Baarle-Hertog

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

Baarle-Hertog
Municipality
Former town hall
Flag Coat of arms
Baarle-Hertog Location in Belgium
Location of Baarle-Hertog in the province of Antwerp
Coordinates:
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	Antwerp
Arrondissement	Turnhout
Government
• Mayor	Leo van Tilburg (CDK)
• Governing party/ies	CDK
Area
• Total	7.48 km2 (2.89 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2013)
• Total	2,592
• Density	350/km2 (900/sq mi)
Postal codes	2387
Area codes	014
Website	Official website

Baarle-Hertog (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌbaːrlə ˈɦɛrtɔx]) is a Flemish municipality of Belgium, much of which consists of a number of small Belgian exclaves in the Netherlands.

While some of its territory consists of exclaves in the Dutch province of North Brabant, it is part of the Belgian province of Antwerp. On 1 January 2006 Baarle-Hertog had a population of 2,306. The total area is 7.48 square kilometres (2.89 square miles) which gives a population density of 308 inhabitants per km² (798 inhabitants/sq mi).

Geography

Border with Baarle-Nassau

Baarle-Hertog is noted for its complicated borders with Baarle-Nassau, Netherlands. In total it consists of 24 separate parcels of land. The main division of Baarle-Hertog is Zondereigen (after its main hamlet) located north of the Belgian town of Merksplas. In addition 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 is located nearby Ginhoven.

Some houses in the region of Baarle-Hertog/Baarle-Nassau 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.

Many fireworks shops are found in Baarle-Hertog, owing to Belgian laws controlling the sale of fireworks that are more lenient than those in the Netherlands. Close to the end of the year many Dutch tourists come to Baarle-Hertog to buy fireworks to celebrate the new year.

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

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

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  Church of Saint Remigius

List of the enclaves

Map showing the enclaves of Baarle-Hertog

Serial # and Local Name	Area (ha)	Notes
H1, Aan het Klooster Straatje - Hoofdbraak - 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 Kastelein	153.6448	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; 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 cyclepath
H2, De Rethsche Akkers	2.4116	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; 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 Akkers	0.3428	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; occupies part of a field; boundary runs through a shed in one instance
H4, De Rethsche Akkers	1.476	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; consists of farmland; boundary runs through a house and three sheds
H5, De Kapel Akkers	0.9245	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; consists of farmland with a dwelling
H6, Hoofdbraak	1.7461	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; has mixed land usage; boundary runs through a warehouse/factory
H7, De Loversche Akkers	0.2469	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; 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 Straat	41.8781	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; second largest Belgian exclave, contains a mix of dwellings and farmland; boundary runs through a barn, a dwelling and two businesses
H9, De Kapel Akkers	0.4005	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; boundary runs through a printing factory/warehouse in an industrial area
H10, De Oordelsche Straat	0.65	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; consists of farmland
H11, De Oordelsche Straat	0.93	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; consists of farmland
H12, Boschcoven	0.2822	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; consists of farmland
H13, Boschcoven	1.5346	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; boundary runs through about 20 dwellings
H14, Boschcoven	0.7193	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; boundary runs through about 13 dwellings
H15, Boschcoven	1.7211	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; boundary runs through about 16 dwellings
H16, Keizershoek - Oordelsche Straat	4.4252	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; boundary runs through a house and three sheds, with three turning points inside just one shed
H17, Moleriet Heide	14.9248	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; rural area contains a portion of the former Turnhout-Tilburg rail line, now a cyclepath
H18, De Manke Gooren	2.9247	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; consists of farmland
H19, De Peruiters	0.6851	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; consists of several ponds and a field
H20, Wurstenbosch - Vossenberg	1.1681	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; consists of farmland
H21, Baelbrugsche Beemden	1.1845	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; consists of farmland
H22, De Wit Hagen	0.2632	Surrounded by Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands, south of the village of Ulicoten; part of Baarle-Hertog Commune; 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)

Serial # and Local Name	Area (ha)	Notes
N1, De Loversche Akkers – De Tommelsche Akkers	5.3667	Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave, H1, in Baarle-Hertog; part of Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; contains a mix of dwellings and farmland; boundary of N1 and H1 runs through one building
N2, De Tommelsche Akkers	1.3751	Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave, H1, in Baarle-Hertog; part of Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; contains 8 dwellings
N3, De Tommelsche Akkers	0.2863	Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave, H1, in Baarle-Hertog; part of Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; boundary of N3 and H1 bisects the loading dock of a liquor store
N4, De Rethsche Akkers	1.2324	Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave, H1, in Baarle-Hertog; part of Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; boundary of N4 and H1 runs through a warehouse, with vacant Dutch land to the rear of the warehouse
N5, De Rethsche Akkers	1.9212	Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave, H1, in Baarle-Hertog; part of Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; boundary of N5 and H1 runs through a furniture showroom, a shed and a barn
N6, Gierle Straat	1.4527	Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave, H1, in Baarle-Hertog; part of Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; consists of farmland with two buildings
N7, De Kastelein	0.5812	Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian Oordeel exclave, H8, in Baarle-Hertog; part of Baarle-Nassau Commune, Netherlands; occupies part of a field
N8, Vossenberg	2.8528	Farmland enclave situated within Zondereigen, Belgium, less than 50 meters south of the Dutch border; part of Baarle-Nassau Commune.

Famous inhabitants

• Petrus Christus, 15th century painter

See also

• Büsingen am Hochrhein
• Campione d'Italia
• Llívia
• Indo-Bangladesh enclaves

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
• 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
• 'En Territoire Belge et a quarante centimetres de la frontiere' - English-language PhD thesis on the historical geography of Baale's enclaves, including photos and detailed maps