Ath ( French pronunciation: [at] ; Dutch : Aat , Dutch pronunciation: [aːt] ; Picard : Ât ; Walloon : Ate ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut , Belgium .
41-466: 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
82-444: A geographical, linguistic, economic, social or cultural nature. In 1964 and in 1969 and 1970, roughly 300 municipalities ceased to exist and were subsumed into other municipalities. The number of municipalities was reduced from 2,663 in 1961 to 2,586 in 1965 and to 2,359 in 1971. Article 4 of the constitution states that each municipality must belong to only one of the four official language areas that were established in 1962–63. In
123-843: A result, there are several differences between the municipal institutions in Flanders, in Wallonia and in Brussels. Wallonia has also further devolved part of its responsibilities to the German-speaking Community with regards to its 9 municipalities. The three Regions can amend or replace the existing legislation on the municipalities, most notably the New Municipal Law. In the Flanders the Municipal Decree of 15 July 2005 applies. In Wallonia
164-525: Is UTC (typically), UTC−01:00 (westernmost Spain ), or UTC+02:00 (e.g. the very easternmost parts of Norway , Sweden , Poland and Serbia ). On the other hand, people in Spain still have all work and meal hours one hour later than France and Germany despite sharing the same time zone. Historically Gibraltar maintained UTC+01:00 all year until the opening of the land border with Spain in 1982, when it followed its neighbour and introduced CEST. The following
205-417: Is also responsible for the maintenance of public order in their municipality. They chair the college of mayor and aldermen or the municipal college, depending on the region , as well. In the Flanders and Brussels , the mayor is appointed by the regional government, on the nomination of the municipal council, for a term of office of six years. In Wallonia , the mayor is the municipal councillor who received
246-641: Is based on many factors including: legal, political, economic, and physical or geographic. Consequently, time zones rarely adhere to meridian lines. The CET time zone, were it drawn by purely geographical terms, would consist of exactly the area between meridians 7°30′ E and 22°30′ E. As a result, there are European locales that despite lying in an area with a "physical" or "nominal" UTC+01:00 time, actually use another time zone ( UTC+02:00 in particular – there are no "physical" UTC+01:00 areas that employ UTC+00:00 ). Conversely, there are European areas that have gone for UTC+01:00 , even though their "physical" time zone
287-525: Is currently used in Albania , Andorra , Austria , Belgium , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Croatia , the Czech Republic , Denmark , France , Germany , Hungary , Italy , Kosovo ( partially recognised as an independent country ), Liechtenstein , Luxembourg , Malta , Monaco , Montenegro , Netherlands , North Macedonia , Norway , Poland , San Marino , Serbia , Slovakia , Slovenia , Spain (except
328-485: Is known as West Africa Time (WAT), although Algeria , Morocco and Tunisia use the term Central European Time despite being in North Africa . Between 2005 and 2008, Tunisia observed daylight saving time . Libya also used CET during the years 1951–1959, 1982–1989, 1996–1997 and 2012–2013. For other countries see UTC+01:00 and West Africa Time . The criteria for drawing time zones
369-454: Is responsible for the daily administration of the municipality. It is also responsible for the preparation and implementation of the decisions of the municipal council. The municipal council ( Dutch : gemeenteraad ; French : conseil communal ; German : Gemeinderat ) is the representative assembly of the municipality and consists of members directly elected for a term of office of six years. The number of municipal councillors depends on
410-455: Is used in most parts of Europe and in a few North African countries. CET is also known as Middle European Time (MET, German: MEZ ) and by colloquial names such as Amsterdam Time , Berlin Time , Brussels Time , Budapest Time , Madrid Time , Paris Time , Rome Time , Prague time , Warsaw Time or Romance Standard Time (RST). The 15th meridian east is the central axis per UTC+01:00 in
451-608: The Canary Islands ), Sweden , Switzerland and Vatican City . After World War II Monaco , Andorra and Gibraltar implemented CET. Portugal used CET in the years 1966–1976 and 1992–1996. The time around the world is based on Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) which is roughly synonymous with Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). From late March to late October, clocks in the United Kingdom are put forward by one hour for British Summer Time (BST). Since 1997, most of
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#1732849141013492-597: The East Cantons that were added to Belgium following the First World War . In 1961, the so-called Unitary Law ( Dutch : Eenheidswet ; French : Loi unique ; German : Einheitsgesetz ), of which the fourth chapter was dedicated to the territorial organisation of the municipalities, was adopted. The authority to abolish municipalities was entrusted to the executive branch for a period of 10 years. Municipalities could be merged on financial grounds or on grounds of
533-468: 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
574-554: 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
615-435: The regular elections of 14 October 2018 , and the change took effect on 1 January 2019. The mayor ( Dutch : burgemeester ; French : bourgmestre ; German : Bürgermeister ) is not only the head of the municipality but also the representative of the regional and the federal government at the local level. In that capacity, they are responsible for the execution of laws , decrees , ordinances and orders. The mayor
656-567: The Belgian borders were recognised in 1839, as 124 municipalities were ceded to the Netherlands and another 119 municipalities became the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (see the article Communes of Luxembourg for details). New municipalities were created until 1928. There were 2,528 municipalities in 1850, 2,572 in 1875, 2,617 in 1900 and a maximum of 2,675 in 1929. This also includes the municipalities of
697-607: The Code of Local Democracy and Decentralization applies. In Brussels several provisions of the New Municipal Law have been modified by ordinance , such as the Ordinance of 17 July 2003. The legal framework in the three Regions is still relatively similar, but that could change in the future. Since 1970, the Belgian Constitution includes the possibility to create agglomerations and federations of municipalities by law. This possibility
738-756: 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
779-661: The European Union aligned with the British standards for BST. In 1968 there was a three-year experiment called British Standard Time , when the UK and Ireland experimentally employed British Summer Time (GMT+1) all year round; clocks were put forward in March 1968 and not put back until October 1971. Central European Time is sometimes referred to as continental time in the UK. Several African countries use UTC+01:00 all year long, where it
