during the French occupation later in the same century: during the war, the French razed the wall girding the village, as they did with all fortifications along the Moselle between 1683 and 1685, so that now only parts of it can be made out. It had stood for almost three centuries. The French also forced the locals to supply building materials, livestock and their labour in the years from 1687 to 1692 so that the French could built their fort, Mont Royal. Up to 8,000 workers were forced into this. The fort could house 22,000 soldiers and 3,000 horses. The French only withdrew after the Treaty of Ryswick (Rijswijk) had been signed in 1697, ending the Nine Years' War (known in Germany as the Pfälzischer Erbfolgekrieg, or War of the Palatine Succession). All together, Pünderichers had had to put up with almost 80 years of occupation in the 17th century. The year 1784 wrought catastrophe throughout Europe, and brought the river Moselle its greatest ever flood. On 9 February 1784, Pünderich's lower village was particularly gravely stricken. After the frightful ice flows from 24 to 26 February, the Moselle's waters rose until on 29 February, the flood reached the high water mark set in the 1740 flood, eventually exceeding it by three Schuh (roughly a metre). The flood also deposited sediments in many places, causing lasting problems. Beginning in 1794, Pünderich, which had until now been ruled by the Electorate of Trier, lay under French rule. In 1814 it was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia at the Congress of Vienna. In the latter half of the 19th century, agricultural life was marked by bad harvests and famines, prompting many to turn their backs on the village and emigrate to North America or Brazil. This hit Pünderich hard, shrinking its population from just under 800 to roughly 300, as just under 500 people left between 1850 and 1900. 20th century The earlier half of the 20th century was characterized in Pünderich, as it was everywhere, by the world wars. In the First World War, 35 soldiers from Pünderich fell. In the Second World War, losses totalled 61. Because of the railway lines, Pünderich was targeted several times for aerial bombing. Since 1946, Pünderich has been part of the then newly founded state of Rhineland-Palatinate. In the 1950s, Pünderich underwent a profound change. Agricultural activities such as cropraising and livestock raising