Zink

David Van Reybrouck's monumental study "Congo" has been hailed by critics as a "book of the century." His new essay serves as a captivating historical novella in relation to this compelling "social novel." At its center is Neutral Moresnet, a micronation situated between the Netherlands and Belgium, and Prussia and the German Empire, which existed from 1816 to 1919. The changing names of the neighboring states already evoke the continent's war-torn past. Van Reybrouck narrates the story of this territory, which spans just under four square kilometers, and unfolds a European panorama that focuses on its inhabitants, the major industry (Neutral Moresnet thrived primarily on the extraction of zinc ore), war, and also on international understanding. In the early 20th century, there were plans to expand the micronation.