Misplaced Pages

#242757

28-465: Ath is a city in Belgium. The acronym or initials ATH may also refer to: Ath The municipality consists of the following districts: Arbre , Ath, Bouvignies , Ghislenghien , Gibecq , Houtaing , Irchonwelz , Isières , Lanquesaint , Ligne , Maffle , Mainvault , Meslin-l'Évêque , Moulbaix , Ormeignies , Ostiches , Rebaix , Villers-Notre-Dame , and Villers-Saint-Amand . Ath

56-400: A German invasion of Belgium with military force. According to Isabel V. Hull, Annika Mombauer wrote "Few historians would still maintain that the ' rape of Belgium ' was the real motive for Britain's declaration of war on Germany". Instead, the role of Belgian neutrality is variously interpreted as an excuse used to mobilise public opinion, to provide embarrassed radicals in the cabinet with

84-675: A dispute between Belgium and the Netherlands on the railway track. In 2004 Belgium requested a reopening of the Iron Rhine railway. This was the result of the increasing transport of goods between the port of Antwerp and the German Ruhr Area . As part of the European policy of modal shift on the increasing traffic of goods, transport over railway lines and waterways was now preferred over road transport. The Belgian request

112-519: A member of the German Confederation . The treaty partitioned the grand duchy . It lost two-thirds of its territory to Belgium's new Province of Luxembourg . The partitioning left a rump grand duchy, covering one-third of the original territory and inhabited by one-half of the original population, in personal union with the Netherlands, under King-Grand Duke William I (and subsequently William II and William III ). This arrangement

140-522: A mere "scrap of paper". The reasoning may have had at least as much to do with the British fear that lack of their help leading to a possible defeat of France could lead to German hegemony in Western Europe, with Christopher Clark pointing out that the British cabinet decided on 29 July 1914 that, being a signatory to the 1839 treaty, guaranteeing Belgium's frontiers did not oblige it to oppose

168-551: Is known as the "City of Giants" after the Ducasse d'Ath festivities which take place every year on the fourth weekend in August. Huge figures representing Goliath , Samson , and other allegoric figures are paraded through the streets, and Goliath's wedding and his famous fight with David are re-enacted. Ath is the point of origin of the river Dender from the merger of its Eastern and Western branches. Archeological records show

196-478: The Electrolux Group ) reported a strong smell of gas . It is believed the gas was escaping from a high-pressure underground pipeline conveying natural gas from Zeebrugge to France , operated by gas transportation company Fluxys . Firefighters were soon on the scene and were attempting to clear the area when at least two explosions occurred at around 9:00 am. The strongest of these demolished

224-544: The Grand-Place began to attract residents. Ath was the setting of the "Peace of Ath", signed on June   4, 1357, to end the question of the Brabant succession. By then, the weekly Ath market, which took place – and still takes place – on Thursdays, had started attracting sellers from a much larger region. The production of linen, cloth, hide, and luxury items such as gold ware, cabinets, and sculptures

252-583: The Netherlands recognised that they stood to gain more territory by accepting the 1831 settlement than from a mere continuance of the armistice. The Belgian government protested, with French support, against the late implementation of the settlement terms, but Britain accepted the Dutch claim; and in 1839, the Dutch accepted Belgian independence (and regained the disputed territories) by the Treaty of London. At

280-571: The Old Testament , New Testament , Golden Legend , and Carolingian cycle . Today, the “Ducasse” is a very popular celebration that includes various festivities and lasts several days spanning the end of August and beginning of September. The highlight is the cortege of giants (in French : Cortège des géants ), with David and Goliath as the most famous characters. In 2008, the Ducasse

308-671: The United Kingdom ) also pledged to guarantee Belgium's neutrality. The treaty was a fundamental "lawmaking" treaty that became a cornerstone of European international law; it was especially important in the Causes of World War I . On 31 July 1914, the mobilisation of the Belgian Army was ordered and the Belgian king publicly called Europe's attention to the fact that Germany, Great Britain and France were legally bound to defend

SECTION 10

#1732772226243

336-680: The Dutch plan. The funding was paid for by England (30%), Holland (30%) and by French war reparations (40%). In 1824, the Dutch under King William I , built the Féron Fort, and the city once more gained strategic value. A treaty drafted in London on 15 November 1831, which the Netherlands refused to sign, was followed by the Treaty of London (1839) , which created the Kingdom of Belgium . Part of

364-496: The Netherlands . In 1830, Belgians broke away and established an independent Kingdom of Belgium . The overwhelmingly Catholic population could not accept the Dutch king's favouritism toward Protestantism , while French-speakers were irritated by his disdain for the French language , and the middle classes objected to the Dutch monopolisation of public offices. Liberals regarded King William I 's rule as despotic, while there were high levels of unemployment and industrial unrest among

392-606: The existence of several Gallo-Roman settlements in the Ath area. The origin of the city of Ath, however, dates from around 1160, when Count Baudouin IV of Hainaut , bought some territory from his liegeman, Gilles de Trazegnies. A few years later, Baldwin built the Burbant Tower – which can still be seen today – to protect his new acquisition. The new city was soon given privileges and its newly built (1325) market hall on

