Belgian – French border altered by farmer
Belgium, May 4: A Belgian farmer found a stone in the way of his tractor. He picked up the stone and put it about 7.5 feet away.
Except, this was no ordinary stone. It was one of the stones used to mark the boundary between Belgium and France. Belgium and France share a 620 kms long border. This border was finalized after the Treaty of Kortrijk, which was signed in 1820. This border was marked with stones. Those stones mark the border to this day.
The change was discovered by a local history enthusiast who noticed that the stone was not at its usual place. It had been moved into French territory. This makes France a little bit smaller and Belgium a little larger. Mayors on both sides were more amused than angry. Local Belgian authorities have reached out to the farmer to put the stone back where it belongs.
