Cassel, Nord

Cassel is a commune in the Nord department in northern France, built on the summit of Mont Cassel, a prominent hill in the Houtland region of French Flanders about 30 kilometres from the sea. The hill rises 176 metres above sea level and gives wide views. Settlement here goes back to the late Iron Age, when the Menapii held it, and under Rome it became Castellum Menapiorum, the centre of a network of roads that still converge on the hill; the modern name descends from that settlement. It later became a fortified stronghold of the Counts of Flanders and the site of battles in 1071 and 1328 before being annexed to France in the seventeenth century. Marshal Ferdinand Foch had his headquarters here during the First World War, and in 1940 a three-day battle destroyed much of the town. It is known for its museum of local art, history and folklore and for its Easter carnival giants Reuze-Papa and Reuze-Maman.