420-508: The hands of the French army in 1745. At the end of the 18th century, Ath counted about 7,300 inhabitants but the population count decreased in the first half of the 19th century. In 1816, two military engineering surveys concluded that Ath defences should be improved, the British survey recommended a garrison of 3,000 troops and the building cost would be £143,599. The Dutch wished to spend an additional £266,000. The Duke of Wellington agreed to

448-530: The independence and neutrality of Belgium and established the full independence of the German-speaking part of Luxembourg . Article VII required Belgium to remain perpetually neutral . Following the German invasion of 1914, Belgium abandoned its policy of neutrality (except for a brief, unsuccessful resumption from 1936 to 1940). Since 1815, Belgium had been a reluctant part of the United Kingdom of

476-533: The justification for abandoning the principal (sic) of pacifism and thus staying in office, or – in the more conspiratorial versions – as cover for naked imperial interests". The Treaty of London also guaranteed Belgium the right of transit by rail or canal over Dutch territory as an outlet to the German Ruhr . This right was reaffirmed in a 24 May 2005 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in

504-401: The last 30 years, several neighbourhoods have been revitalized and developed, and the city's monuments renovated or restored. The Ghislenghien industrial park near Ath was the scene of one of Belgium's worst ever industrial disasters on July 30, 2004. Around 8:30 am local time , workers constructing a new factory for abrasives firm Diamant Boart  [ nl ] (a subsidiary of

532-506: The neutrality of his country. When the German Empire invaded Belgium in August 1914, despite the treaty, after an unanswered ultimatum Britain declared war on 4 August. Informed by the British ambassador that Britain would go to war with Germany over the latter's violation of Belgian neutrality, German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg exclaimed that he could not believe that Britain and Germany would be going to war over

560-428: The partly built Diamant Boart structure, and fires were started in several other buildings. 24 people were killed, with over 120 injured. Five volunteer firemen and one police officer were among the dead. The “Ducasse” originated from a yearly procession developed in the 15th century (first mentioned in 1399) as a celebration of the consecration of the local Saint Julien church. This procession illustrated stories from

588-538: The same time, the major powers all guaranteed Belgium's independence from the Netherlands. With the treaty, the southern provinces of the Netherlands , independent de facto since 1830, became internationally recognised as the Kingdom of Belgium, while the Province of Limburg was split into Belgian and Dutch parts. The Grand Duchy of Luxemburg was in a personal union with the Netherlands and simultaneously

SECTION 20

#1732772226243

616-437: The terms of the treaty required the fort, amongst others, to be dismantled. The freed up land assisted the town for the activities of a growing population. A new growth period took place between 1850 and 1914 driven by the forestry, agricultural (breweries, mills) and textile industries. In the 20th century, most of these industries went into decline and were replaced by commercial, administrative and educational activities. In

644-483: The working classes. Small-scale fighting – the death of some 600 volunteers is commemorated in the Place des Martyrs, Brussels – was followed by an international settlement in 1831. However the settlement was not accepted by the Dutch, who invaded the country in the autumn of 1831; and it took a French army recapturing Antwerp in 1832 before Belgium and the Netherlands could even agree an armistice. Several years later,

672-605: Was based on the treaty of 1839, and the Iron Rhine Treaty of 1873. After a series of failed negotiations, the Belgian and Dutch governments agreed to take the issue to the Permanent Court of Arbitration and respect its ruling in the case. In a ruling of 24 May 2005, the court acknowledged both the Belgian rights under the cessation treaty of 1839 and the Dutch concerns for part of the Meinweg National Park nature reserve. The 1839 treaty still applied,

700-505: Was confirmed by the 1867 Treaty of London , known as the 'Second Treaty of London' in reference to the 1839 treaty, and lasted until the death of King-Grand Duke William III 23 November 1890. Belgium's de facto independence had been established through nine years of intermittent fighting in the 1830s against The Netherlands. The co-signatories of the Treaty of London recognised the independent Kingdom of Belgium. The five great powers of Europe ( Austria , France , Prussia , Russia , and

728-584: Was growing fast. The population growth necessitated the building of a second wall, which was completed at the end of the 14th century. In 1416, the city built a school for the study of Latin , which Justus Lipsius attended. The city counted then about 5,000 people. In 1667, Ath was conquered in a single day by the army of Louis XIV and became the first French city of the Spanish Netherlands . Soon after, Vauban built new fortifications, which included eight bastions. The city suffered again at

756-559: Was listed by UNESCO among the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity . It was delisted in 2022 following complaints about one of the characters that appears in the procession: a 'savage', depicted by a white person in blackface , wearing a nose ring and chains. Ath is located along the N56 road . Treaty of London (1839) The Treaty of London of 1839 ,

784-618: Was signed on 19 April 1839 between the major European powers, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Belgium . It was a direct follow-up to the 1831 Treaty of the XVIII Articles , which the Netherlands had refused to sign, and the result of negotiations at the London Conference of 1838–1839 which sought to maintain the Concert of Europe . Under the treaty, the European powers recognised and guaranteed

#242757