Casteau
Casteau originated as a village in the Hainaut province of Wallonia, in the French speaking south of Belgium. Casteau has become a district of the municipality of Soignies, centred around Soignies, and together with the former villages, now districts: Chaussée-Notre-Dame-Louvignies, Horrues, Naast, Neufvilles, and Thieusies.
The village is located between the towns of Mons and Soignies on the Mons-Brussels road. The river Obrecheuil flows through the village. In the past, there were some watermills along the river.
Etymology
The name Casteau is derived from the French word for castle, château, and stems from the Latin castellum.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 Saint-Denis against the Dutch army of William III of Orange.
- 1825: A part of the western plain became a military camp for the Dutch army until the Belgian Revolution in 1830.
- 1914: August 22, Captain Charles Hornby was reputed to have become the first British soldier to kill a German soldier using his sword and Drummer Edward Thomas of C squadron, Royal Dragoon Guards was the first British soldier to fire a shot in the first skirmish between British and German troops in the First World War. This is commemorated by the first shot memorial in the village.
- 1940: German troops occupied the barracks until 1944.
- 1967: The SHAPE moved into the base.
- 1977: Casteau was merged with other villages to make the municipality of Soignies.
Landscape
Around the village, there are several woods, fields, and prairies. The ground is made of sands and silts.
Local specialty and collection
- Brewery and artisanal cheese called l'Augrenoise.
- Bus collection