Tag: Germany
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Neutral Moresnet
All this recent talk on Twelve Mile Circle about strange European borders and condominium arrangements brings me to one of my favorite former anomalies: Neutral Moresnet. This place existed as somewhat of a no-man’s-land lodged firmly between sovereign neighbors from 1816 to 1920. Europe looked different as Napoleon’s empire dissolved. The victors negotiated amongst themselves…
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Condominium (not that kind)
A condominium is a concept in international law that describes a geographic area shared in equal sovereignty by two nations. As a practical matter, it creates a genuinely unusual and often impractical solution. A condominium isn’t distinctly part of any one nation but by agreement it’s within the control of both. So it has no…
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Jungholz Quadripoint Boundary Cross
The Austrian town of Jungholz presents an unusual geographic placement. Only a single point connects it to the rest of Austria. Otherwise Germany completely surrounds it. Jungholz is an Austrian exclave for all practical purposes. In the strictest technical sense, a single dot attaches it to larger Austria. However, the only convenient path to the…