Cassel, Nord
Cassel
Kassel | |
---|---|
Dunkerque | |
Canton | Bailleul |
Intercommunality | CC Flandre Intérieure |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–2026) | Dominique Joly[1] |
Area 1 | 12.65 km2 (4.88 sq mi) |
Population (2021)[2] | 2,227 |
• Density | 180/km2 (460/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
INSEE/Postal code | /59670 |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
Cassel (French pronunciation:
The town, which was rebuilt following the war, is a popular destination for visitors to French Flanders. It is renowned for its extensive views from the summit of Mont Cassel and is the location of the Nord department's principal museum of local art, history and folklore. It is also the home of the legendary giants Reuze-Papa and Reuze-Maman, which are paraded in effigy each Easter during the town's annual carnival.
Geography
The town of Cassel is situated at the top of Mont Cassel (Dutch: Kasselberg), a prominent hill located in the local Houtland region about 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the sea. The hill rises to a height of 176 metres (577 ft) above sea level. Its geological composition comprises limestone capped with a very hard ferruginous layer of rock.[4]
History
Ancient times
The hill of Mont Cassel was occupied during the late
From the 1st century AD onwards, Cassel developed into a key urban centre for the whole region with an extensive
Medieval period
Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, Flanders became part of the
In 1071, the sixth Count of Flanders, Arnulf III, was killed in the first Battle of Cassel by the forces of Robert the Frisian in a dispute over the succession to the title of count. Although Arnulf was numerically superior and was supported by King Philip I of France, Robert was able to defeat his rival's army and took the title of Count of Flanders with the acquiescence of Philip I after a further five years of struggle.[13] The town was re-fortified, possibly by Robert, with a castle and a new set of walls built on the remains of the old Roman walls. The castle does not survive today—it was already in ruins by the early 18th century—but is depicted on old engravings as a large square tower, the Tour Grise, dominating the western flank of the hill.[6]
Cassel was the capital of a chatellany (an administrative district) during the Middle Ages, serving as the administrative centre for an area comprising about fifty towns and villages.[6] It was the site of a second battle that took place on 23 August 1328 involving Philip VI of France and a rebel force led by Nicolaas Zannekin. The rebels had driven the ruling Count Louis I out of Flanders and sought to press their advantage by occupying Cassel and attacking the French royal army nearby. Although they achieved some initial successes, the rebels were decisively defeated when William I, Count of Hainaut lent his support to the French side.[12]
Early modern period
By end of the 16th century Cassel had become a border town between France and the
Cassel was annexed to France the following year under the terms of the
During the
19th century
The population of Cassel grew to about 4,200 people by the mid-19th century. Benjamin Disraeli, later to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, stayed there for a month in September–October 1845 and wrote in a letter to his sister Sarah that he considered it "an extremely savage place; few of the inhabitants, & none of the humbler classes, talk French, there is no library, bookseller's shop, nor newspaper of any sort ... It is quite French Flanders, their provisions come from Holland, the Hotel de Ville was built by the Spaniards, the carillons are perpetually sounding, & religion is supreme."[16]
In 1848, Cassel gained a railway connection when the Lille-Dunkirk line was built. The station is, however, at the foot of the hill at Oxelaëre some 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the centre of Cassel. To link the two places, an electric tramway was built under the auspices of the Compagnie des Tramways de Cassel, which operated between 1900 and 1934. It was replaced by a bus link which still operates today.[17]
20th century
Cassel served as the headquarters of Marshal
In the
Heraldry
The arms of Cassel are blazoned: Azure, a sword between two keys addorsed Or
|
Population
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
1968 | 2,621 | — |
1975 | 2,340 | −1.61% |
1982 | 2,223 | −0.73% |
1990 | 2,177 | −0.26% |
1999 | 2,290 | +0.56% |
2007 | 2,326 | +0.20% |
2012 | 2,287 | −0.34% |
2017 | 2,289 | +0.02% |
Source: INSEE[22] |
Sights and culture
The Jardin des Mont du Récollets provides expansive views over the plains of Flanders and beyond; on a clear day it is possible to see the North Sea, the English coast and the belfry of Bruges. It used to be said that from Cassel one could see five kingdoms: France, Belgium, Holland, England and Heaven.[4] The garden also hosts an equestrian statue of Marshal Foch and the Monument des Trois Batailles, commemorating the battles of 1071, 1328 and 1677. Just below the gardens is the Porte du Château of 1621, the last substantial part of the old castle to remain standing. The city walls no longer stand but footpaths and streets still trace their former course.[23]
