Herbesthal
| Herbesthal | |||
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| State : |
 Belgium
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| Region : | Wallonia | ||
| Province : | Liege | ||
| District : | Verviers | ||
| Coordinates : | 50 ° 40 ′ N , 5 ° 59 ′ E | ||
| Residents: | 2,400 pop. | ||
| Post Code: | 4710 | ||
Herbesthal ( Platdiets : Herbestel ) is a village in the Belgian municipality of Lontzen , which is part of the German-speaking Community of Belgium . Towards the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the village, which was located on the border between the Kingdom of Prussia and the Kingdom of Belgium, was internationally known thanks to its train station and post office .
origin
The origin of the name of the village Herbesthal is uncertain. The place is first mentioned in the Liège State Archives under the name "Hardwestal" (1404–1405). Various sources lead the name back to the following meanings: "Herberge im Tal", "Herbes Tal", "Herbert's place of residence" (the word "stal" in Germanic means place of residence) or even "Eggental" (the harrow is an agricultural tool). When the village was under French rule (1794 to 1814), it was called "Aubergeval", which can be translated as "hostel in the valley".
history
The political affiliation of the village Herbesthal was extremely changeable:
- before 1789: to the Hochbank Baelen , which belonged to the Duchy of Limburg ;
- 1797 to 1815: as part of the municipality ( Mairie ) Welkenraedt to the French department of Ourthe ;
- 1816 to 1919: separated from Welkenraedt and attached to Lontzen to Prussia ( administrative district Aachen , Rhine province ), later to the German Empire ;
- 1920 to 1940: after the Treaty of Versailles to the Kingdom of Belgium ( Eupen - Malmedy districts , today eastern cantons (Eupen, Malmedy and Sankt Vith )); at first the New Belgian communities were subject to military administration under Herman Baltia in a transitional phase ; after 1925 they were completely incorporated into Belgium;
- 1940 to 1945: after the German troops marched into the German Reich on May 10, 1940 (Nazi Germany);
- after 1945: back to the Kingdom of Belgium; from 1973 to 1983 to the "German cultural community" of Belgium and since 1983 to the German-speaking community .
Herbesthal was founded in 1906 as a parish in the Rhenish Archdiocese of Cologne . During its time as part of the German Empire, Herbesthal was part of the Eupen - Malmedy area and at the same time the last German town before the border with Belgium. In fact, the border between Herbesthals and Welkenraedt represented the western state border of the German Empire. This line - today's neutral road or Rue Mitoyenne - is today the border that separates the German-speaking Community and the French Community of Belgium .
Railway station and post office
Herbesthal is very closely linked to the history of the railways in Europe.
After Belgium gained independence in 1831, the first contacts were made with Prussia in order to create new sales markets. A trade agreement already provided for a railway line between Antwerp and Cologne . After some initial problems, the Rheinische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft was founded on June 9th, 1837 and on August 21st the license to build the railway line from Cologne via Düren and Aachen to the Belgian border was granted. In October 1843 the connection to Herbesthal was completed.
With the completion of the Liège – Aachen railway line, Europe's first border station was built in Herbesthal . Due to the border location, a customs clearance facility had to be set up in Herbesthal , which, with the arrival of numerous customs officers, led to a large increase in the population in the village. By expanding the railway network, Herbesthal could be connected to other destinations, which strengthened the international character of the station. Freight traffic was also able to develop with the shipment of ores from the galine mines in the nearby Neutral Moresnet .
Further connections with Eupen in 1864 and - after the Reichsbahn and the Prussian State Railway was founded at Bismarck's efforts - with the Vennbahn in 1887 made Herbesthal a hub. The increase in this volume of traffic forced the construction of a new, larger station building, which was opened to public transport on October 1, 1889. So-called "railway settlements" were built in Herbesthal for the station staff.
Until the mid-1960s, locomotives were switched between the German and Belgian railways in Herbesthal. The station was then completely abandoned in favor of the new station building in neighboring Welkenraedt, only a few kilometers away , and demolished in 1983. Original pieces from the former train station can be viewed in the Village History Collection (DGS) in Lontzen . This also includes the imperial chairs on which Kaiser Wilhelm II stayed on a trip.
languages
Herbesthal, like the entire municipality of Lontzen, is officially German-speaking with language facilities for French speakers (see “ Community facilities ”). The residents largely use the standard high German language in administrations, schools, church life and in social relationships. In addition, dialects still play a role in social relationships. The predominant dialects in Herbesthal are - as in the entire canton of Eupen - Lower Franconian and Rhine Franconian. A minority of the population is purely French-speaking.
economy
On Neutralstrasse, which separates Herbesthal from Welkenraedt , there are some antique shops belonging to the “Belgische Antikstrasse”. There are no larger manufacturing companies in Herbesthal.
Others
In his book Die Welt von Gestern , Stefan Zweig reports in the chapter "The First Hours of the War of 1914" how he experienced the beginning of the war in Herbesthal.
sons and daughters of the town
- Joseph Cornelius Rossaint (1902–1991), Roman Catholic priest, anti-fascist resistance fighter and main defendant in the Berlin Catholic trial (1937). A street in the village was named after him.
- Günther Reul (1910–1985), painter and graphic artist, based in Gelsenkirchen
- Heribert Reul (1911–2008), painter and graphic artist, based in Kevelaer
- Peter Steffes (1907 – approx. 1992), German racing cyclist
literature
- Angela Schyns, Ulric Lemeunier, Joseph Weling and Heinz Juffern: 1076–1976 Free glory Lontzen. Chronicle . Chauveheid GmbH, Stavelot-Malmedy, undated [1976] (181 Be).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Verkehrs- und Verschönerungsverein Herbesthal (ed.): In the course of time - contributions to the history of Herbesthal , 1995.
- ↑ DGLive - The people in the German-speaking community
- ↑ Stefan Zweig: The world of yesterday in the Gutenberg project
