Belgium and the Netherlands swap land

[rpannier]

snip

While Belgium will be losing a splendid piece of nature that juts into the Meuse river dividing the two nations, it will also unburden itself of a jurisdictional nightmare that developed over time as the river meandered to turn the portion of land belonging to Belgium — about 15 soccer fields’ worth — into a peninsula linked only to the Netherlands.

Over time, the area was rumoured to be increasingly lawless, a haven for drug dealers and illicit sexual escapades. Then, three years ago, passersby discovered a headless body. “They alerted Dutch authorities, who told them it was Belgian territory,” said Jean-Francois Duchesne, police commissaire of the Lower Meuse region.

In short, the Dutch could not go there because it was Belgian, and Belgian police and judicial authorities found it tough to get there. They are not allowed to cross into the Netherlands without permission and the peninsula had no proper landing zone for boats or equipment coming in by water.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/30/belgium-and-the-netherlands-exchange-land-because-it-makes-sense

A headless body turned up 3 years ago and they couldn't seem to come to a logical solution, like letting the Belgian police cross through Dutch territory to investigate. Or the Belgians couldn't build a useful dock.
Though this is a good solution and probably, in the long term, best for all parties involved

[CTyankee]

1. I went to the Netherlands on a Road Scholar river cruise and asked about

whether the Belgians really spoke Dutch and they were a bit insulted. They thought the Belgians spoke a very bad version of Dutch. I guess it's called Flemish. I was sorry I asked...

But when I got to Brussels, I learned that lots of them prefer French. OK by me...

[B Calm]

5. My grandparents came from Belgium in 1911. Grandpa was Dutch and grandma was French,

and they both spoke Flemish.

[KamaAina]

2. There's a town on the border that is cut in two

and not even in a straight line. One block Dutch, next block Belgian. The border is marked in tile on the sidewalks. Works for me: I'll take a table right on the line and order a pitcher of Belgian ale, while one of my seatmates across the table orders the .

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Baarle-Nassau and Baarle-Hertog?

Or are we? Look closely at the yellow lines (or click here for a larger image to see them better). Actually, some – but quite clearly not all – of the town isn’t Dutch at all, but rather the Belgian municipality of Baarle-Hertog, population 2300. How can you tell which part of the town is in the Netherlands and which is in Belgium? It’s complicated.

Remarkably, the Belgian town consists of 24 non-contiguous parcels of land. Twenty-one of them are surrounded by the Netherlands. while three are on the border between the two countries and thus share a jurisdictional boundary with the rest of Belgium, if also with the Netherlands and if not with each other.

And get this: there are Dutch enclaves within the Belgian enclaves that are within the Netherlands. And, actually, the main part of Baarle-Hertog is about five miles southwest of the portions you see here, and completely in Belgium. Told you it was complicated.

http://www.citylab.com/politics/2012/02/most-complicated-border-town-world/1267/

[Hortensis]

4. Love it. Thanks, guys. Rpannier, what a

nice story about two countries "making sense." Thank you.

[pampango]

6. Love the way Europe handles national borders. That picture of the restaurant

epitomizes it. Glad, but not surprised, that Belgium and the Netherlands could work out a peaceful resolution to this.

[LuvNewcastle]

7. That is bizarre.

It looks needlessly complex to me, but if they're fine with it, I am too. Maybe it makes things more exciting for them. There probably isn't a lot of difference in the two countries' laws or lifestyles, anyway.

[KamaAina]

8. That's the one.

If they held a marathon there, how many border crossings would the runners make in 26+ miles?