baarle nassau tourism

Visit baarle    

Visit Baarle geeft toeristische informatie over de unieke enclavesituatie in de Nederlandse gemeente Baarle-Nassau en de Belgische gemeente Baarle-Hertog.

De enclavewandeling neemt je mee door de dorpskern van Baarle. Je wandelt langs bijzondere historische plekjes en steekt diverse malen de grens over.

Deze route leid je langs 12 enclaveborden, die geplaatst staan in het centrum van Baarle-Hertog-Nassau. Op de borden lees je de achtergrondinformatie over de betreffende enclave.

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A New Wave Of Jazz brengt i.s.m. PlusEtage twee zeer unieke muzikanten bij elkaar.

KONINGSDAG IN BAARLE-NASSAU

In Baarle-Nassau begint de officiële opening van Koningsdag op het Sint-Annaplein om 13:00 door de burgemeester Marjon de Hoo...

Visit Baarle App

Baarle City App geeft informatie over alles op het gebied van horeca, retail en cultuur in Baarle en de omliggende regio. Zo vind je met de app eenvoudig een restaurant, café of hotel, maar ook de leukste winkels en winkelgebieden of informatie over bezienswaardigheden, musea en evenementen.

Download de app gratis voor iPhone & Android! Winkel, horecazaak of evenement op laten nemen in app? Klik dan snel verder voor de mogelijkheden!

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Baarle-Nassau

Noord Brabant

Together Baarle Nassau (NL) and Baarle Hertog (B) form an extraordinary geopolitical quirk divided by the world's messiest border jigsaw: 22 miniature exclaves of Belgium lie within the Netherlands, and a further half-dozen Dutch pockets lie within these. Visit the tourist office for an exhibition explaining the background then stroll the (otherwise ordinary) streets, noticing studs and crosses marked on roadways and pavements denoting the eccentric frontier line.

The strange arrangement stems from 1198 when the village's homesteads were given to the Duke of Breda (later Nassau) while surrounding farmland remained in the hands of the Hertog (Duke) of Brabant who wanted to retain valuable agricultural tax revenues. Amazingly those medieval divisions still survive. And at times they have helped create thriving smuggler economies – curiously memorialised with a statue in town.

Today, most commerce is in the Dutch areas, but petrol stations and tobacconists are in Belgian parcels for tax reasons. Hotel Den Engel is in the Netherlands but so near the border that if you sit at the southernmost table of its cafe terrace you can drink a beer with one foot in either country.

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• 1.1 Tourist information
• 2.3 By train
• 3 Get around
• 4.1 Museums

Baarle is a border village that spans two countries: Belgium , and the Netherlands . On Dutch soil, in Baarle and surroundings, are 22 enclaves belonging to Belgium and these Belgian enclaves in turn include 7 Dutch enclaves. Often these boundaries run across houses.

Understand [ edit ]

This little village with about 9,200 inhabitants is divided into two communities from two countries: Baarle Hertog (Belgian, 2,600 inhabitants) and Baarle Nassau (Dutch, 6,600 inhabitants). It was formed at the end of the 12th century thanks to a dispute between the Count of Breda and the Duke of Brabant that led to a puzzle that continues to the present time. The nationality of the inhabitants is determined by the position of the front door. A story tells that a Belgian displaced his front door to avoid getting Dutch nationality.

The border's complexity results from a number of equally complex medieval treaties, agreements, land-swaps and sales between the Lords of Breda and the Dukes of Brabant. Generally speaking, predominantly agricultural or built environments became constituents of Brabant, other parts devolved to Breda. These distributions were ratified and clarified as a part of the borderline settlements arrived at during the Treaty of Maastricht in 1843.

In Baarle everything is doubled: two churches, two town halls, two post offices, two fire stations, two police forces (which are now housed in the same building) and so on. Even if outsiders say that this state should be untenable, the locals can't imagine any other way of life, nor would they want to.

