The 150-kilo (330 pound) stone that marks the border between Belgium and France was moved 2.29 meters. Despite the fact this ‘adjustment’ could have caused an international conflict, it was met with smiles by authorities on both sides.
A Belgian farmer inadvertently moved the stone that currently marks the border between Belgium and France. He moved the stone 2.29 meters (7.5 ft) while he was working because it lay in the path of his tractor. Although the movement could have caused an international conflict, it was met with smiles on both sides of the border and authorities are looking for the person responsible.
According to the BBC, a history enthusiast who was walking in the area realized that the stone wasn’t where it should be and it’s believed that the farmer, from the Belgian region of Erquelinnes, moved it because he was unable to get around it easily on his tractor.
Imagen referencial / Kenneth Allen (CC)
All jokes aside, the movement of the stone could have given rise to an international conflict. However the authorities of both European countries chose to look on the funny side.
“He made Belgium bigger and France smaller, it’s not a good idea” the mayor of Erquelinnes, David Lavaux, told French television channel TF1. It turns out that the stone’s new position impacted territory pertaining to the French town of Bousignies-sur-Roc.
The border between the French and Belgian territories was formally established under the Treaty of Kortrijk signed in 1820, after Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo five years earlier. The stone dates back to 1819.
DAVID LAVAUX
“I was happy my town was bigger” said Lavaux, “but the mayor of Bousignies-sur-Roc didn’t agree” he added laughing. Meanwhile on Facebook he wrote that “the 1819 border marker has been moved, and our municipality, and Belgian territory, have increased in size. The French obviously don’t agree with this and we will have to put things where they belong.»
On the other side, Aurélie Welonek, the mayor of Bousignies-sur-Roc, told media outlet La Voix du Nord that the countries “should be able to avoid a new border war”.
Meanwhile the Belgian authorities are looking for the farmer responsible to ask him to put the stone back in its original place.
DAVID LAVAUX / Facebook
In the event that the farmer refuses, the case could be taken to the Belgian foreign ministry, which would have to set up a Franco-Belgian border commission, explained the BBC
It’s also possible that the farmer could face criminal charges. “If he shows good will, he won’t have a problem, we will settle this issue amicably», Lavaux told Belgian news website Sudinfo.”