Sights and landmarks in Ath

Sights and landmarks in Ath

1. See

   Burbant Tower

   Tour Burbant

   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.

   Guided tour every 3rd Sun of the month at 15:00, from April to the end of September·EUR 3

2. See

   Church of Saint Martin

   L'église 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.

3. See

   Church of Saint-Julien

   L'église Saint Julien

   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.

4. See

   City hall

   L'hôtel de ville

   Built between 1614 and 1624 in Baroque style, the city hall was modified several times over the centuries before being completely restored between 1980 and 1983.

5. See

   Espace Gallo-Romain

   The highlight of the "Gallo-Roman space" are three restored 2nd century Celtic riverboats excavated from an archaeological site. They are the only ones of their kind on display in Belgium and are encased in a huge display box. The other floors display life during antiquity, from the viewpoint of different professions: fishermen, potters, shoemakers etc.

6. See

   History and folklore museum

   Le Musée d’Histoire et Folklore

   The place to learn about the history of the town and region, with documents and objects from prehistory to the 20th century. There's a section for archaeology presenting objects from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages. A medieval artwork and one of the museum's highlights is the Mainvault entombment, a sculpture of the burial of Jesus Christ. There are scale models of Ath, showing how it looked like in different points of time. There's also a rich collection of gold and copper objects crafted here, and local traditional culture such as songs, sports and games.

7. See

   La Grand-Place

   The main square is surrounded by buildings from many eras and architectonical styles. The oldest is the Maison espagnole, dating from 1564 that has been restored (however clumsily) and is used by a bank. There are many 18th century houses built during French rule in different styles, and they host different businesses. At the corner of the square and rue aux Gades is the Grand-garde, a butcher's hall that was built by the Dutch in 1821 to replace an older hall. Le Palace, also known as salle des fêtes is a beautiful Art Nouveau building from 1919.

8. See

   La Maison des Géants

   Opened in 2000, this interpretional centre presents real and fictional giants throughout history.

9. See

   Maffle stone museum

   Le musée de la pierre à Maffle

   The museum is all about the stone industry, once a large employer in the region. You can learn about mining and extraction as well as transportation and processing of minerals. There are tools and documents, and the daily life of quarry workers is also presented.

10. See

    Mahy Mobiles

    Second site of the Mahy Collection, after Auto World in Brussels. Wide collection of vehicles, some restored some preserved as found. Also sells books, antique parts and models.

    Apr-Sep Thu, Sat, Sun and holidays, Jul-Aug also Mon, Fri 10:00-17:00·€15, under 12 €10

11. See

    National real tennis museum

    Le musée national des jeux de paume

    Museum presenting real tennis and related games such as fives and pelota from historical, sociological, ethnographical and economical points of view. It has a great collection of items and documents and a cinema with educational films.

12. See

    Ostiches windmill

    Le moulin d’Ostiches

    A windmill with a movable upper part built in 1789, and renovated in the 2000s. On the first Tuesday in July, the Fête au moulin, the fest of the mill is celebrated. On that day bread is made the traditional way, you can ride a horse-drawn carriage, watch a horse pulling competition and see blacksmiths at work.

13. See

    Moulbaix windmill

    Le moulin de Moulbaix, Moulin de la Marquise

    Built in 1747 and still grinding grain by wind power.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Ath (CC BY-SA 4.0).