Baarle is a town in the Netherlands with Belgian territories embedded within it. Streets and buildings are split by multiple Belgium–Netherlands borders, making it one of Europe’s most unusual destinations. Here’s our experience of visiting Baarle.
The Dutch parts of the town are known as Baarle-Nassau, while the Belgian parts are called Baarle-Hertog. There are 22 Belgian enclaves entirely surrounded by Dutch Baarle-Nassau territory. And within two of those Belgian enclaves lie 7 Dutch enclaves. (An enclave is a piece of territory completely surrounded by the territory of another country.)
How to Get There
I remember planning a move to the Netherlands and “exploring” the country on Google Maps, zooming into different cities and regions. While looking at the southern part of the Netherlands, near the Belgian border, something unusual caught my eye. I zoomed in and saw two towns – Baarle-Nassau and Baarle-Hertog – practically overlapping, with numerous borders criss-crossing through them. ‘That’s not something you see often!’ – I thought.
After looking at the pictures of Baarle-Nassau and Baarle-Hertog online, we knew we simply had to visit. And we did. A few years later, during a road trip to Lille, France, we made a stop in Baarle and spent a few hours exploring the town.
You can visit Baarle-Nassau and Baarle-Hertog when travelling between the Netherlands and Belgium. It’s only about an hour’s drive from either Antwerp, Belgium or Rotterdam, Netherlands.
History
The town’s history dates back to feudal times and land ownership. In the 12th century, various local and regional lords held parts of the land. The areas historically owned by the Duke of Brabant now form the Belgian territory of Baarle-Hertog. While the lands once owned by the Lord of Breda are now part of the Dutch territory of Baarle-Nassau.
Interestingly, the status of the enclaves has changed very little since the 12th century. Over the centuries, there were several attempts to merge, exchange, or unify the territories. But none were successful.
In 1843, the Treaty of Maastricht established the official border between the Netherlands and Belgium. However, defining the boundaries of the Baarle enclaves proved challenging, so each territory was marked individually as either Dutch or Belgian. In 1995, the borders were finally formalized and the enclaves were numbered. Their status has remained largely unchanged to this day. There are 22 enclaves of Baarle-Hertog (numbered H1 to H22) and 8 enclaves of Baarle-Nassau (numbered N1 to N8).
Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau each have their own town council, mayor, and police force. In some areas, the two councils can cooperate on practical matters such as road maintenance, electricity, and water supply.
Visiting Baarle-Nassau and Baarle-Hertog
Having streets and even houses divided by an international border creates plenty of unusual situations. Locals must follow Dutch law when on Dutch territory and Belgian law when on Belgian territory. Even if the difference is only a matter of meters.
I remember reading about times when restaurants had to close earlier under Dutch laws. For some restaurants located right on the border, it simply meant moving a table to the Belgian side to diners could continue their meal.
Another example involved fireworks. Dutch laws on selling fireworks are stricter than Belgian ones. So people from the Netherlands would often buy them in Baarle-Hertog to sidestep the restrictions.
There were also some unusual situations during Covid-related restrictions. Belgium and the Netherlands had different lockdown rules at various times. Several shops in Baarle are split by BE-NL border, and the owners had to decide which regulations to follow. One store chose to close only the shelves located on the Belgian side (in complience with Belgium’s lockdown laws), while keeping the shelves on the Dutch side open under the more relaxed Dutch rules.
Luckily for us, we visited before the lockdowns. We had a nice time walking through the town center and eating at a restaurant (though I can’t quite remember which country it belonged to). The boys had fun spotting border markers on the roads and taking photos while standing in two countries at once.
How Long to Spend in Baarle?
If you’re not planning to visit all 22 enclaves of Baarle-Hertog and 8 enclaves of Baarle-Nassau, then a few hours is plenty of time to explore Baarle. Wander around, cross the borders, relax in a café in the town center, and don’t forget to snap a few photos!
Is Baarle Worth Visiting?
Visiting Baarle – a town divided by Belgium and the Netherlands – is a truly unique experience, and we absolutely recommend it!
I think we can all learn from the Dutch and Belgians living and working side by side in Baarle. It’s a wonderful example of how two nations can coexist peacefully and harmoniously – even when borders run through streets and buildings.
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This is so interesting. It’s crazy to think that even shops are split in two. Well, I guess it works for them LOL!
It’s really hard to imagine how people live in such city. But you’re right – it works for them and looks like they are making the most of it 🙂
This sounds like a lovely place/s to have a day out! I feel like I went on a mini-holiday reading this, haha — thanks for sharing!
what a fun reason to visit a place! I would 100% do the same. loved the nuances around the covid hours. how bizarre it must have been, differentiating by shelves in the shop! i remember reading about an elderly couple that lived across the border from each other (somewhere in europe) during covid. and they would have tea on the opposite sides of the border from each other. it was really cute!
Having a shop or restaurant in two countries can be confusing but fun to visit. This is one of those areas we would enjoy visiting because it’s quirky.
A town of two halves. So unusual that they split the town in two. There must be some fierce rivalry there during football matches.
I haven’t even thought about football matches 🙂 You are right, it must go rival when NL plays with BE!