Tourist information [ edit ]

• VVV Baarle Tourist Office , Nieuwstraat 16, 5111 CW Baarle-Nassau, Netherlands , ☏ +31 13 507 99 21 , [email protected] . Tu-F 11:00-15:00, Sa 10:00-15:00 .  

Get in [ edit ]

By car [ edit ].

Baarle is easily accessible by car via the two Dutch provincial roads N260 and N639 and the Belgian provincial road N119. The Dutch A58 and Belgian E34 motorways are also in the vicinity of the village.

By bus [ edit ]

From Belgium take bus No. 460 ( De Lijn ) that runs from Turnhout train station to Baarle.

The Dutch Veolia passes Baarle with line 132 from Tilburg to Breda .

By train [ edit ]

The closest train station in Belgium is at Turnhout . From there continue by bus.

Get around [ edit ]

Baarle is a small village; you can easily get around on foot or even better, you can hire a bike to visit the surrounding countryside. As both Belgium and the Netherlands are in the Schengen Area you do not need a passport when crossing the many borders.

See [ edit ]

• Kapelstraat - If you walk on the left hand side of the road out of town, you will cross the border five times, however on the right side you will only cross the border three times.
• De Biergrens (Molenstraat 98, Baarle-Hertog / Molenstraat 26, Baarle-Nassau) - The border crosses this beverage shop. As a result, this shop has two addresses, two telephone numbers and two cash registers.
• Gierlestraat - Curious assignment of house numbers: when you reach Belgian territory from the Netherlands, the numbering starts over again.
• Cultural Centre Baarle (Pastoor de Katerstraat 5, Baarle-Hertog / Pastoor de Katerstraat 7, Baarle-Nassau) - Again the border crosses the building. This cultural centre is used by both communities.

Museums [ edit ]

• Baarle's Museum , Kerkplein 2 te Baarle-Hertog , ☏ +32 14 69 96 62 . Tu-Th 11:00-16:00, Sa Su 12:00-16:00 . Carved candles. €3 .  
• Museum Vergane Glorie , Turnhoutseweg 10A te Baarle-Hertog , ☏ +32014 69 98 32 , [email protected] . on demand . Old hand tools, all kinds of utensils, and various war materials from the First and Second World Wars. ( updated Sep 2017 )

Buy [ edit ]

Because of differing legislation the erotic video store is in Baarle-Nassau and the fireworks shops are located in Baarle-Hertog and are open all year round. Shops in Baarle open every Sunday. The reason is that in Belgium stores are allowed to be open every Sunday and Baarle-Nassau relies on its status as a tourist attraction.

Eat [ edit ]

The village Baarle has 20 restaurants (including 1 Italian and 2 Asians, 1 Pancake House, 4 cream and bistros, and 1 steak house). The regional cuisine is hearty, but quite refined, and the proximity to Belgium is evident in the rich beer selection.

Also culinarily, two worlds meet here. For example, there is the Baarler pancake (Baarloe Pannekoek): one half is with cheese and ham, while the other covered with cherries and powdered sugar.

• De Pannenkoeken Bakker , Singel 16, 5111 CD Baarle-Nassau , ☏ +31 13 507 92 72 , [email protected] . Apr-Oct: M 12:00-20:00, Tu-Su 10:00-20:00; Nov-Mar: M 12:00-20:00, Tu Sa Su 10:00-20:00, W-F 11:00-20:00 . There are all kinds of pancakes, including Baarler pancakes in spring. Cosy atmosphere. €2.40-13.70 . ( updated Feb 2024 )
• La Pergola , Chaamseweg 54a , ☏ +31 13 507 79 86 . The local Italian restaurant serves all the regular pizza and pastas. ( updated Feb 2024 )

Drink [ edit ]

Your expectations for nightlife should not be set too high; after all, Baarle is a village. However, it has at least seven pubs.

