After having been under French (1795-1813) and Prussian (1814-1919) rule, the so-called East Cantons of Eupen, Malmedy and Sankt were annexed to Belgium in 1920 by virtue of the Treaty of Versailles. At the time, a journal edited in German was published in Sankt Vith under the title «Malmedy-St. Vither Volks-Zeitung». The journal, a major source for research into local history, was founded in January 1866 under the title «Wochenblatt für den Kreis Malmedy». It then took different titles in the -course of the years. In 1965, the «St. Vither Zeitung» is merged with the «Grenz Echo» to become the «Grenz-Echo und St. Vither Zeitung». The editions from February 1866 until December 1964 are preserved at the State Archives in Eupen, where they have been digitised in 2013 with the support of the German-speaking Community.