Ascq (French pronunciation: [ask]; Picard: Ask) is a former commune on the Marque river in the Nord department in northern France, at seven kilometers from Belgium. Agricultural village until the Industrial Revolution, the former independent commune merged with others to become a district of the new town planned community of Villeneuve-d'Ascq since 1970.[1] 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 Gare d'Ascq (railway station) is served by trains from Lille to Liège (Belgium) and to Orchies.
- ^ Modifications aux circonscriptions territoriales des communes., Journal officiel de la République française n° 0070, 24 March 1970, p. 2793.