Baarle-Nassau

Baarle-Nassau
Municipality
Baarle-Nassau town hall
Flag Coat of arms
Location in North Brabant
Coordinates: 51°27′N 4°56′E / 51.450°N 4.933°E / 51.450; 4.933Coordinates: 51°27′N 4°56′E / 51.450°N 4.933°E / 51.450; 4.933
Country	Netherlands; however, the Dutch municipality of Baarle-Nassau totally surrounds numerous small exclaves of Belgium.
Province	North Brabant
Government [1]
• Body	Municipal council
• Mayor	(CDA)
Area [2]
• Total	76.29 km2 (29.46 sq mi)
• Land	76.14 km2 (29.40 sq mi)
• Water	0.15 km2 (0.06 sq mi)
Elevation [3]	28 m (92 ft)
Population  (January 2019)[4]
• Total	6,847
• Density	90/km2 (200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode	5110–5114
Area code	013
Website	www.baarle-nassau.nl

Topographic map of the municipality of Baarle-Nassau, June 2015.

Baarle-Nassau (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌbaːrlə ˈnɑsʌu] (listen)) is a municipality and town in the southern Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. It had a population of 6,847 in 2019. The town is the site of a complicated borderline between Belgium and Netherlands, with numerous small exclaves of the Belgian town Baarle-Hertog, some of which contain counter-exclaves of Nassau.

Geography[]

The border with Baarle-Hertog, Belgium[]

Baarle-Nassau is closely linked, with complicated borders, to the Belgian exclaves of Baarle-Hertog. Baarle-Hertog consists of 26 separate parcels of land. Apart from the main parcel, known as Zondereigen and located north of the Belgian town of Merksplas, there are 22 Belgian exclaves in the Netherlands and three other parcels on the Dutch-Belgian border. There are also six Dutch exclaves located within the largest Belgian exclave, one within the second-largest, and an eighth within Zondereigen. The smallest Belgian parcel, H7, locally named De Loversche Akkers, measures 2,469 square metres (26,580 sq ft).

The border's complexity results from numerous 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, while 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.

For clarification and the interest of tourists, the border is made visible on all streets with iron pins. This way it is always clear whether one is in Belgium (Baarle-Hertog) or in The Netherlands (Baarle-Nassau). This is also visible on the house numbers: the style of house numbers is different in both countries and often one will find the Dutch or Belgian flag next to the number.

Belgian and Dutch territory in Baarle-Nassau

Border between Netherlands and Belgium in Baarle-Nassau.

Outside of Belgium and the Netherlands, there is at least one other national counter-exclave (enclave enclosed within an enclave) at Nahwa, an enclave of the United Arab Emirates within an enclave of the Sultanate of Oman within the United Arab Emirates.

Localities[]

• Baarle-Nassau (population: 5,330)
• Ulicoten (1,110)
• Castelré (140)

List of enclaves[]

Netherlands enclaves[]

These are all part of Baarle-Nassau municipality.

Serial no. and local name [5]	Area (ha)	Notes
N1, De Loversche Akkers – De Tommelsche Akkers	5.3667	Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave H1, in Baarle-Hertog; contains a mix of dwellings and farmland; boundary of N1 and H1 runs through one building.
N2, De Tommelsche Akkers	1.3751	Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave H1, in Baarle-Hertog; contains 8 dwellings.
N3, De Tommelsche Akkers	0.2863	Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave H1, in Baarle-Hertog; boundary of N3 and H1 bisects the loading dock of a liquor store.
N4, De Rethsche Akkers	1.2324	Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave H1, in Baarle-Hertog; boundary of N4 and H1 runs through a warehouse, with vacant Dutch land to the rear of the warehouse.
N5, De Rethsche Akkers	1.9212	Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave H1, in Baarle-Hertog; boundary of N5 and H1 runs through a furniture showroom, a shed and a barn.
N6, Gierle Straat	1.4527	Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave H1, in Baarle-Hertog; consists of farmland with two buildings.
N7, De Kastelein	0.5812	Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian Oordeel exclave H8, in Baarle-Hertog; occupies part of a field.
N8, Vossenberg	2.8528	Farmland enclave situated within Zondereigen, Belgium, less than 50 meters south of the Dutch border.

