| Baarle-Hertog | |
| Picture-Legend: | Former town hall |
| Map: | Baarle-Hertog Antwerp Belgium Map.svg |
| Map-Legend: | Location of Baarle-Hertog in the province of Antwerp |
| Arms: | Baarle-Hertog wapen.svg |
| Flag: | Baarle-Hertog vlag.svg |
| Arrondissement: | Turnhout |
| Nis: | 13002 |
| Mayor: | Frans de Bont (Forum+) |
| Majority: | N-VA, Forum+ |
| Postal-Codes: | 2387 |
| Telephone-Area: | 014 |
| Coordinates: | 51.45°N 60°W |
(in Dutch; Flemish pronounced as /ˌbaːrlə ˈɦɛrtɔx/; French: Baerle-Duc, in French pronounced as /baʁl(ə)dyk/) is a Flemish municipality of Belgium, much of which consists of a number of small Belgian enclaves fully surrounded by the Netherlands.
Parts of are surrounded by the Dutch province of North Brabant, but it is part of the Belgian province of Antwerp., it had a population of 2,935. The total area is 7.48km².[1]
is noted for its complicated borders with, Netherlands.[2]
The border's complexity results from a number of medieval treaties, agreements, land-swaps and sales between the Lords of and the Dukes of Brabant. Generally speaking, predominantly agricultural or built environments became constituents of Brabant and other parts devolved to . These distributions were ratified and clarified as a part of the border settlements agreed under the Treaty of Maastricht in 1843. The tight integration of the European Union and in particular the Schengen Agreement have made many of the practicalities of the situation substantially simpler since the 1990s.
In total, the municipality of Baarle-Hertog consists of 26 separate parcels of land. Four are linked to other Belgian municipalities, from west to east: the Baalbrugse Bemden, a strip of land along the Merkske, Zondereigen-Ginhoven and an area near Weelde-Station. The largest single section, Zondereigen (named after its main hamlet), is located within mainland Belgium on the contiguous Dutch-Belgian border (north of the town of). In addition to this, there are 22 Belgian exclaves fully within the Netherlands. There are also seven Dutch enclaves within the Belgian exclaves (i.e., counter-exclaves) that are part of the territory of the Netherlands. Six of these Dutch enclaves are located within the largest Belgian exclave, and a seventh in the second-largest Belgian exclave. An eighth Dutch exclave is located near .
During the First World War, this situation meant that the Imperial German Army could not occupy these parts of Belgium without crossing the Netherlands, which the Dutch government did not allow. Thus, these pieces of Belgium became a place where refugees could safely stay.[3] A clandestine radio transmitter was smuggled in and from there worked with the Belgian resistance. The Dutch government fenced off these areas and controlled access in or out of them, building a church and school for the Belgian people who were effectively stranded within the enclaves. This situation did not exist in the Second World War, as both countries were occupied by Nazi Germany.
Some houses in the town of / are divided between the two countries. At one time, according to Dutch laws, restaurants had to close earlier. For some restaurants on the border, this simply meant that the customers had to move to a table on the Belgian side.[4] In 2020, restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic differed between the two countries; for instance, preventing a Belgian citizen living metres away from an open Dutch bar from patronising it.[5]
Many fireworks shops are found in, as Belgian laws controlling the sale of fireworks are more lenient than those of the Netherlands. Many Dutch tourists come to to buy fireworks to celebrate the New Year.
Two villages in the municipality, Zondereigen and Ginhoven, are located in the main territory of Belgium.
These are all part of municipality.
| Serial no. and local name[6] | Area (ha) | areaacre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| N1, | 5.3667 | 13.2615 | Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave H1, in ; contains a mix of dwellings and farmland; boundary of N1 and H1 runs through one building. |
| N2, | 1.3751 | 3.3981 | Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave H1, in ; contains 8 dwellings. |
| N3, | 0.2863 | 0.7075 | Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave H1, in ; boundary of N3 and H1 bisects the loading dock of a liquor store. |
| N4, | 1.2324 | 3.0454 | Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave H1, in ; boundary of N4 and H1 runs through a warehouse, with vacant Dutch land to the rear of the warehouse. |
| N5, | 1.9212 | 4.7475 | Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave H1, in ; boundary of N5 and H1 runs through a furniture showroom, a shed and a barn. |
| N6, | 1.4527 | 3.5898 | Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian exclave H1, in ; consists of farmland with two buildings. |
| N7, | 0.5812 | 1.4363 | Counter-enclave surrounded by Belgian Oordeel exclave H8, in ; occupies part of a field. |
| N8, Vossenberg | 2.8528 | 7.0496 | Farmland enclave situated within Zondereigen, Belgium, less than 50 meters south of the Dutch border. |
These are all part of municipality, and are surrounded by municipality (Netherlands).
| Serial no. and local name | Area (ha) | areaacre | 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 Kastelein | 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, | 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, | 0.3428 | 0.8471 | Occupies part of a field; boundary runs through a shed in one instance. |
| H4, | 1.476 | 3.6474 | Consists of farmland; boundary runs through a house and three sheds. |
| H5, De Kapel Akkers | 0.9245 | 2.2846 | Consists of farmland with a dwelling. |
| H6, Hoofdbraek | 1.7461 | 4.3148 | Mixed land usage; boundary runs through a warehouse/factory. |
| H7, De Loversche Akkers | 0.2469 | 0.6102 | Boundary runs through two dwellings, including the middle of one front door (giving it two house numbers: Loveren 2, / Loveren 19,). |
| H8, Boschcoven - De Kastelein - De Oordelsche Straat | 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 Akkers | 0.4005 | 0.9897 | Boundary runs through a printing factory/warehouse in an industrial area. |
| H10, De Oordelsche Straat | 0.65 | 1.6063 | Consists of farmland. |
| H11, De Oordelsche Straat | 0.93 | 2.2982 | Consists of farmland. |
| H12, Boschcoven | 0.2822 | 0.6974 | Consists of farmland. |
| H13, Boschcoven | 1.5346 | 3.7922 | Boundary runs through about 20 dwellings. |
| H14, Boschcoven | 0.7193 | 1.7774 | Boundary runs through about 13 dwellings. |
| H15, Boschcoven | 1.7211 | 4.2531 | Boundary runs through about 16 dwellings. |
| H16, Keizershoek - Oordelsche Straat | 4.4252 | 10.9352 | Boundary runs through a house and three sheds; inside one of the sheds, the linear boundary changes direction three times |
| H17, Moleriet Heide | 14.9248 | 36.8807 | Rural area containing a portion of the former Turnhout-Tilburg rail line, now a cycle path. |
| H18, De Manke Gooren | 2.9247 | 7.2273 | Consists of farmland. |
| H19, De Peruiters | 0.6851 | 1.693 | Consists of several ponds and a field. |
| H20, Wurstenbosch - Vossenberg | 1.1681 | 2.8865 | Consists of farmland. |
| H21, Baelbrugsche Beemden | 1.1845 | 2.9271 | Consists of farmland. |
| H22, De Wit Hagen | 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) |
has two elementary schools: De Vlinder and De Horizon.[7]
It shares, with Baarle-Nassau, a joint library with Belgian and Dutch staff.[8]
