One foot in Belgium and the other in the Netherlands?
- By
- Aparna Patel
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- 21 Jul, 2023
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Just to add some extra info; there’s also a town in The Netherlands where the border between The Netherlands and Germany runs through the length of a street with houses on both sides. The odd numbered houses are Dutch and the even ones are German (or the other way around, I forgot).
The image is from the border between the Dutch municipality Baarle-Nassau and the Belgian municipality Baarle-Hertog. To be more exact, the address of the house is Loveren 19, Baarle-Nassau, Netherlands. If you don’t want to go there, you can look it up on Google Streetview 🙂
Although it is not that uncommon that towns or villages are split by country borders and that you even in populated areas can stand with your feet in two different countries, the border between Baarle-Nassau and Baarle-Hertog is indeed rather strange. The Belgian village consists of 22 distinct exclaves, the smallest just about 2500m², within the borders of the Dutch village, while there are further 8 Dutch exclaves within the 22 Belgian exclaves. Wikipedia has a map of the area showing how the complex border course creates small patches of Dutch and Belgian land within each other.
This is in fact a completely legitimate photo. It is from Baarle-Nassau where the borders get really funky.
Indeed, the one house you are looking it is just one of many, though it is probably the most famous. The exact address is Loveren 19, Baarle-Nassau 5111, The Netherlands.
In a situation similar to that along, say, the India-Bangledeshi border, the actual settlement patterns predate the national boundaries around them. Treaties in the 1830s followed by the dissolution of the Spanish Netherlands into Belgium and the Netherlands led to this odd situation. Treaties in the 1830s “clarified” the situation, but resulted in the pattern you see. The various enclaves even go through buildings in some instances.
Because everything is within the Schengen area, however, it presents no more difficulty than, say, borders that go through buildings in two states (e.g. Myock, NC) within the United States, or even in buildings that straddle the Canadian border. (e.g. the “Cross-Border Library” in Derby Line, VT / Rock Island Quebec.)
Note: this video has pictures and more information.
- My name causes an issue with any booking! (names end with MR and MRS)
- Do I need a visa to transit (or layover) in the Schengen area?
Credit:stackoverflow.com‘