Germany

Official name:

Where:

Member EU:

Member NATO:

Member Schengen:

Population:

Size:

Compared to NL:

Capital:

Currency:

Federal republic of Germany

Central Europe

Yes

84 mln

357.592 km²

8,7

Berlijn

€

Visited places

Tripoints

∆ Plöckenstein (ATCZDE)

∆ Ouren (BEDELUX)

∆ Vaals (BEDENL)
∆ Basel (CHDEFR)

∆ Schengen (DEFRLUX)

Mostpoints
∆ Westernmostpoint (BM 309B)
∆ Easternmostpoint
Freistaat Bayern

Borders, IBRG, grenspalen.one, Germany, bordermarkers, tripoints

Extra

∆ Bayerisch Eisenstein (Border railwaystation)

∆ Groningen/Drenthe/Niedersachsen

∆ Bentheim/Münster/Nederland

Bordercrossings

∆ Neuhaus - Bregenz (ATDE)

∆ Neuhaus - Bargen (CHDE)

∆ Weil am Rhein - Huningue (DEFR)

Germany

The Westernmostpoint of Germany will be found at Selfkant/Susteren.

The Celts and Romans, who according to excavations were settled here in the past, formed the basis for a cross-border cultural area that covers the Selfkant and the Maasland and that has survived to this day.

During the Middle Ages, a fragmentation into small territories arose and all kinds of complex changes of power of duchies took place. Over the centuries, the villages in the Selfkant were connected to the villages in the Maas area via all kinds of ecclesiastical and political connections, such as the deanery of Susteren, the office of Sittard and the duchy of Jülich.

It was not until the Congress of Vienna in 1815 that the region was split up and the border was drawn through it, as a result of which Isenbruch became the westernmost point of the Selfkant and the villages further west of it became part of Limburg.

On 23 April 1949, the Selfkant came under Dutch administration as German compensation for the damage caused during the war. The 5,500 Selfkanters were given a new passport with the words ‘Treated as Dutch’. It made little difference to them: the ties had always remained very close and the dialects in the Selfkant and Limburg were so similar that people understood each other without any problem.

I visited it at 25 novembre 2024.

Westernmostpoint Germany, BM 309B, extreme point, borders, grens, grenssteen, IBRG

Private collection stones near BM 309B/BM 310
(click for more details)

In lean times, the Selfkanters profited from the new situation: in the Netherlands, which was now their country of origin, they found sufficient coffee, cigarettes, and also jobs, while at the same time they were entitled to interest-free home loans from Germany.

Most Selfkanters would probably have decided to remain Dutch after 14 years. But in 1963, after 6 years of negotiations and a payment of 280 million marks, the Selfkant became German again.

On the night of 1 August 1963, something happened that had never been seen before. Houses, barns, trucks; everything was crammed full of smuggled goods. Dutch and German entrepreneurs were involved. When the border ‘fell’ at midnight, tons of coffee and cigarettes had changed countries without any movement and completely tax-free.

The ordinary citizen felt cheated by the big profiteers and with the necessary self-mockery the inhabitants of Selfkant sent a donkey, as the first passer-by, across the former border.

Despite all the border complications, the good relations between Selfkant and Maasland continue to exist. The common dialect still connects the inhabitants. They often have family members in the neighbouring country, work there, celebrate common festivals and maintain friendships there. Since 1989 the toll booths have been closed and the borders open, but in Selfkant that actually makes no difference.

Westernmost point Germany

Weil am Rhein - Huningue

Here we crossed the border which is situated, exactly in the middle of the river Rhine.

Over the border there's the 'Palmrainbrücke. In the middle of the bridge we found two signs that sais 0,0.

On French side we didn't spot a bordermarker. On Germanside, we didn't look for it.

Borders, IBRG, grenspalen.one, Germany, Palmrainbrücke

Palmrainbrücke

Weil am Rhein (D)

Huningue (F)

Border in the middle of the Rhine.

Neuhaus - Bregenz

(Allgäu)

In may 2024 we passed this border, but we couldn't find any border markers.
Still the bridge as borderpasspoint is interesting enough to mention this border.

Driving the St 2001 from De to At we passed the river 'Kesselbach' which actually is the border.