820-521: 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
861-676: The capital region) and municipality, or the lowest judicial level, are in English sometimes called districts as well. Here are three lists of municipalities for each one of the three regions: The municipalities, as an administrative division , were officially created in 1795, when the Directoire reorganised the structures of the Ancien Régime . The municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants were grouped in so-called canton municipalities. In 1800, these canton municipalities were abolished again and
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#1732849141013902-569: 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
943-520: The federal level to the three regions. This did not instantly have any significant effect on the reorganisation of municipalities, up until the Flemish Bourgeois Government (2014-2019) provided a legal framework and financial incentives for municipalities to consider merging. This led 15 Flemish municipalities to merge into seven, decreasing the total number of Flemish municipalities from 308 to 300. Their municipal councils were elected in
984-520: 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
1025-504: 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
1066-439: The largest number of preferential votes of the majority party that received the largest number of votes in the municipal elections. Hence, it is also possible that the mayor is not a member of the largest party, as the largest party is not always part of the governing coalition. It is also possible in Wallonia for the municipal council to adopt a constructive motion of no confidence in the municipal college. The executive organ of
1107-401: 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
1148-555: The most minute Belgian municipalities are still found in this group, notably Herstappe with only 84 inhabitants (in 2006). Lucien Harmegnies, Minister of the Interior in the government of Gaston Eyskens (1968–1972) decided to continue the process of territorial reorganization of Belgium. In 1971, the provisions of the Unity Law were extended and modified to apply to large agglomerations, which were initially excluded from its provisions. It
1189-472: The municipalities of Berchem , Borgerhout , Deurne , Hoboken , Ekeren , Merksem and Wilrijk in 1983 finally reduced the number of municipalities in Belgium to 589 and was the last reorganization of the municipalities for several decades because the merger of the 19 municipalities of Brussels was postponed indefinitely. The fifth state reform (2001) transferred the responsibility over municipalities from
1230-426: The municipality is known as the college of mayor and aldermen ( Dutch : college van burgemeester en schepenen ; French : collège des bourgmestre et échevins ), commonly referred to as the college of aldermen ( Dutch : schepencollege ; French : collège échevinal ), in Flanders and Brussels, and as the municipal college ( French : collège communal ; German : gemeindekollegium ) in Wallonia. This college
1271-422: The number of autonomous municipalities became 2,776. Not much changed during the United Kingdom of the Netherlands , only a number of smaller municipalities were merged. In 1831, Belgium was divided into 2,739 municipalities, a number which remained more or less constant until 1961. The law of 30 March 1836 regulated municipalities and their governing bodies. The number of municipalities was reduced to 2,508 when
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1312-517: The number of inhabitants of the municipality, and can vary from 7 to 55. It is responsible for all matters that are of municipal interest. Following the Fifth State Reform in 2001, the responsibility for the composition, the organization, the competences and the activities of the municipal institutions were devolved to the Regions , as well as the responsibility for the provincial institutions . As
1353-426: 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
1394-706: The remaining 19 are in the Brussels Capital Region , which is not divided in provinces. In most cases, the municipalities are the smallest administrative subdivisions of Belgium, but in municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, on the initiative of the local council, sub-municipal administrative entities with elected councils may be created. As such, only Antwerp , having over 500,000 inhabitants, became subdivided into nine districts ( Dutch : districten ). The Belgian arrondissements ( Dutch : arrondissementen ; French : arrondissements ; German : Bezirke ), an administrative level between province (or
1435-437: 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
1476-404: The three officially unilingual language areas, a couple of dozen municipalities in the vicinity of another language area must provide limited facilities for speakers of that other language. As only a law carried by special majorities can change the language status of any municipality, these arrangements have prevented some small municipalities with facilities to be merged in the 1970s, and thus
1517-687: The world system of time zones . As of 2023, all member states of the European Union observe summer time ( daylight saving time ), from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. States within the CET area switch to Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+02:00 ) for the summer. In Africa, UTC+01:00 is called West Africa Time (WAT), where it is used by several countries, year round. Algeria , Morocco , and Tunisia also refer to it as Central European Time . As of 2017, Central European Time
1558-716: Was another Minister of the Interior, Joseph Michel, who managed the process. On 30 December 1975 the law regarding the merger of the municipalities was adopted. The merger became effective on 1 January 1977. The merger of 1977 further reduced the number of municipalities in Belgium from 2,359 to 596. Because of the specific nature of the reorganization in Antwerp , the law of 30 December 1975 did not enter into force for Antwerp until 1 January 1983. The formerly-independent municipalities were called districts and were given an advisory function. However, on 1 January 2001 they were given an administrative function again. The merger of Antwerp with
1599-787: 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 . Municipalities of Belgium Belgium comprises 581 municipalities ( Dutch : gemeenten ; French : communes ; German : Gemeinden ), 300 of them grouped into five provinces in Flanders and 262 others in five provinces in Wallonia , while
1640-615: Was only used once in 1971 when the Brussels Agglomeration, comprising the 19 municipalities of Brussels , was put into place. It de facto ceased to exist in 1989 when the organs of the Brussels-Capital Region were established. Central European Time Central European Time ( CET ) is a standard time of Central, and parts of Western Europe, which is one hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The time offset from UTC can be written as UTC+01:00 . It
1681-481: 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