My grandmother Gertrud Klasen (1894-1969) came from Bleialf. There were many connections between Schönberg, now in Belgium, and Bleialf, in Germany. For a long time Bleialf had belonged to the Electorate of Schönberg, and Schönberg was part of the parish of Bleialf. There were many family, business, church, and social connections, and when Schönberg became Belgian in 1920, this also meant a major change in the everyday lives of the people of the two neighbouring villages. Crossing the border required a permit.
My grandfather Nikolaus Krämer (1886-1963) had already met Traud before the border was closed and the wedding was arranged. Yet, now an entry permit from the ‘Haut commissariat des territoires réunis à la Belgique’ was required. This travel permit ‘without return’ was issued to my grandmother on 27/05/1920 so that she could marry and live in Schönberg. So, she travelled by train to Sankt Vith, where she was then picked up by her groom. They were soon married, the couple had 10 children, and many of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren still live in Schönberg today. Would grandma and grandpa have met if the border had existed earlier?
Geographically speaking, Bleialf and Schönberg are still neighbouring villages. But the border demarcation at that time meant that the diverse relationships mentioned at the beginning are still rather sparse today.
Lothar Krämer
Schönberg