Villa Neubois Kaiser Wilhelm II

This villa was where Kaiser Wilhelm II had taken up residence during the final phase of the 1st World War.

The war concentrated only on the western front after the Russian revolution of 1917 eliminated the eastern front. The headquarters of the German army was located 2 km away from the emperor's villa at hotel Britannique.

In his villa, the emperor could retire and receive his generals and other distinguished guests. In the basement of the villa, one of the rooms had been fortified and converted into an air-raid shelter. Also, from here he could visit the headquarters in the Hotel Britannique at Spa as well as 151272. A small castle in Spa where the emperor held his official receptions.

If he was not in his villa during his visits to Spa, he was in the Imperial Court train at the Spa station. This train was fully equipped.

Having decided to flee to Holland on November 10th, the emperor had himself transported by car from La Fraineuse (the villa was no longer in use by then) to the Spa train station. There the first kilometers of his escape went by rail. Well before Liege, the emperor changed as planned from his train to cars to reach the border between Moelingen (B) and Withuis (NL). The train might well be attacked by revolting troops. Distance between Spa and the border at Withuis was about 40 km.Here in the early moring of November 10th he was stopped by the Dutch border guards. On foot, he and his entourage were allowed to accompany the border guards to the nearby Zinkwit factory. The factory had a telephone. By telephone, the sergeant on duty notified his superior in the Maastricht barracks. From that moment on, the German emperor had to wait at the station in Eijsden for a day whether or not he would be granted asylum. (Permission had been given to allow his imperial train, which was standing in front of the border, to pass through so that the emperor could withdraw into his train).

Today, the villa is a retreat on private property. A so-called "retreat" for Catholics. Les Foyers de Charité.

(With permission I was allowed to take a few photos)

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Source

• Text: Ed Lewandowski
• Photos: Ed Lewandowski