For a start, Baarle-Hertog is not actually on the Belgium-Netherlands border at all. It lies a few kilometres inside the border. On the Dutch side. Yet, the village is very much part of Flanders.

Then there's its name. You enter the village and are welcomed not only to Baarle-Hertog but also to Baarle-Nassau. No, these are not different names for the same place, like with Gent/Gand or Bergen/Mons. Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau are different villages, but in the same location. Baarle-Hertog belongs to Flanders; Baarle-Nassau belongs to the Netherlands. Still with me?

To add to the confusion, these two places are made up of Belgian and Dutch pockets of land that are jumbled up with each other. Imagine that a child has mixed up two different jigsaw puzzles, thrown all the pieces up in the air to see how they land, and then drawn lines around pieces from the same puzzle. That's a bit like the situation in Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau.

Each pocket of land - Belgian or Dutch - is actually an enclave. In political geography, an enclave is a country or part of a country lying wholly within the boundaries of another country. Well-known examples are West Berlin before reunification, San Marino in Italy and Lesotho in South Africa. However, the Baarles beat all of these. Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau are made up of no fewer than 30 enclaves: 22 Belgian, one Dutch and seven Dutch sub-enclaves (don't even ask...!).

The result is an extremely complex social, cultural and economic mix. So, for example, while there are many joint Belgian-Dutch organisations, such as a library and cultural centre, and common public provisions for water, gas and sewage, other facilities bewilderingly double up. There are two fire services, two churches, two police services and double provisions for electricity and telephone lines.

The origins of this puzzle lie with mediaeval feudalism, which split up the area into a patchwork of lands that belonged to the local duke or count. Some pockets were owned by the Duke (hertog) of Brabant and others by the House of Nassau.

After the independence of Belgium in 1831, the border between Belgium and the Netherlands had to be determined by a border commission. In the area around Baarle, this puzzle of parcels was so complex that it proved impossible to come to an agreement. Between border posts 214 and 215, instead of a fixed border, each of 5,732 pockets of land had their nationality laid down separately.

Don't try to change it

There have been numerous attempts to dismantle the enclaves. As recently as 1996, plans were drawn up to make Baarle-Hertog part of Turnhout. Baarle-Nassau would then join with nearby Alphen and Chaam to form a new Dutch municipality. Both the Dutch and the Belgian parliaments voted against the motion. So they still exist, although in terms of population they are among the smallest municipalities of both countries.

Walking through the Baarles is, as you may imagine, a unique experience. You constantly criss-cross between Belgium and the Netherlands. You will also notice that in the streets divided into Belgian and Dutch parts, there is no continuous numbering of houses. A street name and number can even occur twice: once in Baarle-Hertog and again in Baarle-Nassau. One famed house has a front door where the border goes right through the middle of it.

What's more, as each house is deemed to pay taxes in the country where its front door is located, it is an old tradition in Baarle to move the front door some metres if that creates a more favourable fiscal situation. This isn't just crazy theory; it's crazy practice. More than one family has moved their front door from one country to another.

As the Baarles accommodate two municipalities, two nationalities and two local authorities, its government is an exercise in co-operation and compromise. It's not surprising - a great deal of national legislation cannot be implemented because it is incompatible with that on the other side of the border. Until the late 1990s, this co-operation took place on an informal and ad hoc basis. The status of joint projects remained incidental, with little legal status.

In 1998, a solution was found in the Benelux Treaty on Transfrontier Co-operation. It led to the formation of a joint body - the Common Organ Baarle. Its main purpose is to communicate on all matters of common interest, make decisions and set policies. Basically, it's the gathering of the two municipal councils. It's probably not the most efficient way to spend public money, but in the Baarles it may be the only effective one.

But definitely visit

The inhabitants of the Baarles are certainly efficient in attracting tourists. Particularly on warm dry weekends, the place is packed with day trippers. This of course means great business for the many shops (open on Sundays), cafés and restaurants.

It's indeed a fascinating place to visit. The borders are painted on the roads and pavements, while front doors are marked or flagged with their national identity. At the tourist office in Nieuwstraat, you can pick up a wide range of walking guides. The one entitled "Enclave In, Enclave Uit" is crammed with interesting facts and stories.

You may also like to visit the candle museum with its collection of religious scenes carved from wax by famed Dutch candle maker Frits Spies. An impressive example is the 2.5-metre-high copy of "The Last Supper", which is sculpted from 200 kilograms of beeswax.

Baarle is Vergane Glorie, meanwhile, holds a collection of old hand tools used by local builders, bakers, smiths, carpenters and cobblers, as well as various memorabilia from the two World Wars.

If you fancy a weekend in Baarle-Hertog, I recommend Hotel Den Engel. There are also many bed & breakfasts in the village and surrounding area. Top of my list would be De Hertog van Baerle, which also offers wine-tasting weekends and brewery visits. It's an extremely civilised base from which to visit this utterly bizarre place, which has to be one of the most remarkable villages in the world.

www.vvvbaarle.nl