 While La Cure had previously been located entirely inside France, the new boundary was slated to cut the village—including some residences and a pub—in half.The treaty stipulated that any already-existing structure bisected by the border was to be left undisturbed, and this gave one local businessman an idea.At the time of the signing of the treaty in December 1862, the land currently occupied by the Hotel Arbez was owned by a French citizen named Ponthus.