Belgian enclaves[]

These are all part of Baarle-Hertog municipality, and are surrounded by Baarle-Nassau municipality (Netherlands).

Serial no. and local name [5]	Area (ha)	Notes
H1, Aen het Klooster Straetje - Hoofdbraek - Loveren - De Boschcovensche Akkers - De Loversche Akkers - De Tommelsche Akkers - De Tommel - De Gierle Straat - De Reth - De Rethsche Akkers - Het Dorp - De Kapel Akkers - De Kastelein	153.6448	Forms a quadripoint with enclave H2; largest Belgian exclave; encompasses six Dutch enclaves; consists of dwellings for the most part, with outlying farmland and an industrial area; boundary runs through numerous buildings; contains a portion of the former Turnhout-Tilburg rail line, now a cycle path.
H2, De Rethsche Akkers	2.4116	Consists of farmland with a single point of connection (quadripoint) between enclaves H1 and H2 in the middle of a corn field.
H3, De Rethsche Akkers	0.3428	Occupies part of a field; boundary runs through a shed in one instance.
H4, De Rethsche Akkers	1.476	Consists of farmland; boundary runs through a house and three sheds.
H5, De Kapel Akkers	0.9245	Consists of farmland with a dwelling.
H6, Hoofdbraek	1.7461	Mixed land usage; boundary runs through a warehouse/factory.
H7, De Loversche Akkers	0.2469	Boundary runs through two dwellings, including the middle of one front door (giving it two house numbers: Loveren 2, Baarle-Hertog / Loveren 19, Baarle-Nassau).
H8, Boschcoven - De Kastelein - De Oordelsche Straat	41.8781	Second-largest Belgian exclave, contains a mix of dwellings and farmland; boundary runs through a barn, a dwelling and two businesses.
H9, De Kapel Akkers	0.4005	Boundary runs through a printing factory/warehouse in an industrial area.
H10, De Oordelsche Straat	0.65	Consists of farmland.
H11, De Oordelsche Straat	0.93	Consists of farmland.
H12, Boschcoven	0.2822	Consists of farmland.
H13, Boschcoven	1.5346	Boundary runs through about 20 dwellings.
H14, Boschcoven	0.7193	Boundary runs through about 13 dwellings.
H15, Boschcoven	1.7211	Boundary runs through about 16 dwellings.
H16, Keizershoek - Oordelsche Straat	4.4252	Boundary runs through a house and three sheds, with the linear boundary changing direction three times inside just one shed.
H17, Moleriet Heide	14.9248	Rural area containing a portion of the former Turnhout-Tilburg rail line, now a cycle path.
H18, De Manke Gooren	2.9247	Consists of farmland.
H19, De Peruiters	0.6851	Consists of several ponds and a field.
H20, Wurstenbosch - Vossenberg	1.1681	Consists of farmland.
H21, Baelbrugsche Beemden	1.1845	Consists of farmland.
H22, De Wit Hagen	0.2632	South of the village of Ulicoten; occupies part of a field; nationality was contested from the 1830s until 1995 (remained unallocated to either country in boundary treaty of 26 April 1974)

Notable people[]

• Petrus Christus (ca. 1410/1420 in Baarle – 1475/1476) an Early Netherlandish painter was a leading painter after the death of Jan van Eyck
• Jan Hendrikx (born 1944) a former Dutch politician, Mayor of Baarle-Nassau 1990 to 2012

Gallery[]

• 

  Baarle Nassau, church

• 

  Baarle-Nassau, Rathaus

• 

  Grensovergang Poppel-Baarle

• 

  Baarle-Nassau, bij Singel, water pump

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Baarle-Nassau.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Baarle.

• Official Web site Baarle-Nassau (in Dutch)
• Official Web site Baarle-Hertog (in Dutch)
• The Baarle Enclaves outlined with Maps
• Photograph of H-22, the smallest enclave of B.-Hertog
• Baarle-Nassau / Baarle-Hertog (with maps)
• Photos from Baarle-Nassau/Hertog
• English Website about the Baarle Enclaves / with maps [Dead link]
• Dutch pages about Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau / with maps