European Journal # SERIES - The other side - Building Bridges in Europe #

Part 6: Luxembourg: The Schengen Bridge The no-frills bridge across the River Mosel is a symbol of the Schengen Agreement governing the free passage of people and goods within the EU. Back in the years right after the Second World War, however, this area was a hive of cross-border smuggling. Water-tight containers were used to smuggle chocolate, cigarettes and nylon stockings across the Mosel. Today, of course, people are free to cross via the bridge connecting Schengen in Luxembourg with Perl on the German side. It's certainly no beauty to behold, nor is it a marvel of engineering - but its simplicity reflects the normality of cross-border activity here were Germany, Luxembourg and France meet. Smuggling continues to this day, however - mostly involving cash and contraband.