Sleep [ edit ]

• Brasserie-Hotel Den Bonten Os , Pastoor de Katerstraat 23-25 , ☏ +32 1469 90 16 , [email protected] . €33 .  
• Bed & Breakfast Effe Rust , Veldbraak 13, 5111 HH Baarle-Nassau , ☏ +31 13 507 74 75 .  
• Sporthotel Bruurs , Sportlaan 22, 5111 BX Baarle-Nassau , ☏ +31 13 507 53 32 , [email protected] . Fitness, pool and sauna €72.50 including breakfast .  
• Hotel Den Engel , Singel 3, 5111 CD Baarle-Nassau, , ☏ +31 13 507 93 30 , [email protected] . €76 .  
• Logement De Hertog van Bae rle , Zondereigen 1b, 2387 Baarle-Hertog , ☏ +32 14 82 88 83 , [email protected] . Breakfast and free bike €90 .  

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• Baarle-Hertog-Nassau

Every enclave has a nice anecdote or a bizarre history.Have you come to discover them?

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Baarle Hertog Nassau Travel Guide

Table of Contents

This is a Baarle Hertog / Baarle Nassau Travel Guide from taste2travel.

Date Visited: February 2021

Introduction

Imagine a scenario whereby you wake up in the morning in your bedroom, which is in Belgium; you walk across the hallway to the bathroom, which is in the Netherlands, to take a shower; you then proceed downstairs to the kitchen, which is Belgium, and prepare breakfast; after which you adjourn to the living room, which is in the Netherlands, to finally relax.

Baarle Nassau (NL) and Baarle Hertog (B) is home to almost half the world’s enclaves.

Sound bizarre?

This is the daily reality faced by some of the residents of Baarle-Hertog / Baarle-Nassau , a small town near the Dutch/ Belgium border which is home to almost half the enclaves on planet Earth.

Souvenir magnets at the Baarle tourist office feature common sights seen in Baarle, from border markers to house numbers.

If, like me, you have an interest in geographical anomalies, a visit to ‘ Baarle ‘ should be high on your travel bucket list. It really is fascinating!

The former Baarle town hall which was shared between the Dutch and Belgium governments.

Tucked away in a quiet corner of the Netherlands, just across the border from Belgium, lies the unassuming town of Baarle-Nassau/ Baarle Hertog , a typical hamlet which you could easily pass through without noticing anything odd.

The new Belgium Town Hall which sits on the border.

However, there is something peculiar about Baarle, something which draws throngs of camera-toting tourists.

Baarle is a twin town which lies within both the Netherlands (Baarle Nassau) and Belgium (Baarle Hertog).

A line on the road in downtown Baarle indicates the meandering border line.

This quiet border town, which covers an area of just 7.48 square kilometres (2.89 square miles), is the site of possibly the most complicated frontier in the world, a place where a map of the border looks more like a complex mosaic!

The Baarle Cultural Centre, on Pastoor de Katerstraat, is divided between two countries.

Contained within Baarle are no fewer than 22 Belgium enclaves . To confuse matters even further, there are seven Dutch exclaves within Baarle-Hertog (i.e. parcels of Dutch land separated from the Netherlands by Belgium territory).

A map of the enclaves and exclaves of Baarle. Source: Wikipedia

This rather confusing map of Baarle shows the parcels of land which belong to Belgium (dark yellow) and the parcels of Dutch land (light yellow).

The Belgium territories (all prefixed with an ‘H’ for Hertog) are enclaves as they are completely surrounded by the Dutch province of Brabant, while the small parcels of Dutch territories (all prefixed with an ‘N’ for Nassau), completely enclosed by Belgium territory, are exclaves .

As can be observed on the map, there are seven Dutch exclaves contained inside of H1 and H8 (these are numbered N1-7).

Enclaves and Exclaves Explained!

Enclave/ Exclave Diagram.

An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state. In this case, Baarle-Hertog (Belgium) is enclaved by the Netherlands as it’s surrounded entirely by the Dutch province of Brabant. In the diagram above, ‘C’ is an enclave of ‘A’.

