Ath

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Ath
Ath wapen.svg Athvlag.svg
Ath (Hainaut)
Ath
Ath
State : BelgiumBelgium Belgium
Region : Wallonia
Province : Hainaut
District : Ath
Community : French
Coordinates : 50 ° 38 ′  N , 3 ° 47 ′  E Coordinates: 50 ° 38 ′  N , 3 ° 47 ′  E
Area : 127.92 km²
Residents: 29,311 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density: 229 inhabitants per km²
Post Code: 7800
Prefix: 068
Mayor: Jean-Pierre Denis

Local government address : 		Rue de Pintamont, 54
7800 Ath
Website: www.ath.be
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La Grand Place

Ath ( Dutch Aat, Walloon Ate) is a municipality in the Belgian province of Hainaut .

The city is the administrative seat of the arrondissement of the same name .

geography

Ath includes the villages of Arbre, Ath, Bouvignies, Ghislenghien , Gibecq, Houtaing, Irchonwelz, Isières, Lanquesaint, Ligne , Maffle, Mainvault, Meslin-l'Evêque, Moulbaix, Ormeignies, Ostiches, Rebaix, Villers-Notre-Dame and Villers- Saint-Amand.

history

Fortification in 1707

The city goes back to a fortification that was built after 1160 by Count Baldwin IV of Flanders and Hainaut . Today's landmark of the city, a huge tower ( Tour de Borbant ), was built in 1168. In the following centuries Ath was one of the centers of the Hennegau textile industry.

Since 1522 the Ath belonged to the Spanish Netherlands . After French troops conquered the city in 1667 in the War of Devolution , Vauban expanded it into one of the most powerful fortresses of the time by 1674. Due to the peace of Nijmegen , the French occupiers withdrew. In the final phase of the Palatinate War of Succession , French troops conquered the town and fortress of Ath again in May 1697, but had to vacate them again due to the peace of Rijswijk that was concluded in the same year . After the Austrian War of Succession , the fortress was razed.

On July 30, 2004, an industrial accident occurred in the industrial area of ​​the Ghislenghien district. In the explosion of a leaking natural gas pipeline, 24 people died, including five firefighters and a police officer.

Regular events

  • Ducasse -Festival: Ath is known as the “City of Giants”. During the Ducasse Festival, held every year on the fourth weekend in August, large figures representing David and Goliath are drawn through the streets of the city. Goliath's wedding and the famous fight with David are also recreated. The giants (les géants) are called Samson, l'Aigle Deux Tetes, Ambiorix, Mademoiselle Victoire, le Cheval Bayard, M. et Mme Goliath.

gallery

  • The town hall

  • The Saint-Julien church

  • The Saint-Martin church

  • The Tour de Burbant

  • "M. et Mme Goliath "

  • Samson

  • Samson

  • Samson

The Samson of Ath 2006

See also

Personalities

Sons and daughters:

Web links

Commons : Ath  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikisource: Aeth in the Topographia Circuli Burgundici (Mathäus Merian)  - sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Historical map as a digitized version of the University and State Library Düsseldorf
  2. ↑ Horst Lademacher : History of the Netherlands. Politics - Constitution - Economy . Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 1983, ISBN 3-534-07082-8 , p. 153.