; The smallest (3rd) Vennbahn enclave is 1.65ha, 16500square metres, <br/>
or equal <br/>
&gt; to a sqaure 130m on a side. It is thus over 10 times larger than <br/>
the <br/>
&gt; smallest Indian enclave for which we have data.<br/>
&gt; It is not quite rectangular, but about 100m N-S and 150m E-W.<br/>
&gt; I measured it using a planimeter, so it is measured off the map.<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; Also attached are 1973 and 1983 municipal maps of Belgium, cropped <br/>
to the <br/>
&gt; enclave area. The 1983 map shows the Germanophone region by the <br/>
dots along <br/>
&gt; the municipal boundaries.<br/>
&gt; The 1973 map has dates penciled in by me along some boundaries, <br/>
showing <br/>
&gt; where the Belg-German boundary was at several time periods.<br/>
&gt; The two maps show the situation before and after Belgian municipal <br/>
&gt; roorganisations. I also have a 1990s map, but there is no <br/>
difference in the <br/>
&gt; Vennbahn region.<br/>
&gt; BW<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; <br/>
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