An example of two enclave nations are San Marino and the Vatican City , both of which are completely surrounded by Italy.

An exclave (also known as a counter-enclave ) is a portion of a state geographically separated from the main part by surrounding alien territory. In the diagram above, ‘C’ is an exclave of ‘B’.

There are seven Dutch exclaves in Baarle.

Baarle – The enclave champion!

Home to almost half of the world’s enclaves, Baarle is the ‘Enclave Champion’.

There are 64 enclaves in the world, with Baarle being home to almost half of them. This makes Baarle the Enclave champion !

On display at the tourist information centre, a satellite image of Baarle indicates the different enclaves and exclaves.

How was this confusion created?

The history of this bizarre geographical phenomenon goes back to the Middle Ages, when properties were divided up between aristocratic families – well before neat, modern borders were created!

The genesis for today’s enclave’s dates back to 1198 when Duke Hendrik I of Brabant (ancestral lands now in the Netherlands) leased land in Baarle to his neighbour, Godfried II of Schoten , the Lord of Breda (ancestral lands now in Belgium).

At the time, overlords generated income from taxes levied on productive land (i.e. farmed land). The Duke of Brabant kept the income-generating farmland for himself and leased the remaining land to the Lord of Breda. These lands were in and around Baarle and therefore the basis for the enclaves.

Life in Baarle continued without any issue until 1830, the year Belgium gained independence.

A few years later, in 1843, a formal border was determined between Belgium and the Netherlands. Surveyors worked their way, step by step, from the coast of the North Sea to the border of the German states.

At the time, the complex border mosaic in Baarle was placed in the ‘ too-hard-basket ‘ and left for another time.

As the border was marked out, markers were placed along the way. Marker number 214 was the last marker before Baarle. A gap of 52 km was left, to be determined once the mosaic of borders could be clearly understood, with marker number 215 marking the continuation of the border.

Border marker #214 and 215, commemorates the completion of the border in Baarle.

So difficult was the task of determining the border in Baarle that it wasn’t until 1974 that a map of the border was created and the border between the two countries was finalised. This event is commemorated by a marker in downtown Baarle.

A plaque on the main square, and on the border, commemorates the finalisation of the frontier in Baarle.

Enclave Benefits

This geographical oddity has created some interesting situations throughout history.

During the First World War , although the German Imperial Army occupied Belgium, it could not occupy Baarle-Hertog since it would have to cross Dutch territory, which the Dutch government wouldn’t allow. Thus, Baarle-Hertog became a place where refugees could safely stay.

More recently, during the Covid-19 pandemic , the Belgium government enacted much tougher restrictions than the Netherlands government. While businesses in Belgium endured long periods of lockdown, and remained shut, Dutch businesses could operate freely. For those in Baarle, it simply meant crossing the street to access an open restaurant or bar.

Building Regulation

The owner of this apartment building skirted a Dutch building restriction by installing a second front door on the Belgian side of the border.

While most houses in Baarle lie within one country, a few truly odd properties lie in two countries!

Such properties are indicated by two completely different house numbers, as can be seen on the property featured above which is located on Desirée Geeraertstraat at #7 (Netherlands) and #2 (Belgium).

The determination for deciding in which country a property is located is based on the location of the front door. In some cases, an extra front door has been added, most often on the Belgium side of the border, for good reason!

Located at Chaamseweg 10, this apartment building is known as the ‘Front door swap’ house.

Building permits and regulations are much more relaxed in Belgium than in the Netherlands. Landlords, who own a property located on a border line, find it much easier to renovate or change their property by dealing with the Belgium authorities!

By installing a front door on the Belgium side of their property, they can circumvent the stricter Dutch controls.

An example of this can be seen at Chaamseweg #10 , where the landlord installed an extra door on the Belgium side of the border, allowing him to make changes to his property which wouldn’t have been approved by the Dutch authorities.

