Border Convention between Bavaria and France

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The border convention between Bavaria and France was an agreement between the Kingdom of Bavaria and the Kingdom of France of December 9, 1825 on the course of the border between the two states. The definition of the course of the border replaced the previous definition by the Second Paris Peace of 1815 and a related agreement between the two states of July 5, 1825. Since then, the Convention of 1825 - with the exception of the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine between 1871 and 1920 - has determined the Course of the French eastern border in this border section. The border convention between Prussia and France in 1829 regulated the course of the French eastern border towards Prussia .

prehistory

After the defeat of Napoleon and the end of the First Empire , France's borders were first set in the First Peace of Paris of 1814 and then in the Second Peace of Paris in 1815. In the Second Peace of Paris, France was drawn into the borders of 1790. For this purpose, France had to cede several fortresses, including Philippeville , Mariembourg , Saarlouis and Landau in the Palatinate with their surrounding area. The wording of the treaty of 1815 described the course of the new French state border from Perl on the Moselle to the confluence of the Lauter into the Rhine as follows (in contemporary translation, with distorted place names):

"From Perle it runs through Launsdorf , Wallwick , Schardorff , Niederweiling , Pellweiler , so that all these villages with their parishes remain in France, up to Houvre , and then follows the former borders of the Principality of Saarbrücken , in such a way that Saar-Louis , and the course of the Saar with the localities and their parishes lying to the right of the line indicated above remain outside the French borders. Of the borders of the former Principality of Saarbrücken, the line of demarcation remains the same that currently separates Germany from the departments of the Moselle and the Lower Rhine , up to the Lauter , which further forms the border up to its outlet into the Rhine. The entire area on the left bank of the Lauter, including the Landau fortress, is united with Germany. However, the city of Weissenburg , which is cut by this river, remains entirely with France, with a circumference of no more than a thousand French fathoms on the left bank of the Lauter, which the commission to be appointed for the forthcoming demarcation will determine more precisely. "

The section of this borderline touching the Palatinate (Bavaria) began at the Uhrigsmühle on the Blies at the point where the districts of the three municipalities of Bliesransbach (to Prussia ), Blieshaben-Bolchen (to Bavaria) and Bliesschweyen (to France) bordered one another. From there the border ran in an easterly direction to the outflow of the Lauter into the Rhine. The wording of the contract provided for the delimitation of the area around the city of Weißenburg by a commission. Here the French took the view that the perimeter should be measured from the city's fortifications and raised claims to Altenstadt , Schweigen and Weiler , as well as to Neuburg and Niedersteinbach , which according to the wording of the First Peace of Paris of 1814 belonged to France. The Bavarian side was of a different opinion and the negotiations that had already started in 1816 initially remained unsuccessful and were completely suspended from autumn 1822 to spring 1825. Negotiations were resumed in 1825 and were then quickly concluded.

Agreement of 1825

In a declaration signed in Paris on July 5, 1825, France and Bavaria compared each other on the course of the border and the points at issue. The two states also declared that where rivers formed the border between Bavaria and France, the valley path should be the border line. The agreement was signed by Étienne Charles de Damas for the French side and the Bavarian envoy in Paris, Count von Bray, for the Bavarian side.

Convention of 1825

Overview map of the border area 1825. Johann Keiper, 1917

Now the way was clear for a definitive definition of all border regulations. The relevant negotiations between the district president of the Rhine district Joseph von Stichaner (the Speyer government councilor von Neimans acted as his delegate) and the lieutenant general of the royal armies Jean Etienne Casimir Poitevin vicomte de Maureillan (the captain in the engineering corps Jellé acted as his delegate) led to a convention that was signed on December 9, 1825 in Weißenburg by the Bavarian plenipotentiary von Stichaner and the French plenipotentiary Viscount de Maureillan and which came into force after the confirmation documents had been exchanged. The agreement comprised 21 articles:

The new course of the swallow should form the border (Art. 1).

Bavaria gave two villages and two domains to France (Art. 2):

  1. Obersteinbach with part of its district
  2. Niedersteinbach with its district
  3. the domain Wengelsbach
  4. Frönsburg Castle and Forest

In relation to Bavaria, France waived (Art. 3):

  1. the claims on the forests of Dörrenberg, Alsberg and Siebentheil

The border around Weißenburg and Altenstadt was determined by mutual agreement. Hamlet became French, silence became Bavarian (Art. 4).

