Dreiländereck and borders

​​At the so-called Dreiländerpunkt (border triangle), the borders of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands meet. Due to the proximity to these borders, the region around Aachen has always been characterised by lively smuggling activity, which before the Second World War was concentrated on material goods. This changed drastically with the rise of the Nazis. Up until the mid-1930s especially, the border city of Aachen served primarily as a base for political resistance groups operating abroad.

Following the increasing radicalisation of German politics until 1938, when the largest group of Jewish refugees left Germany after the Reichsprogromnacht, many people continued to leave the country, at that moment legally, but this would soon change to illegally. Even after the occupation of both neighbouring countries in 1940, persecuted people tried to get to the relatively close and unoccupied part of France, often via Belgium. The success of escape attempts in any direction, not only of the main persecuted groups but also of German prison camp escapees, was largely determined by the political and personal attitudes of the people working on the border and living in the border areas.

After the war ended, the reintroduction of the old borders was a mere formality. Nevertheless, the Netherlands and Belgium both pursued strict border policies, which can be illustrated by the example of Belgium. From 1945 onwards, no one was allowed to cross the border without an appropriate passport, which was controlled by a border regime. The downside of these strict regulations was that they encouraged the smuggling of goods of various kinds. Some Allies also participated actively in this.

​Additionally, in 1946 the social and economic consequences of the war led the Belgian government to make demands for the German territories on the Belgian border to be incorporated into Belgium. These demands were granted by the Allies. However, on 28 August 1958 the territories were returned to the old jurisdictions again via the Brussels Treaty, which also ended the border regime.