Financial Loopholes

The Hoogbraak Business Centre was once home to ‘Femisbank’.

Having an international border pass through a single building has also allowed some creative types to take advantage of financial loopholes.

A view of the border passing through the branch of the former Femisbank.

One such case was with Femisbank whose Baarle branch was located inside the Hoogbraak Business Centre , which straddles the border.

Whenever tax authorities from one country would arrive to view a clients’ financial records, those records would already have been moved across the room into the other country, allowing staff to state that the requested tax records weren’t available.

Needless to say, Femisbank lost its license to operate!

Cheaper Fuel

Other benefits of enclave living extend to cheaper fuel . Interestingly, there are no petrol stations in the Dutch parts of Baarle, but many in the Belgium areas.

As of February 2022, 1L of unleaded fuel in Belgium cost €1.70 while in the Netherlands, the same litre cost €2.10 .

The many Belgium petrol stations in Baarle do a brisk trade with Dutch cars lined up along the roadside waiting for their turn at the pump.

One of many firework shops in Baarle-Hertog.

Known as Loots in Dutch, the sale and carriage of fireworks is illegal in the Netherlands, except at New Years. Such restrictions don’t apply in Belgium!

Baarle is famous for its fireworks shops, where local Belgium entrepreneurs sell fireworks all year long to Dutch consumers who normally cannot buy them.

5111 Baarle-Nassau, Netherlands

Located in a very busy corner of Europe, Baarle is easily reached from either Belgium or the Netherlands.

Reaching Baarle is easily done from either Belgium or the Netherlands.

I based myself in Antwerp, from which Baarle is an easy (50 km) daytrip.

If using public transport from Antwerp, you can reach Baarle by taking one of the frequent fast trains to Turnhout then bus #460 which leaves from outside Turnhout train station.

Buses run once per hour to Baarle with a journey time of 20 minutes. Payment can be made onboard by tapping your credit card on the ticket reader.

Sightseeing

Throughout Baarle, there are different markers on the ground which are used to indicate the meandering border.

In Baarle, white crosses are used to indicate borderlines on footpaths along with a ‘B’ or ‘NL’.

White crosses are used to indicate borderlines on footpaths, along with a ‘B’ (Belgium) or ‘NL’ (Netherlands).

While white crosses indicate borders on footpaths, round, silver discs indicate borderlines on roadways.

While silver discs are used to indicate borderlines on roadways.

Baarle is a town where a Dutch resident could exit their house, walk across the street and be in Belgium, walk a hundred metres further to find themselves back in the Netherlands and then down to the end of the street to be back in Belgium again.

The tourist office in downtown Baarle flies the flags of Belgium and the Netherlands.

The best place to start your exploration is at the Baarle Tourist Information centre which is located at Singel #1 in the heart of town.

Walking tour map supplied by the Baarle Tourist Information centre.

The tourist office produces a ‘ Welcome in Baarle ‘ brochure which includes a useful walking tour map. The walk, which is a flat, 5km stroll, covers most of the sights of interest.

Markers on the ground indicate the route of the walking tour in Baarle.

It’s impossible to get lost as silver markers indicate the walking route!

While walking around Baarle, helpful markers on each light pole indicate which country you are in.

As you follow the walking trail, indicators on each light pole advise in which country you are presently located. This can change just by crossing the street.

House numbers in Baarle-Hertog feature Belgium flags.

Another clue as to which country you are in is provided by the house numbers, all of which feature the national colours of their country.

House numbers in Baarle-Nassau feature the Dutch colours.

For those on bicycles, signs indicate the ‘ Enclaveroute ‘ which takes you beyond town, into the surrounding countryside, where more enclaves await.

The ‘Enclaveroute’ allows you to visit all of the sights of Baarle by bicycle.

One of the highlights of Baarle is the house which is located at Loveren #19 . This quaint brick home is the poster-child for Baarle tourism, with the border running up to the front door, dividing the house in two.

