While travelling around the world we have seen some strange border crossings, but nothing can compare to the extreme chaos of border lines between The Netherlands and Belgium in Baarle.

The border between Latvia and Lithuania passes through a farmer’s field. In Africa they had placed the men’s room in Botswana and the ladies’ room in Zimbabwe. We through this was as strange as it would get. Boy, were we wrong…

In The Netherlands there is a small town called Baarle-Nassau. This town is surrounded by the Belgian town named Baarle-Hertig. This town is surrounded by the Dutch town named Baarle-Nassau, located near the border to Belgium. Confused? The easiest way to describe the borders between the two Baarle towns is to picture the result of giving a map and a whole lot of crayons to a five year old with ADHD and a blood stream filled with RedBull. Or just have a look at this Google Maps:

To make it clear: Yes, all those black lines are borders. Some of them are “just” a bit strange, like crossing through a road, while others are way more complicated, like one passing straight through a house.

So, how on earth does this work? Baarle-Hertog is a Belgian exclave and is as Belgian as all other towns in Belgium. The cars have Belgian license plates, street numbers feature the Belgian flag and so on. The town has its own police, city hall and mayor. So does Baarle-Nassau, the Dutch town located nearby, within and around Baarle-Hertog. In other words they need 2 mayors to manage a population of around 9300 people…

As a result of a plethora of agreements and treaties dating back to the medieval period they two towns have ended up with the rather bizarre borders. In 1843 a treaty was signed between the two countries making the borders final, although just as chaotic as before. Today the borders serve as a tourist attraction, providing income for the two towns with less than 10 000 inhabitants.

One house, two countries

Arguably the weirdest case of border madness is the one passing straight through the front door of one of the houses in… ehm… both countries. Because of this the house has two different addresses, one for each country. There is also a border passing right by a restaurant, allowing two people to have lunch together in different countries.

Thanks to the Schengen Agreement and the European Union it is completely hassle free to move across the plethora of borders. And to be honest, anything else would have been a nightmare.

Exclaves

There are 30 exclaves in Baarle in total. Some of these are nested inside one another again, meaning that you can stand in The Netherlands, in Belgium, in The Netherlands near the border to Belgium. Other places one can walk in straight line and cross the border several times per minute. In a certain place one can make the trip Belgium – The Netherlands – Belgium – The Netherlands – Belgium – The Netherlands in less than 150 meters while walking in a straight line.

Most borders are marked with a white crosses forming a line and a square with either “B” or “NL” on each side. In the centre of the roads the border markers have been simplified and consists of a series of round metal plates. Because it is so easy to be confused by which country you are in each house has a flag next to the street number. However, you shouldn’t trust this fully, as you may stand in ne country and look at a house just a meter away – in another country.

Practical

Want to go to Baarle? Yes, of course, who wouldn’t! Intercity trains are available at most major cities and goes to Breda. From here bus number 132 leaves once per hour to Baarle-Nassau. The journey takes around 1.5 hours from Rotterdam or 2.5 hours from Amsterdam.