- Casteau
Casteau is a village of
Belgium in the French-speaking region. With the others villagesChaussée-Notre-Dame-Louvignies ,Horrues , Naast,Neufvilles , Soignies (town), andThieusies , they compose the municipality ofSoignies .The village is located between the towns of
Mons andSoignies on the roadMons -Brussel . The river Aubrecheuil flows through the village. In the past, there were some watermills along the river.* Postal code : 7061
* Province : Hainaut
* District :Soignies
* Gentilic : Castellois(e)
* Elevation: 63 to 115 m (207 to 377 ft)
* Area: 11,11 km² (4,3 square miles)
* Time zone: UTC+1Etymology
The name Casteau comes from the Latin word "castellum", meaning
Castle .History
Casteau was already known in neolithic times. A Roman cemetery from the times of
Marcus Aurelius has been discovered.1678 : French soldiers destroyed the village during the battle of St-Denis against Holland's army of
William the Silent .1825 : A part of the western plain became a military camp for Holland's army until the revolution of
Belgium in 1830.1940 : German troops occupied the barracks until 1944.
1967 : The
SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers in Europe ) moved into the base.1977 : Casteau was merged with other villages to make the municipality of
Soignies .Landscape
The valley of the river Obrecheuil is in the east of the village. This part of the valley is
Natura 2000 . The heart of the village is in the northwest higher part of the valley. The northwestern part of the village is a plain with dispersed houses and farms with typical hedges. The village is the border between the valley of the river The Haine (Elevation from 20 to 30m) and theplateau of Hainaut (Elevation from 80 to 150 m).Around the village, there are several woods (Oaks, beeches, chestnuts, poplars,...), fields (potatoes, sugar beets, corns, wheats,...) and prairies (Cows, horses). The ground is made of sands and silts..
Local Speciality and collection
Brewery and artisanal cheese called l'Augrenoise.
Bus collection
External links
* [http://www.Soignies.be Official website] (in French)
* [http://www.augrenoise.com Website of the brewery Augrenoise] (in French)
* [http://www.casteau.com Website of bus collection] (in French)
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
