Hello friends and others, some news to an old story, thank you very much Grechtchen for your statement. I think a long time ago, before so much people in my family got ill I communicated with you. Perhaps it´s time to continue and I hope it will get easier now with no death`s. Yes it is correct that 70 % of the county of Bitburg-Pruem (what is the actually name) belonged to the duchy of Luxemburg untill 1801, 1794-1800 as french occupation zone. From 1801 when it was officel annext to France it was a part of this country untill 1814. Then, after Napoleon last his last battle in Waterloo and after the "Congress of Vienna" the parts west of the rivers Our ans Sauer (french "la Sure") came to the "Goverment of Lower-Rhine = Herzogtum Niederrhein" in the "Kingdom of Prussia = Koenigreich Preussen". But as so often it is more coplicate to tell that Roehl never belonged to Luxemburg. It was ever a part of the "Township of Welschbillig = Amt Welschbillig" in the "Electorate of Trier". This county of Welschbillig was located like the form of a nose into the territory of Luxemburg. The towns in the county of Welschbillig were 1. Welschbillig (today in the county of Trier-Saarburg), 2. Moehn (today in the county of Trier-Saarburg), part of the community of Welschbillig), 3. Ittel (today in the county of Trier-Saarburg, part of the community of Welschbillig), 4. the southern part of Idenheim (= only one street), 5. Idesheim (today in the county of Bitburg-Pruem), 6. Hofweiler (today in the county of Trier-Saarburg, part of the community of Welschbillig), 7. Roehl (today in the county of Bitburg-Pruem), 8. Dahlem /near Trimport (today in the county of Bitburg-Pruem), 9. The farm of Palzkill (or Palkyll) (today in the county of Bitburg-Pruem, part of the community of Roehl), 10.Suelm (today in the county of Bitburg-Pruem), 11.The mill calle Loskill (or Loskyller Muehle) (today in the county of Bitburg-Pruem), 12.Eisenach (today in the county of Bitburg-Pruem), 13.Gilzem (today in the county of Bitburg-Pruem), 14.Newel (today in the county of Trier-Saarburg), 15.Olk (today in the county of Trier-Saarburg, part of the community of Ralingen), I hope that I am complete with this. The following towns in the Bitburg part of county Bitburg-Pruem belonged also to the Electorate of Trier: Kyllburg (county of Kyllburg = Amt Kyllburg), Ehlenz (county of Kyllburg = Amt Kyllburg), Etteldorf (county of Kyllburg = Amt Kyllburg), Kyllburgweiler (county of Kyllburg = Amt Kyllburg), one part of the town of Neidenbach (county of Kyllburg = Amt Kyllburg), Orsfeld (county of Kyllburg = Amt Kyllburg), the half part of the town of Schleid (county of Kyllburg = Amt Kyllburg), the other half part of Schleid (upper county of Pruem = Oberamt Pruem), the farm Schwickerath (county of Kyllburg = Amt Kyllburg), St.Thomas (county of Kyllburg = Amt Kyllburg), the farm Bruderholz (county of Kyllburg = Amt Kyllburg), St.Johann /near Kyllburg (county of Kyllburg = Amt Kyllburg), Usch (county of Kyllburg = Amt Kyllburg), Wilsecker (county of Kyllburg = Amt Kyllburg), Seffern (upper county of Pruem = Oberamt Pruem), Heilenbach (upper county of Pruem = Oberamt Pruem), the farm Ginneberg (upper county of Pruem = Oberamt Pruem), Sefferweich (upper county of Pruem = Oberamt Pruem), The "Civill Administration of Trier = Regierungsbezirk Trier" was dissolved in the 1990s, like all Administrations in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz. They founded 3 new administrative authorites in Trier, Koblenz and Neustadt/Weinstrasse for culture, traffic and so on. So the counties are the only civil administrations in our state Rheinland-Pfalz under the Goverment in Mainz. Gretchen wrote >Bitburg was both a city and a Kreis (land county) within the larger Regierungsbezirk (Civil Administration) of Trier, Rheinland.< --this is correct Gretchen wrote > This area was formerly part of the Duchy of Luxembourg. After 1815 it was annexed to Prussia, --this is not at 100% correct, see above. Gretchen wrote >and eventually Luxembourg became a Grand Duchy [a small reward to a county which gave up more than 2/3 of it's land in the 19th century to Prussia (i.e.Germany) and Belgium]. --yes for that the Duchy of Luxemburg lost 2/3 of its land it became a "Grant Duchy". And let me tell what I cannot accept. It is that I feel the actually Luxemburgers cannot accept the formerly Luxemburgers that came to Germany ("de Preissen = the prussians") speak the old luxemburg language as their Luxemburg ancestors did before 1815 and sometimes want to get more accepted as brothers in Europe than "the former /nazi/ germans"). yours sincerely Werner LICHTER