Asten, Netherlands Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Asten

Huize Bartholomeus, Asten

Flag	Coat of arms

Location in North Brabant

Government

• Body

Municipal council

Area

• Total

71.34 km² (27.54 sq mi)

• Land

70.21 km² (27.11 sq mi)

• Water

1.13 km² (0.44 sq mi)

Elevation

27 m (89 ft)

Population

(May 2014)

• Total

16,565

• Density

236/km² (610/sq mi)

Demonym(s)

Astenaar

Time zone

UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST)

UTC+2 (CEST)

Postcode

5720–5725

Area code

0493

Asten (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɑstə(n)]) is a municipality and a town in the southern part of the Netherlands. It is a place with a long history and some interesting features.

Asten is home to the famous Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry. This is where large bells and carillons are made. There is also a special museum about carillons in Asten. The local language spoken here is called Peellands, which is a type of East Brabantian dialect.

Parts of Asten
Asten's Past
Famous People from Asten
Gallery
Images for kids
See also

Parts of Asten

A municipality is like a local government area. Asten municipality includes a few different places:

Asten (the main town)
Heusden
Ommel

Asten's Past

Asten has a very old history. People have lived here for a long time.

Ancient Discoveries

In a swampy area called 'De Peel', an old centurion helmet from the Roman times was found. This shows that Romans were once in this area. Signs of early people, like hunter-gatherers and farmers, have also been found.

The Castle and Name

There is a castle in Asten that dates back to the 12th century. It is located south of the main town. The castle actually gave the town its name! "Aa-Stein" means "stone building on the river Aa." People thought there might have been another stone building to the north, near a road now called Slotweg ("castle road"). Some stone pieces were found, but it's not certain if it was another fortified building.

Difficult Times

Asten faced tough times in the 1600s. The village was attacked and burned down twice by soldiers from Austria and Sweden.

Famous People from Asten

Many interesting people have come from Asten:

Driekske van Bussel (1868–1951) – An archer who won a gold medal at the 1920 Summer Olympics.
Piet Raijmakers (born 1956) – A Dutch horse rider who won a gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Jan Verschuren (born 1962) – A talented Dutch organ player.
Martin Koolhoven (born 1969) – A Dutch film director and writer.
Nancy Coolen (born 1973) – Known as Nance, she is a Dutch TV host and used to be a singer.
Bart Claessen (born 1980) – A Dutch Trance music DJ.