The Kasteel Meulen ("Castle Windmill") is a post mill situated on the highest point of Mont Cassel on the site of the former castle. A windmill constructed here in the 16th century burned down on 30 October 1911. It was replaced in 1947 by an 18th-century windmill that was moved from nearby Arnèke, one of around twenty that once existed in the area. The mill is open to the public and still operates daily during the high season.[24]
The Hôtel de la Noble Cour (also known as the Landshuys) off Cassel's Grande Place houses the Musée de Flandre, which opened in 2010. The museum presents the art, history and folklore of the French Flanders region. Built in the 16th century under Spanish rule, the mansion's stone-built façade (unusual for Flanders) is decorated in a French Renaissance style and has unusual carvings of grotesque heads, mythical beasts and other figures. The building originally housed the "Noble Court" of the Lords of Cassel, who had authority over a swathe of territory from Ypres in modern Belgium to Saint-Omer.[23]
The Collégiale Notre-Dame de la Crypte is Cassel's main church, built in brick. Parts date from the 11th century but the main part is a 16th-century Gothic structure of a design known as a hallekerk or hall-church, peculiar to Flanders and Artois. It comprises a huge rectangular space with three gables, three aisles, three apses and a square tower over the transept. During his stay in Cassel during the First World War, Marshal Foch regularly prayed here.[23]
Events
Like several other Flemish towns, Cassel commemorates legendary giants in annual processions. The town's two giants are Reuze-Papa (Father Giant, also known as Le Reuze) and Reuze-Maman (Mother Giant, also known as La Reuzaine). They are 94 kilograms (207 lb) and 82 kilograms (181 lb) in weight and 6.25 metres (20.5 ft) and 5.8 metres (19 ft) high, respectively.[24] The current effigies date from 1827 and 1860 respectively,[25] though the tradition dates from the 16th century (when Reuze-Papa was known as Titenka).[26] Reuze-Papa is depicted as a bearded man wearing a Roman-style breastplate and helm, while Reuze-Maman used to be depicted as a shrimp fisher carrying a basket on her back but is now shown wearing a diadem, a red robe and a golden shawl.[24] The couple had their first child, Kint'je, in 1900, followed by Pietje, Boutje and a baby daughter, Meisje. They are escorted by six bodyguards named Allowyn, Dagobert, Gélon, Goliath, Roland and Samson, who all wear Roman dress.[26] The giants commemorate a tradition that the hill of Cassel was created when a couple of giants were carrying a huge mound of earth but tripped, spilling the earth on the ground and forming the hill.[24] The figures make their appearances each year around Easter, when they are paraded around Cassel during the annual carnival. For the rest of the year they are looked after by the association of the amis du Reuze. They are registered as UNESCO "intangible cultural heritage" treasures.[27]
Gallery
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Panoramic view from Cassel
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Market Place
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A corner of the Market Place, with typical houses
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Former Landhuis, now Musée de Flandre
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The Porte du Château, entrance of the municipal park on top of Mount Cassel
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Municipal park
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Windmill of Cassel
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Equestrian statue of Maréchal Ferdinand Foch
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Memorial of the three battles of Cassel (1071, 1328, 1677)
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War memorial (WW 1)
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St Mary's church (Collégiale Notre-Dame-de-la-Crypte)
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Interior of St Mary's church
See also
References
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 4 May 2022.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ INSEE commune file
- ^ ISBN 978-1-906261-10-8.
- ISBN 978-0-85115-923-2.
- ^ a b c d e "Cassel". Historic Fortifications Network. 2010. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012.
- ISBN 978-90-8890-016-7.
- ISBN 978-90-382-0578-6.
- ^ Vermeulen, pp. 131-132
- ISBN 978-1-903153-16-1.
- ISBN 978-0-86078-585-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8240-4444-2.
- ISBN 978-0-313-33537-2.
- ISBN 978-90-04-13176-7.
- ISBN 978-0-19-860088-6.
- ISBN 978-0-8020-5810-2.
- ISBN 2-908816-29-6.
- ISBN 978-0-7735-3522-0.
- ^ Muirhead, Findlay (1920). Belgium and the western front: British and American. Macmillan. p. 97.
- ISBN 978-0-674-02439-7.
- ISBN 978-1-84603-457-2.
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
- ^ ISBN 978-1-86011-183-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84162-327-6.
- ISBN 978-0-19-531493-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-2-7469-1928-0.
- ^ "Processional Giants and Dragons in Belgium and France". UNESCO. 2008. Archived from the original on 5 January 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2011.