The little town of Ath (Flemish Aat) situated at the confluence of the two rivers Dender (East and West), boasts some modest industry, mainly furniture manufacture and silk processing. In addition it serves as a market town for the surrounding villages. Ath's Parade of Giants - with the Wedding of
Goliath one of the highlights - is among the oldest manifestations of this folk tradition in Belgium.
The town was founded in the 12th C. when Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut, purchased the title to the area. Because of its strategic importance he fortified it by building several castles, including one at Ath. War has principally shaped Ath's history ever since. Following capture by Louis XIV in 1667 it became the site of one of Vauban's earliest exercises in military engineering. Ironically enough it was the French who also later razed Vauban's fortifications during the War of Austrian Succession.
The humanist scholar Justus Lipsius (1547-1606) was brought up in Ath.
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