Which Belgian municipality consists of 22 exclaves within the Netherlands?

Baarle-Hertog is the Belgian municipality made up of 22 Belgian exclaves inside the Netherlands. Its territory forms one of the world’s most intricate international boundary puzzles.

The pattern reflects medieval landownership and jurisdictional divisions that survived later political changes. When Belgium and the Netherlands became separate states, the old parcel boundaries were difficult to replace, so the two countries ultimately preserved a highly fragmented border. Baarle-Hertog’s main contiguous section lies in Belgium, while its 22 detached pieces are scattered around the Dutch municipality of Baarle-Nassau.

The complexity continues inside the enclaves. Seven Dutch counter-enclaves lie within the largest Belgian enclave, meaning Dutch territory is enclosed by Belgian territory that is itself enclosed by the Netherlands. In some places, the border runs through buildings, with legal address rules historically determined by the location of the main entrance.

A common mix-up is to answer Baarle-Nassau: that is the Dutch municipality surrounding the Belgian enclaves, not the Belgian municipality that owns the 22 exclaves. Together, Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau create the celebrated patchwork settlement.