Kelmis

In the vicinity of Kelmis, there is a vein rich in zinc. Millions of years ago, after the sand was transformed into sandstone, deep cracks formed in that rock. Warm volcanic water was able to seep in. That water contained various chemical elements. One of them was zinc. There were many small cracks, but also one large crack, just below the municipality of Moresnet. It is in that crack that smithsonite, zinc spar, or zinc carbonate was deposited. Early inhabitants discovered near Moresent that the stones had remarkable properties. Romans used the material to make alloys and applied it to their skin as a medicine for inflammations and conditions. They referred to it as Pharmacopoeia. The substance was called cadmia or lapis calaminaris in Latin. The Germans corrupted that to galmei or kelmis. And thus, the village of Kelmis got its name.

Dromos