I've translated the Algemeen Dagblad article on Baarle. A couple of tricky
bits perhaps the Dutch speakers can correct me on.

Same village, another country

By Lucas Goossens

Baarle, a patchwork of enclaves

A Belgian sounds differently than a Dutchman, even if they have grown up
beside each other. In Baarle both nationalities live already centuries
together, but small differences continue there.

The Dutch bookshop in Baarle-Nassau sells no Belgian newspapers, although
the border lies no further than a hundred meters away. Yet Belgian
customers regularly come.

The inhabitants of Baarle-Hertog (Belgium) and Baarle-Nassau (the
Netherlands) live in the same village - a patchwork of enclaves - and many
feel themselves in the first place Baarleois. But nevertheless, there
remain differences.

I can tell 80 to 90 per cent of people live, as Nassauers or Hertogese'',
says the Nassauer general storekeeper Camp. Its shop sits on [one?] [e'e'n]
metre of the border. A Belgian Baarleois has generally a different accent
from a Dutchman, even if they live beside each other.

You cannot hear where someone lives, but where someone has gone on school,
say the staff of the bakery `t Lekkerbekje. The shop is in the Netherlands,
on the opposite side of the street from the Belgian town hall. A Belgian
child learns from Belgian books and seldom looks at the Dutch school
television.

It is a marvellous difference, says director. M. van Haeren of the
Hertogese primary school De Vlinder [lit: the butterfly], where also any
Dutch children go to school. The word use [woordgebruik] and the accent are
different, but Dutch are also verbally more skilful, but spell less well
than Belgians. They speak fluently, [forms more easily like?] [vormen
makkelijker zinnen].''

According to director C. Backx of the Dutch primary school, the Akkerwinde,
Dutch children already frequently hear at home another language then their
Belgian neighbours. At a puppet show for both schools it concerned
sjanpetter, a policeman. Our children didn't understand it, but for the
Belgian kids it was immediately clear.''

That the Hertogese school has more Dutch children than the other way
around, according to Backx, is because Belgians teach apparently more
strictly. They have a different outlook on education, but in reality the
differences are not in this way large

Van Haeren makes again, however, a large distinction. The environment is
different. We place more attention on order and discipline. We have a bell
and the children stand in a line. But also at De Vlinder teachers are
called master Markand teacher Lia .

Almost [all?] [eenderde] of its children have Dutch nationality, but Van
Haeren emphasises that the most come from mixedfamilies. CompleteDutch form
a small minority and after the primary school continue their education in
the Netherlands. [Then the things fall back on in the fold?] [Dan vallen de
dingen weer terug in de plooi], the Belgian determines. De Vlinder lets
this group do also Cito-test [some national Dutch exam?]. which Dutch
middle schools ask for.

The shops in the centre of the village get customers of both nationalities
and also most of the associations count members of both nationalities, but
at football belgians and Dutch remain mainly separated.

There are, however, some Belgian members, but not many, says PresidentS.
van Aelst of the Dutch club Gloria UC. From way back we have our roots in
Nassau and they of Dosko [???] in Hertog. In former days we even had
brawls. Football culture is completely different there. They pay the
players of their first eleven, that has been almost all bought. We do not
do to that.''

The complete village uses Dutch natural gas and looks at Belgian cable
television - including the Dutch commercial stations, that are not seen in
the rest of Belgium. Electricity involves everyones own country, just like
telephones. But he who calls within the Dutch village to the Belgian dials
a special number and its a local call.

The cable society offers also Internet, but then only to Belgian
households. Their Dutch neighbours have bad luck. Technically it is no
problem, but the Dutch detection services require that they can look with
[spy on?] [zonodig] with surfing subscribers. And the Belgian provider has
no desire to do this.

A Dutch police man is not competent in Belgium. If in the vicinity of the
border an incident happens, a Dutchman and a Belgian warrant make up for
uncertainty. Also for the two municipal authorities living in an enclave
village means much extra consultation.

In the past unfruitful attempts have been made to change the situation, the
result of barter between medieval country lords. But actually everyone
finds it works well this way. Belgians can in their own village go to the
Dutch [sexshop?] [smartshop], Dutch can buy fireworks near their house.

Moreover Baarle gladly wants to remain a tourist attraction. Each Sunday
the shops are open, for the spokesman of the Dutch municipality says. And
as a result, we have a vast array of shop suitable for a population of
30,000 in a village with only 8000 inhabitants''

30 enclaves

Baarle call themselves the most remarkable village of the world. There
exist 30 enclaves in two countries and two municipalities. There are two
municipal offices, two post offices, two police stations, two fire stations
and two refuse collection services.

Dutch Baarle-Nassau has, including the villages Ulicoten and Castelre, 6500
inhabitants, of whom 1300 are Belgians. In B-Hertog 2250 people live, of
whom 40 per cent are Dutch. The border runs criss-cross through streets,
houses and gardens. The location of the front door stipulates in which
country a house is. Numberplates at the doors carry the colours of the
respective national flags. At a border delimitation in 1995, a house moved
from Belgium to the Netherlands, the resident immediately moved his frontdoor.