At the Lauter the pertinence of the mills St. Remig, Scheibenhardt and the Bienwaldmühle were exchanged, so that the border line moved to the Lauter canal, not to the Lauter itself (Art. 5).

The border between Lauterburg on the French side and Berg and Neuburg on the Bavarian side was determined by mutual agreement (Articles 6–7).

The rest of the border should follow the municipal boundaries; these should be recorded precisely. The relevant protocols and maps should become part of the Convention (Art. 8).

The exchange of territory should take place as soon as possible (Art. 9).

Where rivers formed the border between Bavaria and France, the valley path should be the border line, border paths should be neutral (Art 10-11).

A number of further provisions were agreed (Articles 12–21).

A handover protocol, signed by both parties in Niedersteinbach on March 2, 1826, established the proper execution of the assignment and the taking of possession. The commissioners' delegates agreed to make the borderline in the forest between Weißenburg and Hilst (over a distance of 33.900 km or 9¼ hours ) visible through an eight meter wide aisle - four meters on French and four meters on Bavarian territory happened the winter of 1826. At the border path between Hilst and the communication path from Eppenbrunn to Roppeviller one was condominium (960963 RGBl. 1927 II, 1046) established that only by the Treaty of 14 August 1925 lifted. The detailed recording of all municipal boundaries along the state border agreed in Article 8 (the length of which was given as 143.324 km or 38¾ hours) dragged on over several years and was recorded in 220 minutes and a total of 320 plans and signed by the respective municipal leaders. The mayor of Obersteinbach was the only one who refused to sign, which was noted in the protocol, but was considered harmless for the convention. With the delivery of the very last ratifications in 1829, the company was completed.

After the Second World War

After the Second World War , there was a one-sided change in the border line that lasted forty years when France unilaterally incorporated an area of ​​7 km² in the German part of the Upper Mundat Forest near Weißenburg into its national territory. The interference put a strain on Franco-German relations and could only be reversed during the term of office of Chancellor Helmut Kohl , a Palatinate, in 1986 with the consent of the victorious Allied powers, when France gave up its claim to sovereignty over the area and in exchange for civil property at the groves.

literature

  • Johann Keiper: Land loss of Bavaria to France in the Palatinate Wasgau in the border agreement 1825 , second edition unchanged in wording, richly increased in the picture decorations, Neustadt an der Haardt 1917. Therein: Supplement 1 on pp. 30–45 wording of the contract of July 5, 1825; Appendix 2 on pp. 47–69 Text of the contract of December 9, 1825; Appendix 3 on pp. 90–96 of the minutes of March 2, 1826

supporting documents

  1. ^ Second Peace of Paris from November 20, 1815 at staatsvertraege.de
  2. ^ First Paris Peace of May 30, 1814 at staatsvertraege.de
  3. ^ Johann Keiper: Land loss of Bavaria to France in the Palatinate Wasgau in the border agreement 1825 , second edition unchanged in wording, richly increased in the picture decorations, Neustadt an der Haardt 1917. Therein: Supplement 1 on pp. 30-45 wording of the contract of July 5, 1825
  4. ^ Johann Keiper: Land loss of Bavaria to France in the Palatinate Wasgau in the border agreement 1825 , second edition unchanged in wording, richly increased in the picture decorations, Neustadt an der Haardt 1917. Therein: Supplement 2 on p. 47-69 wording of the contract of December 9, 1825
  5. ^ Johann Keiper: Land loss of Bavaria to France in the Palatinate Wasgau in the border agreement 1825 , second edition unchanged in wording, richly increased in the picture decorations, Neustadt an der Haardt 1917. Therein: Appendix 3 on pp. 90-96 wording of the protocol of March 2, 1826
  6. ↑ Herbert Geisler: Is there a no man's land between Germany and France? In: U. Falk, M. Gehrlein, G. Kreft, M. Obert (eds.): Legal history and other tours, Festschrift for Detlev Fischer (2018), pp. 153, 159 ff.

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