Baarle-Hertog

"Baerle-Duc" redirects here. For the French town, see Bar-le-Duc.

Baarle-Hertog
Flag Coat of arms
Baarle-Hertog Location in Belgium
Coordinates: 51°27′N 04°56′E
Country	Belgium
Region	Flemish Region
Community	Flemish Community
Province	Antwerp
Arrondissement	Turnhout
Government
• Mayor	Jan Van Leuven (CDK)
• Governing party/ies	CDK
Area
• Total	7.48 km2 (2.9 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2010)
• Total	2,504
• Density	334.8/km2 (867/sq mi)
Postal codes	2387
Area codes	014
Website	Official website
Map of Baarle-Hertog

Cafe in Baarle-Nassau, showing border between Belgium and the Netherlands.

The former town hall

Baarle-Hertog is a municipality belonging to the Belgian province of Antwerp, but the biggest part is located in the Dutch province of North Brabant. The municipality only comprises the town of Baarle-Hertog proper. On January 1, 2006 Baarle-Hertog had a total population of 2,306. The total area is 7.48 km² (2.89 sq mi) which gives a population density of 308 inhabitants per km² (798 inhabitants/sq mi).

Geography

The border with Baarle-Nassau

Baarle-Hertog is noted for its complicated borders with Baarle-Nassau in the Netherlands. In total it consists of 24 separate parcels of land. Apart from the main division (called Zondereigen from the main hamlet) located north of the Belgian town of Merksplas, there are twenty Belgian exclaves in the Netherlands and three other sections on the Dutch-Belgian border. There are also seven Dutch exclaves within the Belgian exclaves. Six of them are located in the largest one and a seventh in the second-largest one. An eighth Dutch exclave lies nearby Ginhoven.

The border is so complicated that there are some houses that are divided between the two countries. There was a time when according to Dutch laws restaurants had to close earlier. For some restaurants on the border it meant that the clients simply had to change their tables to the Belgian side.

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 and 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.

The border between Belgium and the Netherlands at Baarle-Hertog

Localities

Two villages which form part of the municipality, Zondereigen and Ginhoven, are located in the main territory of Belgium.

Famous inhabitants

• Petrus Christus, 15th century painter

Popular culture

The BBC reported from Baarle as part of their coverage of the 2009 European elections. The reporter was filmed as if he was with his twin in a cafe, each on the one side of the border. The "twin" on a chair on the Belgian side explained what he was entitled to in Belgium. He mentioned compulsory voting, but maintained he was allowed to build a house 300 metres (328 yards) away from a pig farm, which is illegal in the Netherlands.

See also

• The divided towns of Le Perthus (France) and Els Límits (Spain)
• Indo-Bangladesh enclaves
• The towns of Derby Line (United States) and Stanstead (Canada).

External links

• Official Web site Baarle-Hertog (Dutch)
• Official Web site Baarle-Nassau (Dutch)
• The Baarle Enclaves outlined with Maps
• Barry Smith's Baarle Site (with maps)
• English Website about the Baarle Enclaves / with maps
• Baarle-Nassau / Baarle-Hertog (with maps)
• Photos from Baarle-Nassau/Hertog
• Jan S. Krogh's Geosite about the Baarles
• Photograph of H-22, the smallest enclave of B.-Hertog
• New York Times, Frugal Traveler Blog, August 2008 (Matt Gross) – see video of Baarle-Hartog in middle of page