European Idiosyncrasies

Here is a collection of my favourite European idiosyncrasies.

What about the tiny country of Moresnet?
A legal state from 1816 to 1920.  Official Language was Esperanto as the population spoke Dutch, French and German.  Size 1 square mile.  Main reason for the state was that is surrounded a economically valuable bauxite mine.  Maintaining it's neutrality was expedient for all parties, until the ore ran out, and the territory was of little value and reverted to Belgium.

 
Green is German (Prussia)
Orange is The Netherlands
Yellow is Belgium
Blue is Moresnet.

Other Belge idiosyncrasies are:

• Baarle-Hertog (Belgium)
• Baarle-Nassau (Netherlands)_

There there is Kein Walsertal, This is part of Austria, but has no access to Austria at all. The distance from Riezlern to the next nearest Austrian village at Hittisau is 43km taking some 50 minutes.  Why is it there?  Apparently it was a historic hunting ground for a local Austrian Bishop.

Italy an enclave in Switzerland at Campione on Lake Lugano.

Germany has an enclave in Switzerland at Busingen am Hochrein

Spain has an enclave in France at Livia on the Pyrennean border

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_enclaves_and_exclaves
http://www.exclave.eu/
http://enclaves.webs.com/westerneurope.htm