develop. During the Second World War, Homburg was annexed by the Third Reich, but most young men from the town went into hiding to avoid being conscripted to the German Army. Languages Since the time of the French invasions the Meuse-Rhenish dialect has been widely spoken in Hombourg. The local dialect was used in administrative documents until the 16th century, when it was supplanted by "Bromesch", the language of government of the Spanish and Austrian Netherlands. In religious matters, German has been in common use from the 18th century onwards. In the 19th century until 1910, linguistic censuses record a great number of different languages spoken by the residents of Hombourg, although some languages may have been recorded incorrectly due to the ignorance of local dialects by those carrying out the survey. The censuses of 1920 and 1930 show an increasing dominance of the French language. From 1919 the area's schools taught in French instead of German, and French also became the primary ecclesiastical language after the Second World War. Administratively, the commune has been French since 1794 (except from 1940 to 1944). At the establishment of the language areas and facilities in 1962, Hombourg adopted French is its official language for administrative purposes, in common with its 8 neighbouring municipalities. In schools, the language of instruction is French, with study of German and Dutch from the third year of primary school. Currently, about 85% of the population is French-speaking, 7% German-speaking, and 8% Dutch-speaking. About half of the French-speaking population (but mainly the age groups over 40) also know the local dialect. Traditions Following a procession in which a statue of the Virgin was abandoned at the roadside by the bearers of the secular (1591) Society of Saint-Brice, the parish priest founded a "Society of St. Joseph" especially to carry this statue. The village was then divided between supporters of the Society of Saint-Brice ("Brices") and the Society of St. Joseph ("Joupes"). These rivalries were reflected both at the corporate level (shooting and amenity society, youth, harmony society, theatre society) and at the level of political parties in the local council. Attempts at conciliation took place in 1914 and from 1964 to 1970 each time at the instigation of the mayor, but the rivalries continued for over a century. Today, the tension has fallen and only a friendly spirit of competition remains between the level two groups. The Hombourgeois