Naast ( wa, Nåsse) is a village of

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

and a district of the municipality of

Soignies Soignies (; nl, Zinnik, ; pcd, Sougniye; wa, Sougniye) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It consists of the following districts: Casteau, Chaussée-Notre-Dame-Louvignies, Horrues, Naast, Neufvilles, ...

, located in the

province of Hainaut Hainaut (, also , , ; nl, Henegouwen ; wa, Hinnot; pcd, Hénau), historically also known as Heynowes in English, is a province of Wallonia and Belgium. To its south lies the French department of Nord, while within Belgium it borders (clock ...

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 ...

, known by the wellspring of the river

Zenne The Senne () or Zenne () is a small river that flows through Brussels, left tributary of the Dijle/Dyle. Its source is in the village of Naast near the municipality of Soignies. It is an indirect tributary of the Scheldt, through the Dijle ...

. Its population continued to increase throughout the nineteenth century. In

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

, a city was built to combat the housing crisis but also to maintain a young population in Naast who tended to emigrate. With the others villages

Casteau Casteau ( wa, Castea) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Soignies, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. With the other villages Chaussée-Notre-Dame-Louvignies, Horrues, Naast, Neufvilles, Soignies (town), ...

Horrues Horrues ( wa, Orû) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Soignies, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. With the others villages Casteau, Chaussée-Notre-Dame-Louvignies, Naast, Neufvilles, Soignies (town), a ...

Chaussée-Notre-Dame-Louvignies Chaussée-Notre-Dame-Louvignies ( pcd, El Caussêye) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Soignies, located in the province of hainaut, Belgium. With the others villages Casteau, Horrues, Naast, Neufvilles, Soignies ...

Neufvilles Neufvilles ( wa, Neuvile) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Soignies, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. With the others villages Casteau, Horrues, Chaussée-Notre-Dame-Louvignies, Naast, Soignies (town), ...

, Soignies (town) (Zinnik), and

Thieusies Thieusies ( wa, Tieuziye) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Soignies, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. With the others villages Casteau, Horrues, Chaussée-Notre-Dame-Louvignies, Naast, Neufvilles, and ...

, they compose the municipality of

since 1977.

Etymology

For the first time Naast was mentioned in 1119 or 1225. For some it would come from the Germanic "Knasque" which means soft, wet or swampy ground. For others, this name would come from a Germanic word meaning "nearest".

History

In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, the lordship of Naast was very important. It passed to count du Hainaut in 1339. In 1830, the industry itself did not exist in Naast, but rather crafts. There was a tuilery, a distillery, two flour mills, three iron marshals, a charron, a cooper, a wooden turret, etc. At the end of the 19th century, agriculture occupied an important place in economic life. The trade in these products had developed mainly thanks to the railway that passed through the village. There was a mustard factory and two quarries for the extraction of blue stone, probably opened in 1897.

Gallery

Image: Naast JPG000.jpg, Naast, The church.

References

Former municipalities of Hainaut (province) {{Hainaut-geo-stub