Vennbahn: The World's Weirdest Border?

Hidden away in the rolling Eifel hills is one of the world's weirdest international borders: a long, string-shaped piece of Belgium that runs through western Germany. Why is it there, and what does it have to do with an abandoned railway? I went to investigate the story of the Vennbahn...

[solidpain]

I love how in the end Germany just got a free bike lane which Belgium must pay for and maintain within German territorry. Good deal!

[fel]

Always nice when some British dude tells you the history of that bike line 5 km's from your house

[Mirandorl]

So a schematic drawing of this railway line, showing the set of all land that is in Germany, the set that is in Belgium, and where they both intersect, is a Vennbahn Diagram...

[Eden-NoEye]

I live in Roetgen it's really convenient on a Sunday when all the German shops are closed and you can just walk across the border to get groceries.

[tabchanzero]

5:58 _"You can just about not quite see"_ One of the most British things I've ever heard.

[kumikoOG]

*“May I use your bathroom?”*
*“Sure, it’s just down the hall and into Belgium.*

[jontiswe]

In 2020: "Cross that bridge and you will need to spend two weeks in quarantine"

[toby]

Do you live in Belgium?


The lonely house: "Yes, but actually no"

[mikabrandhofer]

"someone shot an austrian and everyone decided that the best thing to do next would be to have a war" is my favourite description of ww1 ever

[kalebbruwer]

Germany just wants to make sure that even in the case of a civil war, they can still invade through Belgium.

[lehui]

The Vennbahn is an absolute treasure to cycle on. No hills, just speedy well-kept road set in a stunning part of Europe

[fmhummel]

I can remember a TV report in the early 2000s. Belgium actually offered the land back to Germany, much to the delight of that house owner. But Germany declined.

[kklogins]

So with free movement these days Belgium is basically forking up the costs to maintain a bike lane in Germany... How nice of them :)
Also: Baarle Nassau / Hertog is weirder

[crowmigration]

"Literally just someone's house"
*little timmy kicks his ball out of the yard and goes to retrieve*
Border patrol: do you have a passport?

[drosera]

Imagine cops chasing some guy running from them on this road. "He just left our jurisdiction! He got away! Wait, he just re-entered our jurisdiction! No wait, he just left our jurisdiction again!"

[goodday]

german guy: *sounds like a german*
belgian guy: *sounds like a northern englishman*

[brennencox]

This video was a bit more interesting than I thought it would be.

[giovannieich]

5:46 For anyone who might be curious, the guy who just bought the fries advised his kid to be careful as to not ruin his jacket.

[diymicha]

It gets REALLY weird in Baarle-Nassau, a few miles to the north west: There are Netherland borders, inside Belgium, inside the Netherlands :)

[Kexkrummel]

"It starts in Belgium and it ends in Belgium"

*cries in luxembourgish*