Asten, Netherlands
Asten is a municipality and a town in southern Netherlands.
It is home to the Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry and also a carillon museum.
The spoken language is Peellands, an East Brabantian dialect.
Population centres
- Asten
- Heusden
- Ommel
History
Asten has a rich history going back to the Roman period. In the swamp of the village's national park 'De Peel' an ancient Roman centurion helmet was found. Silhouets of Hunter-Gatherer and Agricultural societies were also found in the area.The village has a castle dating back to the 12th century, at the south of the current village. It has also given its name to the village: "Aa-Stein", or "stone building on the river Aa". A second stone-built fortified building was suspected at the north, at the site of the current Slotweg to be precise. Some stone fragments have been excavated, although no conclusive evidence of a fortified building has been produced here. The village was pillaged and burnt twice in the 17th century, by Austrian and Swedish army troops.
Notable residents
- Driekske van Bussel an archer, gold medallist at the 1920 Summer Olympics
- Piet Raijmakers a Dutch equestrian, gold medallist at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Jan Verschuren a Dutch organist
- Martin Koolhoven a Dutch film director and screenwriter
- Nancy Coolen known as Nance, is a Dutch TV host and former singer for Twenty 4 Seven
- Bart Claessen a Dutch Trance music DJ