Baarle facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

	Baarle-Nassau	Baarle-Hertog
Country	Netherlands	Belgium
Province	North Brabant	Antwerp
Commune	Baarle-Nassau	Baarle-Hertog
Area	76.30 km² (29.46 sq mi)	7.48 km² (2.89 sq mi)
Population	6668	2592
Density	87/km² (230/sq mi)	347/km² (900/sq mi)
Time zone	Quick facts for kids CET (UTC+01:00), CEST (UTC+02:00)
Postal code	5111	2387
Area code	013	014
House numbers
Website

Baarle is a unique village made up of many small pieces of land. These pieces belong to two different countries: Belgium and the Netherlands. The Belgian parts are called Baarle-Hertog, and the Dutch parts are called Baarle-Nassau.

Imagine a puzzle! Belgium has 16 small pieces of land (called exclaves) completely inside the Netherlands. And inside some of those Belgian pieces, there are even smaller Dutch pieces! The border was officially set in 1995.

Because the border is so complicated, some buildings are actually in both countries at once. For example, a store called Zeeman has its building split by the border. For these places, there's a special rule called the "front door rule." This means the building's address is in the country where its front door is located. To make things easier, every house number sign shows a small national flag.

What's in a Name? Understanding Baarle's History

The name Baarle has been around for a long time. It used to be called Barle or Barlo. The end part, -loo, means a forest on sandy ground near a settlement.

The first part, Baar-, might mean:

A bare or open piece of land.
A type of soft wood.
An old first name, Baro or Bera.

The names Hertog and Nassau tell us about the history of the area. Hertog means Duke in Dutch. It refers to the Duke of Brabant, who ruled the Belgian parts. Nassau refers to the House of Nassau, a powerful family that controlled the Dutch area of Breda.

The name of the small village of Tommel comes from the Latin word tumulus. This means a burial mound. Many old burial mounds have been found nearby. People have also found ancient pots (urns) around Tommel. This shows that people have lived here since the Bronze Age.

How Baarle's Unique Border Was Formed

Long ago, in the 12th century, the area around Baarle was mostly marshland. In 1198, a ruler named Henry I, Duke of Brabant gave some of this land away. He gave it to Godfried of Schoten, who was the Lord of Breda.

However, Henry kept the lands that were already paying him rent. The land Henry kept is now part of Belgium. The land he gave to Godfried is now part of the Netherlands. Today, the King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, holds the title Lord of Breda. The title Duke of Brabant is now used by the person who will become the next King or Queen of Belgium.

Baarle-Hertog (Belgian) and Baarle-Nassau (Dutch) each have their own mayor. They also have their own elected town councils and police stations. Each town even has its own church!

Despite being separate, the two town councils often work together. They have a special joint council. This council helps manage things like electricity, water, gas, road repairs, and trash collection for both sides. The exact border was only officially decided in 1995.

Daily Life and Laws in Baarle

Both councils also help pay for a shared cultural center. This center has a library that serves both Dutch and Belgian residents. The cultural center has two official entrances. The international border actually runs right through the building! The Dutch entrance is at 7 Pastoor de Katerstraat. The Belgian entrance is at 5 Pastoor de Katerstraat. The tourist office there also works with both Dutch and Belgian tourism groups.

Different laws apply in Baarle depending on which country you are in. Dutch trading laws are for the Dutch parts, and Belgian laws are for the Belgian parts. In the past, people used to smuggle goods between the two countries because of these different laws. For example, after Second World War, many people smuggled butter from the Netherlands into Belgium. Today, it's less common, but some people still buy fireworks in Belgium and take them into the Netherlands.

A café in Baarle-Nassau (Netherlands), right on the border with Belgium. You can see the border marked on the pavement.

Baarle's Economy and Nature

The main activity in Baarle has always been farming. However, the unusual border situation also led to other ways for people to make money. Having so many shops, some of which are quite fancy, also helps the local economy. There are also many parks nearby.

The number of people living in Baarle has gone down a bit in recent years.