Divided between two countries, this house at Loveren #19 is the most photographed site in Baarle.

The house is located inside enclave H7 , the smallest enclave in the world!

How big is H7? It’s large enough to contain one and a half houses and part of their backyards!

The divided house at Loveren #19 has two house numbers – Dutch (#19) and Belgium (#2).

A border marker on the main square, outside ‘Den Engel’ brasserie.

There are a cluster of restaurants and cafes on the main square around the tourist office, with the popular Den Engel located on the Dutch side of the border. Bus #460 from Turnhout stops on the square.

That’s the end of my travel guide for Baarle Hertog-Nassau.

I look forward to hearing your feedback regarding this guide. 

Safe Travels!

Follow me on Instagram: 

taste2travel

Further Reading: 

• Aland Islands Travel Guide
• Andorra Travel Guide

Baarle Hertog Nassau Travel Guide Baarle Hertog Nassau Travel Guide Baarle Hertog Nassau Travel Guide Baarle Hertog Nassau Travel Guide

Author: Darren McLean

Darren McLean is an Australian full-time digital nomad who has spent 36 years on a slow meander around the globe, visiting all seven continents and 236 UN+ countries and territories.

He founded taste2travel to pique one’s curiosity and inspire wanderlust.

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Visiting Baarle: The Mind-Boggling Border Town Between Belgium & The Netherlands

• Post author: escapemanila
• Post comments: 0 Comments
• Post last modified: June 12, 2023

Baarle is one of the most remarkable villages in the world. When I first heard about this strange border between The Netherlands and Belgium, it immediately caught my attention. I added it to my travel bucket list and hoped that I’d be able to visit it someday. That someday happened last month – on my recent birthday trip to Europe .

To be honest, I really thought that my dream Euro trip would not materialize because of what is happening in the world. There’s the ongoing pandemic, the Russian-Ukraine war, and many other things. Fortunately, by God’s grace, I was able to do it.

The Baarle-Nassau (Netherlands) / Baarle-Hertog (Belgium) is one of the strangest borders in the world. It’s just so confusing and mid-boggling. You can literally stand in two countries at the same time with the markings on the street.

The 22 Belgian enclaves of Baarle-Hertog are completely surrounded by the Dutch Baarle-Nassau. Seven enclaves of Baarle-Nassau are located in the two largest Belgian enclaves.

The borders are so detailed that many buildings – houses and commercial spaces are split down the middle between the two countries. There’s even a house with two addresses, both in Netherlands and Belgium! It’s complicated but really interesting that you should see it yourself.

How to Get To Baarle Nassau / Baarle-Hertog

There are two ways to get to Baarle, you can either start at the Dutch side or at the Belgian side. I took the latter. I started In Antwerp and took a bus 417 to Turnhout. You can also take a train but it would be quite expensive compared to taking a bus. The train costs around €10 if you book in advance and even more if you book on the day of your travel. Traveling by bus is only €2.5, one way and it’s only for about an hour.

From Turnhout, I took Bus 460 to Baarle-Hertog. Again, the fare is €2.5. It’s the standard bus fare in Belgium. Make sure to buy your bus tickets at the station. You can’t pay on the bus but you can get a ticket by sending a text message to a certain number.

The bus only runs every hour so plan your visit so you can maximize your time in Baarle. Staying for a night or two would be a great idea. I didn’t have the luxury of time so I just had a day tour.

From the Netherlands

From the Netherlands, take a train to Breda Central Railway station. From there, board bus 132 which will pass by Baarle before heading back to the Dutch side again towards Tilburg.

Things to do in Baarle [Tourist Spots]

When you arrive in Baarle, the first thing that you should do is to visit the Tourist Information Center and get a tourist map. It’s made for walking or biking tours so you can easily follow the route. Make sure to download maps.me just in case you get lost and you don’t have an internet connection to use Google maps.

