Ath is a French-speaking village located in the center of western Hainaut, mid-way between Brussels and Lille in France. It is well known for its Ducasse festival on the fourth Sunday in August.
Understand
- 1 Tourism Office of Ath, Rue de Pintamont 18 (opposite the church of Saint-Julien), ☏ 32 68 26-51-70, fax: 32 68 26-51-79, ✉[email protected]. Tuesday-Friday: 10:00 to 17:00 (open till 18:00 from 1st June-30th September); Weekends and holiday: 14:00-18:00.
Get in
Get around
Map of Ath
See
Burbant Tower
Saint-Julien Church
La Grand-Place
The Deposition of Mainvault (Musée d'histoire et de folklore)
Windmill of the Marquise, in Moulbaix
Ath, also called the City of Giants, affirms its medieval past loud and proud. As a city of art and history, Ath has several cultural treasures that testify to its past:
- 1 Burbant Tower (Tour Burbant), Rue du Gouvernement (Near the Grand-Place), ☏ 32 68 26-51-70, ✉[email protected]. Guided tour every 3rd Sunday of the month at 15:00, from April to the end of September. The Burbant Tower is an imposing Anglo-Normand dungeon, built around 1166 by the Count of Hainaut, Baudouin IV, called "The Builder." It also served as a base for defending the northern frontier of Hainaut against Flanders and for surveying his realm. 3 €.
- 2 Church of Saint-Julien, Rue de Pintamont. The church was constructed starting in 1394 and consecrated in 1415. The left-hand tower was finished in 1462 and crowned with a high steeple in 1465. The church was hit by lightning and burned in 1817. The apse of the choir, the tower, and the western portal escaped destruction. The carillon has 41 bells with a range of 3 octaves.
- 3 Church of Saint Martin, Rue Saint-Martin. Built in 1585 and consecrated in 1603 as a replacement of an old parish church that was destroyed in 1578. On the outside you can see a 16th century oak calvary. On the inside is a 16th century Gothic and Renaissance stone tomb.
Do
Events
- The Ducasse festival on the fourth Sunday in August.
Buy
Eat
Drink
Sleep
Connect
Go next
- Cambron-Casteau — home to popular animal park Pairi Daiza, a few kilometers south of Ath.
- Geraardsbergen
- Zottegem
- Oudenaarde
- Tournai
