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31-528: Raspaillebos is located on the steep eastern flank of the witness hill , Bosberg . This beech forest is situated in a highly undulating landscape on the border of the Flemish Ardennes and the Payottenland , featuring steep valley walls, rolling hills, and deeply incised valleys. The 50-hectare Raspaillebos, together with Moerbekebos, Karkoolbos, and Kluisbos, forms a 150-hectare forested area on

62-613: A relief where there are layers of hard and soft rocks arranged horizontally in which erosion has sculpted landscapes that are also horizontal. As the erosion produced by the rivers increases in the soft layers, hills are formed, and if the plateau is attacked by erosion from all sides, the witness hills with flat summits appear. They are therefore, the "witnesses" of the platform that existed in that place millions of years ago. Some examples of this type of geological formation are: Pilot Mountain , North Carolina , Dori Plateau , Burkina Faso , La Teta Hill , La Guajira Peninsula and

93-524: A clockwise direction, more than a kilometer from the summit, you'll find the hamlets of Bruinsbroek, Sint-Paulus, Atembeke, Onkerzele , and Boskant. Surrounding the forest is a mosaic of meadows and fields, balancing between elevations of 30 and 90 meters. Springs, slopes, and ditches add even more variety to the terrain. The landscape is adorned with a finely woven network of field copses, hedgerows, old hawthorn hedges , thickets , pollarded willows , and flower-rich sunken lanes. Raspaillebos once belonged to

124-602: A forest called 'Arduenna' by the Romans and known as Kolenwoud during the time of the Franks . This name has its origins in the Iron Age , when charcoal was burned en masse for iron production. Kolenwoud formed a wedge between the rich cultivated lands of South Flanders and Hainaut on the one hand and Hesbaye on the other. It consisted of large forest areas connected by smaller groves and thicket-rich grassland (wastine). From

155-457: A limited number of places. In a belt of meadows around the forest, we opt for forest expansion, which must arise spontaneously under the guidance of a limited number of large grazers. The final goal is forest (70%) with open, grassy places (30%). Where hedges and willow rows adorn the landscape, these will be preserved for ecological and cultural-historical reasons, and the small-scale structure will be further enhanced by extensive grazing. However,

186-494: Is freely accessible on the hiking trails that cross the nature reserve. Five signposted hiking trails (orange (2.5 km), red (3.7 km), green (2 km), yellow (4 km), "Aardgasnatuurwandeling" (7.7 km) and a mountain bike trail have been established. The signposted cycling route network "Flemish Ardennes", the signposted walking route network "Flemish Ardennes - Bronbossen", the Streek-GR Flemish Ardennes , and

217-628: Is home to tawny owls , red squirrels , weasels , ermines , polecats , foxes , and roe deer . Also notable are the fire salamander , slow worm , and garden dormouse . Raspaillebos consist of beech , oak , alder , and ash . The nature reserve is especially known for its spring blooms. In spring, the banks of the spring streams form colorful ribbons of the Cuckoo flower , Primula , Adoxa , Solomon's seal , Kingcup , and Ficaria . Where seepage water rises, rarities such as giant horsetail , drooping sedge , slender sedge , and spearroot grow . On

248-478: 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

279-679: The Hills of Guayana , Venezuela . These hills are quite common in the sedimentary basins of the Meseta Central of the Iberian Peninsula , in the Ebro Depression and in the tabular reliefs. Ath Ath ( French pronunciation: [at] ; Dutch : Aat , Dutch pronunciation: [aːt] ; Picard : Ât ; Walloon : Ate ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in

310-571: 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

341-513: The province of Hainaut , Belgium . 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 is known as the "City of Giants" after the Ducasse d'Ath festivities which take place every year on

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372-405: The 10th century on, several waves of clearing followed one another, with peaks in the 14th and 19th centuries. It is believed that Ferraris ' map of the mid-18th century gives a good idea of the degree of afforestation around 1300. Although at that time, Raspaillebos was only a shadow of the great Kolenwoud, it was still three times larger than today (495 hectares) and extended as far as the walls of

403-792: 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

434-530: 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

465-585: 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 the Grand-Place began to attract residents. Ath

