The Tale of a town split into Two Countries

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Have you ever stepped into Belgium and the Netherlands... and both?

City of Baarle; Divided into two separate countries.
Two countries separate intertwiningly into half in-between their town. 

According to 'Great Big Story' video, you see the 'plus (+)' signs on the street. And it was covering towards many different areas of the city. As you see to the right, the ones highlighted in yellow are in Belgium, and the white highlighted as the Netherlands. You can see the contrast between both countries. 

Their population is just under 10,000 (2018); roughly 92,000 in 2025; they have two postal services, transit systems, different drinking ages - yeah, you get the point. They have very different political systems as well.

Wonder why they do this?

So back in the 12th century, there was a conflict between royal hierarchies; Count Dirk VII (Holland) and Duke Hendrick I (Brabant) 

Side note, the township of Brabant is a former dutchy, now a province in Belgium. 

Dutchy - Term for someone living on the land owned by a Duke.
Bordered between 'NL' (Netherlands)
and 'B' (Belgium)


To be honest, It was hard understanding the history behind the city, because of how complex the history is and how split each different districts are. 


Bare with me here, I'll try to sum it up for you.

According to Tom Scott's page, the treaty ended during the Thirty Years War and after soldiers were being paid to loot towns they went through, and there were many peace treaties. 

The idea came to be to create two separate laws. Treaties, agreements, land swaps (according to Amusing Planet) many decades formed into the city which you see now.
Marjon De Hoon-Veeleturf

I'm also including 'Great Big Story' page because they interviewed representatives for both Netherlands and Belgium back in 2018. 

Marjon De Hoon-Veeleturf (ex-representative of Belgium) said: 

"At the end of the 12th century, the Duke of Brabant came and decided to transfer parts of the area to the Lord of Breda in exchange for protection." She also said that back in 1995, the official borders were established.

How do they live in such conditions? 

Easy.

They live like any other separate country, laws from Belgium and Netherlands, different transits, food, rules and different cultures.

In the video from 'A Great Big Story'; the homes that are built on land are part of the "Front Door Rule" told by ex-chairman Baarle Tourism Office, he said that whichever door it steps on, that is the country to reside in. 

For example; if your house is in Belgium, but your door is in the Netherlands, the Netherlands is where you would reside.

If your front door is split in the middle, like the picture below, then each part of the house represents both Belgium and Netherlands, but it depends on where the house is situated.

Yes, it even goes through people's homes as well.

Lost? Not a problem, you can look at the numbers of the house and they correspond with the colour of their flag. Belgium would be Black, White and Red; and the Netherlands would be Red, White and Blue going in the sides. 
Police services, fire, and ambulances might be hard as well since they only respond to the corresponding incident in their country.

Lets say your house is on fire, and you live in Belgium but your border is in the Netherlands. 

What they need to do is to call their first line in which their country they reside in, in Belgium. Belgium fire services would need to navigate the entire town to only get service for your house fire. 

So it's complicated to live in a town where every part is divided but they have shown resilience into working with it. 

They live in a peaceful harmony, and where certain countries are unfortunately fighting. This town shows that you can still have dividing countries split between your town, you can still live a fostered life and community.

Thinking of travelling there and wondering about the passport or Visa requirements?

Thankfully, you do not need a passport and Visa since both countries are part of the European Union.

But tell me this, have you been to the town of Baarle? What did you love about it?

Let me know in the comments!



References:
A Great Big Story: "The Town In Two Countries" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP4OL2i6t-Q
Tom Scott: "The Most Complex Borders In Europe: Why Do We Have Nations?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE93J33SfHY
DW Euromaxx: "Baarle: Living In Two Countries In The Same Town" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S62s4kNEgrc&t=111s
Amusing Planet: "The Curious Case of Baarle-Nassau and Baarle Hertog"

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