Belgian farmer moves border with France by mistake

[CalMeacham]

A major diplomatic incident has been avoided in Europe after a Belgian farmer accidentally moved the border with France, making his home country about 1,000 square meters bigger. Luckily, local authorities saw the funny side.

The border between Belgium and France stretches 390 miles (620 kilometers) and the stone markers that define it have been peacefully in place for more than 200 years.

One of the boundary stones, however – laid down in 1819, shortly before the Treaty of Kortrijk sealed the deal – was recently spotted as being out of place by 2.29 meters (7.5 feet).

A farmer from the Belgian town of Erquelinnes is believed to have moved the nuisance stone on his land to a more convenient spot, without anticipating the potential for an international kerfuffle.
The displaced border all along the farmer’s field amounted to an accidental land grab of around 1,000 square meters.

“We know exactly where the stone was before, right next to a tree,” David Lavaux, the mayor of Erquelinnes, Belgium, told CNN on Tuesday. "In 2019, during the 200th anniversary, they were geo-localized very precisely.

“The stones were placed there in 1819 following the defeat of Napoleon, and the year is inscribed on them.”

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/belgium-farmer-moves-french-border/index.html

[What_Exit]

Prior thread here:

A Belgian farmer moved the border between France and Belgium

I hope there won’t be a war over the situation.