Baarle-Nassau () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

and town in the southern

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, located in the province of

North Brabant North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the w ...

. It had a population of in . The town is the site of a complicated borderline between

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and the Netherlands, with 22 small exclaves of the Belgian town

Baarle-Hertog (; french: Baerle-Duc, ) is a Flanders, Flemish Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Belgium, much of which consists of a number of small Belgian enclaves fully surrounded by the Netherlands. Parts of are surrounded by the Dutch province ...

, 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 consists of 26 separate parcels of land. Apart from the main parcel, known as Zondereigen and located north of the Belgian town of

Merksplas Merksplas () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the town of Merksplas proper. In 2021, Merksplas had a total population of 8,616. The total area is 44.56 km². References Externa ...

, 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 , measures . The border's complexity results from numerous medieval treaties, agreements, land-swaps and sales between the Lords of Breda and the

Dukes of Brabant The Duke of Brabant (, ) was the ruler of the Duchy of Brabant since 1183/1184. The title was created by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in favor of Henry I of the House of Reginar, son of Godfrey III of Leuven (who was duke of Low ...

. 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 The Treaty on European Union, commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty, is the foundation treaty of the European Union (EU). Concluded in 1992 between the then-twelve member states of the European Communities, it announced "a new stage in the pr ...

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. Baarle-Nassau - Baarle-Hertog-en

Localities

*Baarle-Nassau (population: 5,330) *

Ulicoten Ulicoten is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is a part of the municipality of Baarle-Nassau Baarle-Nassau () is a municipality and town in the southern Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. It had a populati ...

(1,110) *

Castelré Castelré () is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is a part of the municipality of Baarle-Nassau, and lies some 20 km south of Breda. In 2000 a millennium chapel was built at the "Kempische-driehoek" 't Groesje. Castelr ...

(140)

List of enclaves

Netherlands enclaves

These are all part of Baarle-Nassau municipality.

Belgian enclaves

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

Education

Baarle-Nassau has two primary schools: Basisschool De Uilenpoortand and Bernardusschool, the latter in the

section. There is a single secondary school in Baarle-Nassau, De La Salle, which has , lower , and levels. It has a joint library with

with Belgian and Dutch staff.bibliotheek
" Baarle-Hertog. Retrieved on January 6, 2017.

Notable people

Petrus Christus Petrus Christus (; 1410/1420 – 1475/1476) was an Early Netherlandish painter active in Bruges from 1444, where, along with Hans Memling, he became the leading painter after the death of Jan van Eyck. He was influenced by van Eyck and Rogier v ...

( in Baarle – 1475/1476) an

Early Netherlandish painter Early Netherlandish painting, traditionally known as the Flemish Primitives, refers to the work of artists active in the Burgundian Netherlands, Burgundian and Habsburg Netherlands during the 15th- and 16th-century Northern Renaissance period. ...

; 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

File:Baarle Nassau, Onze Lieve Vrouw van Altijddurende bijstand foto5 2010-10-13 11.43.JPG, Baarle-Nassau, church File:Baarle-Nassau Rathaus.jpg, Baarle-Nassau, town hall File:Grensovergang Poppel-Baarle.jpg, Grensovergang Poppel-Baarle File:P1020712Baarle-Nassau.JPG, Baarle-Nassau, bij Singel, water pump

References

External links

Official Web site Baarle-Nassau

Official Web site Baarle-Hertog

Photograph of H-22, the smallest enclave of B.-Hertog
(with maps)
English Website about the Baarle Enclaves / with maps
ead linkbr>Dutch pages about Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau / with maps
{{Authority control Belgium–Netherlands border crossings Enclaves and exclaves Municipalities of North Brabant Twin cities