From smugglers and border crossers

The many green borders around Elten were often used for smuggling. Even up until the 1960ies, whole German families drove to the Netherlands and came back with butter, coffee, and tobacco across the border - a very exciting affair because these things had to be hidden under clothing. Not particularly clever in the cases of butter and chocolate spread, but of course, the kids loved it!

The largest smuggling operation, however, is referred to as the "Elten Butter Night". Here's what happened:

After World War II, Elten was initially Dutch, due to a temporary decision of the allied forces. This decision was undone by an international treaty on 1 August 1963, so that the village of Elten became, once again, German. The Dutch business people took advantage of this for a big coup. From all over the country, trucks full of all the Dutch stuff the Germans loved to buy arrived in Elten - again butter, coffee, tobacco and so on. They were parked on July 31st in Elten, Netherlands - in the morning, they stood on August 1st in Elten, Germany without having had to go through the customs and pay taxes!

Full legally you could always find little shops just behind the border, where the Dutch products were offered. Such a store can still be found on the Lobither Street. It's worth a (short) visit: just before the Elten railroad crossing, turn left and at the end of the road turn left again. You can save some money buying coffee, and of course, purchase the typical Dutch cookies. The store is apparently open every day and you can quickly buy the forgotten sugar or anything else there.