Cassel

Cassel is a town in the French department of Nord, located in the French Westhoek and French Flanders. It has approximately 2,500 inhabitants over an area of 13.13 km². Cassel is situated on the 176-meter high Kasselberg (with the Wouwenberg next to it, also known as Recollettenberg, 141 meters), the highest point in the Westhoek.

History
Cassel (< Castellum Menapiorum = Fortress of the Menapians) was the starting point of seven military roads during Roman times, including those to Arras, Tournai, and Boulogne. In the Middle Ages, it was the main town of a castellany of the county of Flanders. Cassel was plundered and destroyed several times, notably by Robert II of Artois in 1297. He failed to conquer the fortress. Since 1678, following the Treaty of Nijmegen, Cassel has belonged to France.

Sights
- The 16th-century Landhuis in Renaissance style (now a historical and ethnological museum)
- The Gothic hall church of Our Lady of the Crypt with its beautiful interior. At the end of the 10th century, there was a parish church dedicated to Our Lady here. It was rebuilt in 1290 and set up as a chapter church with 12 canons in 1300. At the end of the 16th century, it was looted and burned by the Geuzen. The church was reduced to rubble eight times and rebuilt each time. During the French Revolution, it served as a horse stable, prison, hospital, and Temple of Reason. The organ dates from the 17th and 19th centuries. The church is heavily neglected but is currently being restored.
- The former Jesuit church (Baroque - 17th century)
- The Ariënpoort (Porte d'Aire)
- Market square with houses from the 17th and 18th centuries.
- The Moulin de l'Étendard, a protected windmill on the Kasselberg
- The Musée de Flandre
- The Visitors' Center 'Battle of Cassel' (1677)
- Next to the municipal cemetery lies the Cassel Communal Cemetery Extension, a British military cemetery with about 100 casualties from World War II.

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