Kelmis | |
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 View of Kelmis | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of Kelmis in the province of Liège | |
 Interactive map of Kelmis | |
  Kelmis Location in Belgium | |
| Coordinates:50°42′N06°00′E / 50.700°N 6.000°E /50.700; 6.000 | |
| Country | Belgium |
| Community | German-speaking Community of Belgium |
| Region | Wallonia |
| Province | Liège |
| Arrondissement | Verviers |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Daniel Hilligsmann (Elan) |
| • Governing party | CSP/cdH - SP/PS |
| Area | |
• Total | 18.04 km2 (6.97 sq mi) |
| Population (2018-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 11,061 |
| • Density | 613.1/km2 (1,588/sq mi) |
| Postal codes | 4720–4728 |
| NIS code | 63040 |
| Area codes | 087 |
| Website | www.kelmis.be |
Kelmis (German pronunciation:[ˈkɛlmɪs];French:La Calamine,pronounced[lakalamin]) is amunicipality located in theBelgian province ofLiège, named for the historical deposits ofcalamine (zinc ore) nearby. As of 2011[update], the population was 10,881; the area is 18.1 square kilometres (7.0 sq mi), and thepopulation density is 601.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,557/sq mi).[2]
The municipality comprises the followingsub-municipalities: Kelmis proper,Hergenrath, andNeu-Moresnet.
The territory around theVieille Montagnezinc mine in Kelmis wasNeutral Moresnet, a neutralcondominium ofthe Netherlands andPrussia (laterBelgium andGermany) from 1816 to 1919, with the Mayor of Kelmis nominated by two commissioners from the neighbouring countries. Although there were attempts by locals to make it evolve into a fully independentmicrostate, all of them were thwarted, and it remained under double sovereignty and neutrality until its eventual annexation by Belgium after theFirst World War.
There is a war memorial to German soldiers from Kelmis who were killed during theFranco-Prussian War, located in the Aachener Strasse,[3] and one to inhabitants of Kelmis who were killed in the First andSecond World Wars, located in the Kirchplatz (French:Place de l'Église).[4]
A small museum in Kelmis, theMuseum Vieille Montagne, includes exhibits on Neutral Moresnet. Of the 60 border markers for the territory, more than 50 are still standing.[5]
In the nineteenth century, aLow Dietsch dialect was spoken in Kelmis. Today, Kelmis isGerman-speaking. It has facilities forFrench speakers, and is one of the nine municipalities of theGerman‑speaking Community of Belgium.
Media related toKelmis at Wikimedia Commons
Kelmis travel guide from WikivoyagePlaces adjacent to Kelmis | |
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Municipalities in theprovince of Liège,Wallonia | ||
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| Huy |  | |
| Liège | ||
| Verviers | ||
| Waremme | ||
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| International | |
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| Geographic | |
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