Place names lost due to border adjustments

During the Second World War, many buildings in the Netherlands were destroyed and the infrastructure damaged or rendered unusable. After the war, attempts were therefore made to repair the damage by demanding reparations of 25 billion guilders from Germany. However, international agreements (the Yalta Conference) prohibited this. Only compensation in kind was possible.

 

Yalta Conference with Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin, among others Subsequently, a proposal was submitted to annex parts of the border region with Germany as compensation for war damage. It concerned a large area with well-known cities such as Cologne, Aachen, Mönchengladbach, Krefeld, Kleve, Osnabrück, and Oldenburg. However, this plan did not go through. After many negotiations, an area of ​​1.840 km² was eventually settled upon. Originally, the demand was for more than 10.000 km². And yet, this demand was also declared inadmissible. On April 23, 1949, during the London Germany Conference, it was agreed that only minor border changes would be permitted. The total area was 69 km². This included several sections that were completely uninhabited. But there were also sections that were inhabited, villages such as Elten with 3.235 inhabitants and Tuddern with 5.665 inhabitants. These villages housed postal establishments that were taken over by the Dutch PTT as auxiliary post offices, post stations, and telegraph stations. From May 1, 1949, four auxiliary post offices, two rural post stations, and two telegraph stations were operational. These offices received new Dutch stamps. First emergency stamps, but soon followed by the definitive stamps. Elten serves as an example. Initially, a rubber stamp named ELTEN was used. This stamp was used for a few days to cancel postage stamps with black or violet ink.

From May 4, 1949, definitive date stamps were put into use. Stamp number 1 was a hand stamp, to be used at the counter, and stamp number 2 was a hammer stamp to stamp mail from the collection boxes.

And office name stamps. Date stamps from the other auxiliary post offices:

And the post stations: The Federal Republic of Germany conducted lengthy negotiations with the Dutch State, which were concluded on April 8, 1960, with an agreement in which the Federal Republic indicated it would pay 280 million German marks for the return of the bailiwicks of Elten and Tudderen and several smaller areas. Pursuant to the concluded border treaty, the areas were transferred back to the German authorities on August 1, 1963. In addition, various border adjustments took place, and an amount of 280 million German marks was agreed upon as compensation. For the PTT, this also meant a change. This was announced in a Service Order: Service Order No. H.330 of June 27, 1963: Border Adjustments (effective August 1, 1963).

1. On this coming August 1st, the border adjustments will take place that have been agreed upon between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Federal Republic of Germany in the relevant treaties, etc.
2. In connection with this, effective from the said date, the provision of services at the following PTT establishments will be terminated by the Dutch PTT and taken over by the Deutsche Bundespost: a. the auxiliary post offices Elten, Havert, Höngen and Wehr; b. the rural post stations Süsterseel and Tudderen (Tüddern); c. the telegraph stations Millen and Wehrhagen.

 

Only a few small areas, such as the Duivelsberg near Nijmegen on the road to Kleve, remained Dutch territory. Beautiful nature, lovely walking paths, and unexpected views. And an old farmhouse, which previously served as an inn, now houses a pancake restaurant. And the postmarks? They were transferred to the then Dutch Postal Museum.

The offices that had become German again immediately received new stamps. Place names lost, due to a border correction, as a result of war.