Capital: Baarle-Hertog
Government: Monarchy Population: 79,218 (2013) Currency: Euro Continent: Europe Official language: Flemish Area: 7.48 km2 |
Belgian Baarle-Hertog and Dutch Baarle-Nassau effectively form one intermeshed town, but legally the former consists of 22 miniature Belgian enclaves, within which are eight enclaves of the Netherlands. It’s the world’s messiest border-jigsaw. Nab the southernmost table on the Hotel Den Engel's terrace and sip a drink with one foot either side of the border.
The arrangement stems from a bizarre 1198 agreement in which the Duke of Breda (later Nassau) was given the village of Baarle but did not receive the surrounding farmland, which was jealously guarded by the Hertog (Duke) of Brabant for its valuable agricultural tax revenues.
The arrangement stems from a bizarre 1198 agreement in which the Duke of Breda (later Nassau) was given the village of Baarle but did not receive the surrounding farmland, which was jealously guarded by the Hertog (Duke) of Brabant for its valuable agricultural tax revenues.