Ascq (; pcd, Ask) is a former commune on the

Marque A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

river in the Nord department in northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, at seven kilometers from

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. Agricultural village until the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

, the former independent commune merged with others to become a district of the ''new town'' planned community of Villeneuve-d'Ascq since 1970. The operatic bass Louis-Henri Obin (1820–1895) was born in Ascq. Ascq is known for the Ascq massacre of 1 April 1944, where the Nazis assaulted the inhabitants and massacred 86 innocent men. The village was decorated with the Croix de guerre 1939–1945 and the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. The Gare d'Ascq (railway station) is served by trains from Lille to Liège (Belgium) and to Orchies.

Heraldry

Architecture and points of interest

Ascq main monuments are Saint-Pierre-en-Antioche Church (19th century), based on a building of 15th century, gare d'Ascq (19th century) railway station, the post office, the town hall (20th century) and the Château Claeys (20th century). Image:Jielbeaumadier ascq eglise.jpg, Saint-Pierre-en-Antioche Church Image:Jielbeaumadier_ascq_place_gare_2008.jpg, Post office and railway station square Image:Jielbeaumadier_claeys_jardin_2006.jpg, Château Claeys Image:Jielbeaumadier_mairie_ascq_2005.jpg, Ascq town hall Numerous places are commemorating the world wars : Tertre des massacrés monument, mémorial Ascq 1944 museum, Ascq Communal Cemetery which shelters British and Commonwealth war graves as well as the bodies of the victims of Ascq massacre in 1944, a monument on Saint-Pierre-en-Antioche Church square and some street names, such as 'Rue des Martyrs'. Image:Jielbeaumadier tertre des massacres 2006.jpg, Tertre des massacrés Image:Jielbeaumadier memorial ascq 2006.jpg, Mémorial Ascq 1944 Image:Tombes massacre ascq 2009 lb.jpg, Ascq massacre victims graves, Ascq Communal Cemetery Image:Tombes commonwealth ascq 2009 lb.jpg, British and Commonwealth war graves, Ascq Communal Cemetery Other notable buildings are Ascq

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towers often operate in conju ...

(20th century) which can be perceived very far away,

Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he start ...

collège, the old distillery with its brick chimney, chocolate factory Bouquet d'Or, artisanal brewery Moulins d'Ascq, the old

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...

s. Many houses have a remarkable architectural style, such as 1930 seaside style houses in Kléber street. Image:Jielbeaumadier chateau deau ascq 2006.jpg, Ascq water tower Image:Minoterie rue des fusilles ascq 2006.jpg, Gristmill in Fusillés street In the middle of the 20th century, Ascq had a cinéma, 'Le Rex', located salle Potié, church square.''Le Rex de Villeneuve-d'Ascq'', http://cinemasdunord.blogspot.com/2009/08/le-rex-de-villeneuve-dascq.html

Transportation

* Ascq is served by a rail network of three lines

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the N ...

Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...

- Liège et

- Orchies of

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffi ...

and

SNCB french: Société nationale des chemins de fer belgesgerman: Nationale Gesellschaft der Belgischen Eisenbahnen , type = Statutory corporation , industry = Rail Transport , foundation = 1926 , founder = Government ...

with the Gare d'Ascq railway station. * The quarter is served by Transpole with the following bus lines : 43, 47, 305, 314, 330, 331, 332.

Heraldry

Architecture and points of interest

Transportation

See also