Baarle-Nassau () is a

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

and town in the southern

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, located in the province of

North Brabant North Brabant ( ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, Dutch Brabant or Hollandic 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 ...

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

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and the Netherlands: it encloses 22 small

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

s of the Belgian town

Baarle-Hertog (; , ) is a Flemish 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 of North Brabant, but it is part of the Belgian prov ...

, of which the two largest contain seven counter-enclaves of Baarle-Nassau, and the main body of Belgium contains another.

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 Zondereigen () is a village in the municipality of Baarle-Hertog, in the province of Antwerp, Belgium. In 2021, it was home to 478 inhabitants. Zondereigen borders the Dutch province of North Brabant, and contains a Dutch enclave. History The v ...

and located north of the Belgian town of

Merksplas Merksplas () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city ...

, 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 Breda ( , , , ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant. ...

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 L ...

. 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 the Dutch or Belgian flag next to the house number indicates which country it belongs to. 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 and is situated about south of Breda Breda ( , , , ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipal ...

(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 Breda ( , , , ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of m ...

(140)

List of enclaves

Dutch 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 shares, with

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

Notable people

Petrus Christus Petrus Christus (; 1410/1420 – c. 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 R ...

( in Baarle – 1475/1476) an

Early Netherlandish painter Early Netherlandish painting is the body of work by artists active in the Burgundian Netherlands, Burgundian and Habsburg Netherlands during the 15th- and 16th-century Northern Renaissance period, once known as the Flemish Primitives. It flour ...

; was a leading painter after the death of

Jan van Eyck Jan van Eyck ( ; ; – 9 July 1441) was a Flemish people, Flemish painter active in Bruges who was one of the early innovators of what became known as Early Netherlandish painting, and one of the most significant representatives of Early Nort ...

* Jan Hendrikx (born 1944) a former Dutch politician, mayor of Baarle-Nassau 1990–2012

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 website Baarle-Nassau

Official website Baarle-Hertog

Photograph of H-22, the smallest enclave of B.-Hertog
(with maps)

{{Authority control Belgium–Netherlands border crossings Enclaves and exclaves Municipalities of North Brabant Twin cities