After leaving the hotel in Turnhout, we travelled a few kilometres north to Gilze-Rijen for the air show there. It was interesting display, but the weather did not bode well for my PAD. This route took us from Belgium to The Netherlands and I was interested to see that it took us via Baarle.

I had been aware of the significance of this small town for several years, having seen that on the map that it is an enclave of Belgium lying within The Netherlands. Well, that’s how it is shown on motoring maps, so I was a little surprised at this sign as we entered the town – it seems that the town has two names and one of them is Dutch as acknowledged by the flag on the road sign!

Now I’m home, I have researched further and have found that when the Belgian-Dutch borders were established in this area, some parcels of land were Dutch and adjacent ones Belgian and the issue was never resolved. So today, some houses and shops in the main street may be Dutch whilst others in between may be Belgian!

A detailed explanation can be found HERE

Of course, controlled border crossings have not existed between the two countries for decades, they speak a similar language and now share the same currency. But even so, Baarle-Nassau and Baarle-Hertog give a unique and intriguing situation.




Photoshop:
Cropped and Resized


This time last year I was ‘Getting the Beers In’