Don’t forget to ask for a pin and mark your city. 🙂

Take a selfie in one of the border markings

The first thing I did was take a selfie in one of the border markings. That’s what I came for so after getting off the bus, I immediately looked for the markings. Fortunately, one of the markings is just a few steps from the bus stop.

Go on an Enclave Walking Tour

I had a tight schedule so I wasn’t able to follow the walking tour route. I headed straight to the house with two numbers, one of the popular tourist spots in Baarle.

The enclave walk takes you through the village center of Baarle. You will walk along with special historical places and cross the border several times. It’s a 4-kilometer route that can be followed by markings on the sidewalks. Interesting, right? I would have definitely done this if I had more time.

Visit the House with Two Numbers

The house is a private residence, you are free to take pictures but try not to disturb the owners.

Check out the Plaquette

In the center of Baarle-Hertog-Nassau, directly opposite the border post, there is a plaque that was installed in 1996 on the occasion of the official determination of the enclave borders. Since then, the enclave borders have also been the official “state borders”.

Visit St. Remegius Church

Declared as a protected monument in September 1942, St. Remegius Church is considered one of the tourist spots in Baarle. This church in the Kempen Gothic style has a tower over 46 meters high decorated with sand-lime bricks.

Food Trip in Baarle

There are many interesting restaurants in Baarle. If you are up for a gastronomic experience, try dining in one of the restaurants in town. Some of the popular eating spots are just adjacent to the border markers.

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Bizarre Belgium: Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau

• March 28, 2013 January 4, 2024

A Belgian village that’s not in Belgium? Or is it? Visit Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau and you might end up with more questions than answers.

The Belgian village of Baarle-Hertog is extremely difficult to describe. When you first hear people talking about it you think it’s merely a village cut in half by the border between Belgium and the Netherlands.

A Belgian village in the Netherlands?

Oh if it were only that simple! But it’s not. For a start, Baarle-Hertog is not actually on the Belgium-Netherlands border at all. It lies a few kilometres inside the border. In the Netherlands . Yet the village is very much part of Belgium.

The village with two names

Then there’s its name. You enter the village and are welcomed not only to Baarle-Hertog, but also to Baarle-Nassau.

And no, these are not different names for the same place. It’s not like Gent or Gand; Bergen or Mons. Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau are different villages, but in the same location. Baarle-Hertog belongs to Belgium; Baarle-Nassau belongs to the Netherlands. Still with me?

Belgian and Dutch pockets of land

Even more confusingly, these two places are made up of Belgian and Dutch pockets of land that are mixed up with each other.

How can I best explain it? Let’s try this. Imagine that a little girl has two different jigsaw puzzles. One is a picture of dogs; the other of cats. And each has, say, 15 pieces. She takes both puzzles and puts them into one box, and then throws all the puzzle pieces up in the air.

Of course, they land on the ground in a complete jumble. She carefully turns over each piece so the picture is visible. She then takes a pencil or crayon and draws lines around collections of pieces from the same puzzle. So where there are three pieces of cat puzzle close together, they get a shape drawn around them. Two pieces of dog together get another shape. Individual pieces also get their own circle.

That’s a bit like the situation in Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau. For the dog puzzle bits, substitute Baarle-Hertog; for the cat puzzle pieces, Baarle-Nassau.

30 enclaves

Each collection of Belgian and Dutch pockets of land is actually an enclave. In political geography, an enclave is a country or part of a country lying wholly within the boundaries of another country. Well-known examples are West Berlin before reunification, San Marino in Italy, Vatican City in Rome, and Lesotho in South Africa.

However, the Baarles beat all of these. Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau are made up of no fewer than 30 enclaves: 22 Belgian enclaves, 1 Dutch enclave and 7 Dutch sub-enclaves (don’t even ask …!).

The result is an extremely complex social, cultural and economic mix. So, for example, while there are many joint Belgian-Dutch organisations, such as a library and cultural centre, and common public provisions for water, gas and sewage, other facilities bewilderingly double up. There are 2 fire services, 2 churches, 2 police services, and double provisions for electricity and telephony.

