View of Sint-Martens-Voeren and the railway viaduct. This railway viaduct owes its existence to the German occupation of Belgium during World War I. In 1903 a contract was signed between King Leopold II and Kaiser Wilhelm II to build a new connection above Liège. On August 4, 1914, the Germans invaded Belgium. The Netherlands maintained its neutrality and refused German rail traffic through its territory. As early as December 1914 it was decided to complete the Montzen route with the Voerlijn. Mainly economic reasons led to the construction of the new railway line. In order to allow for the heaviest possible freight traffic, the route had to be made as smooth and as straight as possible, with only wide bends. No arterial road, rail or road could be crossed at the same level. All this meant major interventions in the rolling landscape. The Sint-Martens-Voeren railway viaduct was built by the company Wayss & Freytag from Neustadt and Haardt, under the supervision of engineer Mörsch. The viaduct has a neoclassical finish and is 250 meters long. At a height of 18 to 23 metres, this viaduct spans the valley of the Voer. In February 1917 the first track was ready. In March 1918 the second track followed. From the completion of the first track, the line was used intensively. The track was last used for passenger traffic in 1957. To this day it is one of the busiest freight tracks in Belgium.