Baarle-Nassau

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 6,899 in 2019^[update]. The town is the site of a complicated borderline between Belgium and the Netherlands, with 22 small exclaves of the Belgian town Baarle-Hertog, some of which contain counter-exclaves of 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	Marjon de Hoon-Veelenturf (CDA)
Area ^[2]
• Total	76.29 km^2 (29.46 sq mi)
• Land	76.14 km^2 (29.40 sq mi)
• Water	0.15 km^2 (0.06 sq mi)
Elevation ^[3]	28 m (92 ft)
Population  (January 2021)^[4]
• Total	6,899
• Density	91/km^2 (240/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.

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 Akkerscode: nld promoted to code: nl , 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.

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)	area acre	Notes
N1, De Loversche Akkers – De Tommelsche Akkerscode: nld promoted to code: nl	5.3667	13.2617	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 Akkerscode: nld promoted to code: nl	1.3751	3.3981	Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave H1, in Baarle-Hertog; contains 8 dwellings.
N3, De Tommelsche Akkerscode: nld promoted to code: nl	0.2863	0.7075	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 Akkerscode: nld promoted to code: nl	1.2324	3.0454	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 Akkerscode: nld promoted to code: nl	1.9212	4.7475	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 Straatcode: nld promoted to code: nl	1.4527	3.5898	Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave H1, in Baarle-Hertog; consists of farmland with two buildings.
N7, De Kasteleincode: nld promoted to code: nl	0.5812	1.4363	Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian Oordeel exclave H8, in Baarle-Hertog; occupies part of a field.
N8, Vossenbergcode: nld promoted to code: nl	2.8528	7.0496	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)	area acre	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 Kasteleincode: nld promoted to code: nl	153.6448	379.6717	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 Akkerscode: nld promoted to code: nl	2.4116	5.9594	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 Akkerscode: nld promoted to code: nl	0.3428	0.8471	Occupies part of a field; boundary runs through a shed in one instance.
H4, De Rethsche Akkerscode: nld promoted to code: nl	1.476	3.6474	Consists of farmland; boundary runs through a house and three sheds.
H5, De Kapel Akkerscode: nld promoted to code: nl	0.9245	2.2846	Consists of farmland with a dwelling.
H6, Hoofdbraekcode: nld promoted to code: nl	1.7461	4.3148	Mixed land usage; boundary runs through a warehouse/factory.
H7, De Loversche Akkerscode: nld promoted to code: nl	0.2469	0.6102	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 Straatcode: nld promoted to code: nl	41.8781	103.485	Second-largest Belgian exclave, contains a mix of dwellings and farmland; boundary runs through a barn, a dwelling and two businesses.
H9, De Kapel Akkerscode: nld promoted to code: nl	0.4005	0.9897	Boundary runs through a printing factory/warehouse in an industrial area.
H10, De Oordelsche Straatcode: nld promoted to code: nl	0.65	1.6063	Consists of farmland.
H11, De Oordelsche Straatcode: nld promoted to code: nl	0.93	2.2982	Consists of farmland.
H12, Boschcovencode: nld promoted to code: nl	0.2822	0.6974	Consists of farmland.
H13, Boschcovencode: nld promoted to code: nl	1.5346	3.7922	Boundary runs through about 20 dwellings.
H14, Boschcovencode: nld promoted to code: nl	0.7193	1.7774	Boundary runs through about 13 dwellings.
H15, Boschcovencode: nld promoted to code: nl	1.7211	4.2531	Boundary runs through about 16 dwellings.
H16, Keizershoek - Oordelsche Straatcode: nld promoted to code: nl	4.4252	10.9352	Boundary runs through a house and three sheds, with the linear boundary changing direction three times inside just one shed.
H17, Moleriet Heidecode: nld promoted to code: nl	14.9248	36.8807	Rural area containing a portion of the former Turnhout-Tilburg rail line, now a cycle path.
H18, De Manke Goorencode: nld promoted to code: nl	2.9247	7.2273	Consists of farmland.
H19, De Peruiterscode: nld promoted to code: nl	0.6851	1.693	Consists of several ponds and a field.
H20, Wurstenbosch - Vossenbergcode: nld promoted to code: nl	1.1681	2.8865	Consists of farmland.
H21, Baelbrugsche Beemdencode: nld promoted to code: nl	1.1845	2.9271	Consists of farmland.
H22, De Wit Hagencode: nld promoted to code: nl	0.2632	0.6504	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)

Education

Baarle-Nassau has two primary schools: Basisschool De Uilenpoortand and Bernardusschool, the latter in the Ulicoten section. There is a single secondary school in Baarle-Nassau, De La Salle, which has Voorbereidend middelbaar beroepsonderwijscode: nld promoted to code: nl , lower Hoger algemeen voortgezet onderwijscode: nld promoted to code: nl , and Voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijscode: nld promoted to code: nl levels.^[6]

It has a joint library with Baarle-Hertog with Belgian and Dutch staff.^[7]

Notable people

• Petrus Christus (c. 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, town hall

•  

  Grensovergang Poppel-Baarle

•  

  Baarle-Nassau, bij Singel, water pump

References

1. (in Dutch). Gemeente Baarle-Nassau. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
2. "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2020" [Key figures for neighbourhoods 2020]. StatLine (in Dutch). CBS. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
3. "Postcodetool for 5111CC". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
4. "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
5. Whyte, Brendan (2004). "En Territoire Belge et à Quarante Centimètres de la Frontière" An historical and documentary study of the Belgian and Dutch enclaves of Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau. The University of Melbourne, School of Anthropology, Geography and Environmental Studies. ISBN 0-7340-3032-0.
6. "Jeugd en Onderwijs". Baarle-Nassau. Retrieved 2022-01-18. - Under the tab "Onderwijs en kinderopvang"
7. "." Baarle-Hertog. Retrieved on January 6, 2017.

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)
• [Dead link]
• Dutch pages about Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau / with maps