How on earth did this all happen?

A good question. The origins of this puzzle lie with medieval feudalism, which split up the land into a patchwork of pockets that belonged to the local duke or count. In this area, some pockets were owned by the Duke (hertog) of Brabant (hence Baarle-Hertog) and others by the House of Nassau (hence Baarle-Nassau).

After the independence of Belgium in 1831, the border between Belgium and the Netherlands had to be determined by a border commission. In the area around Baarle, this patchwork of parcels was so complex that it proved impossible to come to a definitive agreement. Between border posts 214 and 215, instead of a fixed border, each of 5,732 pockets of land had their nationality laid down separately.

There have been numerous attempts to dismantle the enclaves. As recently as 1996, plans were drawn up to make Baarle-Hertog part of Turnhout. Baarle-Nassau would then join with nearby Alphen and Chaam to form a new Dutch municipality. Both the Dutch and the Belgian parliaments voted against the motion.

Walk from BE to NL to BE to NL …

Walking through the Baarles is a unique experience. You constantly criss-cross between Belgium and the Netherlands. You will also notice that in the streets divided into Belgian and Dutch parts, there is no continuous numbering of houses. A street name and number can even occur twice: once in Baarle-Hertog and again in Baarle-Nassau. One house even has a front door where the border goes right through the middle of it.

What’s more, as each house is deemed to pay taxes in the country where its front door is located, it is an old tradition in Baarle to move the front door some metres if that creates a more favourable fiscal situation. This isn’t just crazy theory; it’s crazy practice too. More than one family has moved their front door from one country to another.

Sunday in the Baarles

The inhabitants of the Baarles are certainly efficient in attracting tourists. Particularly on warm dry weekends the place is packed with day trippers. This of course means great business for the many shops (open on Sundays), cafés and restaurants.

It’s a fascinating place to visit. The borders are painted on the roads and pavements, while front doors are marked or flagged with their national identity. At the tourist office in Singel 1 you can pick up a wide range of walking guidebooks. The one entitled ‘Enclave In, Enclave Uit’ will take you on a tour of the village and is crammed with interesting facts and stories.

There’s also a Baarle tourism website which is packed with useful info, although why it’s only in Dutch is a mystery. Perhaps they are going to add English and French. But the idea of a website for TOURISTS that is only in the local language seems self-defeating.

You may also like to visit Baarle’s Candle Museum with its collection of religious scenes hand-carved from wax by Fritz Spies. An impressive example is the 2.5 metre high copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, which is sculpted from 200 kg of beeswax. Another museum in Baarle is Vergane Gloria , with its collection of old hand tools used by local builders, bakers, smiths, carpenters and cobblers, as well as various war memorabilia from the two world wars.

There’s more to see there. But you might just want to wander around the streets and take in the atmosphere of this truly bizarre piece of Belgium, or should I say truly bizarre pieces of Belgium?

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8 thoughts on “Bizarre Belgium: Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau”

I’m planning to visit Baarle-Nassau-Hertog in the New Year as it really does seem to be a fascinating place(s). Insightful blog. Thank you! TLT x

Glad you enjoy the blog. Let me know how you get on in Baarle-Nassau!

Great little place but … for de senior people visiting, and as in Belgium proper, dont expect any public conveniences at all best you can do is go to a local pub and order something, very costly and naturally the problem starts all over again after a short while, be warned!

Thanks for your warning James.

Dank u wel! I was listening to a BBC story about the upcoming NL elections and they referenced some towns in the southern Netherlands. I went to Google maps and found the strange scribble of black border lines. Then I found your story that explains it all.

Hi and thanks for your comment. I am happy to see that the article was useful. It’s quite a confusing place isn’t it?

Very interesting village. Plan to go this weekend for my day trip. Your blog gives me some informations. Thank you 👍🏻

Do let me know how you get on Marvie. And if you take some interesting pictures, I would love to add them to this post!

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