Aalst (French Alost), once the capital of a largely autonomous Flanders, straddles the banks of the river Dender. It is the administrative center of the arrondisement, with schools which serve a large rural catchment area. Cotton processing, textile manufacture and mechanical engineering are among
Aalst's many well-established industries; hops are grown in the surrounding countryside and marketed in the town. Flower growing is now a particularly important source of employment. Every morning wholesalers gather to buy cut flowers at the modern flower market (Bloemenveilingshal) in Albrechtlaan. Since the Belgian capital with its wealth of job opportunities lies only 28km/17miles to the southeast, many of Aalst's residents are commuters who work in the Brussels area.
Aalst Castle is mentioned in documents dating from as early as 866. The town itself received its charter in 1164 having previously been granted in fief to the counts of Flanders. In the Middle Ages, because of its location on the navigable Dender and the trade route between Bruges and Cologne, Aalst quickly developed into the major center of the Flemish county of that name. During the Netherlands' long struggle for independence the town was the scene of repeated fighting in which many of its inhabitants were killed and numerous of its buildings destroyed or damaged. The same fate befell it at the time of Louis XIV's wars and again in the two World Wars. A number of buildings of historic interest have nevertheless survived.
The printer Dirk Martens (1446-1534) and the priest Adolf Daens (1839-1907) were both born in Aalst. The Flemish writer Louis Paul Boon also lived there.
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