496-466: The forest owes its name to these villainous stories. The words Raspeel , Rapaille , and Raplage all refer to scum. Raspaillebos is an important focal point for tens of thousands of birds on their annual migration south. The rich population of raptors in Raspaillebos – buzzards , kestrels , meadowlarks , hawks , and little owls – attests to a healthy food pyramid in the forest. Raspaillebos

527-482: The forest. At one of these springs, a little chapel, 't Juffrouwke, was built because the water was said to help against toothaches. The chapel at the foot of the Bosberg was erected around 1650, after a hermit's statue of Mary became the object of mysterious events. Pilgrims came en masse to Raspaillebos. In no time, a Dominican monastery was established there, and the chapel served as its vestibule. Today, it stands as

558-527: 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 the existence of several Gallo-Roman settlements in the Ath area. The origin of

589-676: The goal here is not a forest but an open wasteland of roughened grassland (70%) with thickets (30%). In time, this spontaneous evolution should result in a varied landscape where the boundaries between the forest and its surroundings blur. In 2001, the Raspaillebos was included (together with Bos t'Ename and Everbeeks Wood [ Everbeekse bossen ]) in the LIFE program of the European Union . A nature and environmental education center ("NMEC De Helix") has been built in Grimminge . Raspaillebos

620-563: 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

651-401: 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

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682-480: The management of both the Flemish government agency Agency for Nature and Forest (Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos) and Natuurpunt . In the forest core, poplars , larches , and other exotics have to make way for native species. After this metamorphosis, the forest is left as much as possible to the whims of Mother Nature. The final management is limited to maintaining the traditional coppice or middle wood management in

713-429: The monastery of Beaupré at Grimminge . The name of the forest is said to derive from the term rapaille (scum) or from raspe (coppice). The Old Flemish raspe (planing, rasping) refers to the traditional coppice management in this forest. Every 12 to 18 years, old stumps of trees and shrubs are cut down to the ground. New shoots sprout here, which continue to grow until the next cutting. Numerous springs spring up in

744-525: The only remaining relic of the monastery and was restored in 1997. Still in the forest is the smaller Miss Chapel, popularly known as 't Iffraken or 't Uffraken, dedicated to Saint Apollonia . The faithful came here to ask her intercession for toothaches. Steenborre is the most famous spring. It was the meeting point between St. Adriaan's Abbey in Geraardsbergen , Cistercian convent of Beaupré in Grimminge , and Dominicans of Atembeke. During

775-428: 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

806-509: The revolt of the people of Ghent in the 14th century, at the time of Jacob and Philip van Artevelde , the rebels found support among some farmers from Geraardsbergen and Ronse regions. The farmers were driven out of their farms and found refuge in Raspaillebos. Thus, a gang of robbers was formed who, from the forest, carried out numerous raids in the castles of Ath , Lessines , and Flobecq . Jan de Lichte and his gang are also said to have stayed here repeatedly. According to some sources,

837-414: The signposted "Stiltepad Dender-Mark" also visit the nature reserve. 50°46′24″N 3°56′12″E  /  50.77333°N 3.93667°E  / 50.77333; 3.93667 Witness Hill A witness hill is a type of landform created from the erosion of the earth . It is a testimony of the evolution and retreat of a platform or cuesta relief , that is, it is a rest of the platform in

868-619: The slopes of the Bosberg . At 107.5 meters, Bosberg mountain acts as a divide between the valley of the Dender river and that of its tributary, the Mark . A steep cobblestone climb bisects the forest and transitions to an ancient Roman road at the top, famously known as the final straight in the Tour of Flanders . Apart from some scattered ribbon development, the surroundings are sparsely populated. In

899-400: The slopes, wild daffodils , badger garlic , wild hyacinths , and primrose provide splashes of color. The wide forest edge of shrubs and shrubby herbs forms a light-rich transition between the forest and the surrounding fields. In places where coppice management is maintained, rare plants such as the herp Paris , common spotted orchid , and the common twayblade grow. The forest is under

930-437: 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

961-487: 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 was growing fast. The population growth necessitated

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