Baarle has many farms, but it also has beautiful natural areas. The Merkske in the south is a lovely stream valley. The Hollandse Bossen (Dutch Forests) in the west are a large estate. There's also the Bels Lijntje, which used to be a railway line. Now, it's a popular bicycle path for tourists, running from Riel to Turnhout.

Utilities and Services in Baarle

Electricity Supply

In Baarle-Hertog (Belgium), electricity comes from a Belgian company called Eandis. In Baarle-Nassau (Netherlands), power is provided by a Dutch company called TenneT.

Cable TV and Internet

Until 2012, a Belgian company called Telenet provided TV and internet to both sides of Baarle. Now, the Dutch parts of Baarle get their services from Dutch companies like KPN. This means people in the Dutch areas can no longer use Belgian TV channels through cable.

In the Belgian parts of Baarle, Telenet still provides service. Some Dutch TV channels are now only available digitally.

Gas and Water

Gas is supplied by Enexis from the Netherlands.
Water is supplied by Brabant Water from the Netherlands.

Waste Collection

Many streets in Baarle have trash collected twice a week. One collection is by a Dutch service, and the other is by a Belgian service! Everyone in Baarle can use the recycling center on Smederijstraat.

Mail Services

Mail in the Dutch areas is delivered by PostNL. In the Belgian areas, mail is delivered by bpost.

Communication and Shopping

Telephone Services

Both Dutch (KPN) and Belgian (Belgacom) phone networks work in Baarle. What's cool is that calls between Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau are charged at local rates. Also, mobile phones can easily connect to cell towers from either country.

Shopping in Baarle

There's a fireworks store in Baarle-Hertog that's open all year. Baarle also has Sunday shopping every week. This is because stores in Belgium can always be open on Sundays. In Baarle-Nassau, many shops stay open on Sundays too, to attract tourists who come to see the unique border situation.

Emergency Services

The police for both Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau work together in the same office. This office is located on Parallelweg in Baarle-Hertog.

The fire services of both towns also joined together on January 1, 2010. This combined fire service is made up of Dutch and Belgian volunteers. Their station is in Baarle-Nassau.

Getting Around Baarle

Roads

A VanHool bus in Baarle-Nassau on line 460 to Turnhout

Baarle is easy to reach by car. It's connected by Dutch roads N260 and N639, and the Belgian road N119. Major highways like the A58 (Netherlands) and E19 and E34 (Belgium) are also nearby.

Bus Services

You can get to Baarle by bus using lines from both Belgian and Dutch companies:

From De Lijn (Belgium):
- Line 458 (Poppel – Hoogstraten)
- Line 459 (Turnhout – Hoogstraten)
- Line 460 (Turnhout – Baarle)
From Arriva (Netherlands):
- Line 132 (Tilburg – Breda)

Old Railway Line

Baarle once had two large railway stations right on the border. The railway opened in 1867 and closed in 1934. This old railway line has now been turned into a 31-kilometer-long bicycle path. It's called "Het Bels Lijntje" and connects the two villages.

Education and Activities

Baarle-Hertog has two schools: De Vlinder and De Horizon.

Baarle-Nassau and Baarle-Hertog share a library. It has staff from both Belgium and the Netherlands.

Baarle has many clubs and groups. Some have both Belgian and Dutch versions. For example, there are two football clubs: Gloria US (Netherlands) and KVV Dosko (Belgium). Other clubs are just one group for the whole village, like the Harmonie Sint Remi music group.

Media in Baarle

Websites

For a while, both villages shared one community website. It was created in 2002 with help from European funds. However, it was later taken down. Now, each of the two Baarles has its own separate website.

Radio and Television

Baarle has its own local radio station called Baarle's local broadcasting. You can also receive regional stations like Omroep Brabant (Dutch) and RTV (Belgian).

Newspapers

Local newspapers in Baarle include BN DeStem, Brabants Dagblad, and Gazet van Antwerpen. There's also a weekly newspaper called Ons Weekblad.

Neighbouring Villages

Ulicoten
Castelré
Zondereigen
Weelde-Station
Weelde
Poppel
Alphen
Chaam