Assel is a small hamlet of only 12 houses in the municipality of Apeldoorn. The heathland area (Asselsche Heide) near Assel was known for its iron mining .

The iron pits on the Asselsche Heide are a remnant of medieval activity. In the early Middle Ages (5th-11th century), the region around Apeldoorn had a large-scale iron industry for that time. Nowhere in the Low Countries was iron produced in such large quantities as in this area .