Treaty of Dappes

Resolving a long-standing border dispute between the two countries, the accord awarded the Vallée des Dappes (which had been controlled by Switzerland since 1815) to France, in exchange for a comparable piece of territory just to the north.

The treaty is noteworthy for dividing the tiny village of La Cure between the two countries, with the new border bisecting not just the town itself, but several structures within it.

After several attempts to reacquire the area were firmly rebuffed by the Swiss, France decided in 1862 to offer a nearby section of its own territory, comparable in size, in exchange.

[3] Owing to the delay involved in ratification of the agreement by the Swiss Parliament, a local businessman named Ponthus decided to take advantage of the situation.

He quickly erected a three-story structure right on the new boundary line, with about a third of the new building in what would become Swiss territory and the remainder in France.

The Hotel Arbez in La Cure , bisected by the Treaty of Dappes. The border runs lengthwise through the two buildings, passing just to the left of the mural . The mural and everything to the right of it lies in Switzerland ; France lies to the left.
Border changes as a result of the Treaty of Dappes. The old border is marked in green , the new one in red .