Kortrijk is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The city is on the Leie River, 42 km (26 miles) southwest of Ghent and 25 km (15 miles) northeast of Lille in France. 

Kortrijk is a medium-sized city with a good balance of tradition and innovation/modernism. It has always been famous for shopping, and in 2010 a big shopping centre was opened in the heart of the city. There are traffic-free shopping zones, and lots of historical sites in the city centre. Outside the centre there are some less developed neighbourhoods, though none are really bad.

Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	West Flanders
Arrondissement	Kortrijk
Government
• Mayor	Vincent Van Quickenborne
• Governing party/ies	Open VLD, N-VA, sp.a
Area
• Total	80.02 km2 (30.90 sq mi)
Population (2018-01-01)[1]
• Total	76,265
• Density	950/km2 (2,500/sq mi)

The city is known as the Guldensporenstad (City of the Golden Spurs), after the battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302. It used to be the centre of the linen industry and is still known as an important textile industry region.

Sights

Much of the city’s medieval architecture remains intact and is remarkably well preserved and restored. The city centre is one of the largest car-free areas in Belgium. The béguinage, as well as the belfry, were recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites in 1998 and 1999. Interesting highlights are:

• Medieval City Hall (on the main square, the Grote Markt). The façade of the late-Gothic, early Renaissance city hall is adorned with the statues of the Counts of Flanders.
• The belfry is surmounted by a statue of Mercury, god of the merchants. The belfry is classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
• Near-identical medieval Broel Towers with the bridge in between that spans the river Leie. (the Speyetower and the Ingelburgtower)
• Artillerytower (Artillerietoren)
• Mont de Piété (Berg van Barmhartigheid or house of Mercy)
• Weigh house (Stadswaag) on the St.Michael-square
• Our Lady Hospital (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwehospitaal), founded in 1200–1204.
• Baggaertshof, often called Kortrijk’s second Beguinage, contains a Botanical garden
• Groeningekouter contains the Groeningegate and the Groeninge Monument, to commemorate the 600th anniversary of the famous Battle of the Golden Spurs

• The Saint-Martin church dates from the 13th century but was mostly rebuilt after a fire in the 15th century. It now houses a 48-bell carillon. Its 83-meter (272 feet) tower remains the highest building in the city.
• The beguinage is one of the quaintest sites in the city. It too, was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
• The church of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) is former collegiate church. Here the golden spurs taken from the battlefield in 1302 were hung. It houses a rich interior with an altar piece of van Dyck.
• the Count’s chapel (Gravenkapel), built after the example of la Sainte Chapelle in Paris as shrine for Louis II of Flanders.
• Saint-Michaelschurch; a church of the Society of Jesus
• Saint-Johnschurch in the St.-Johnsquarter; a Neo-Gothic basilica
• Groeninge Abbey
• Saint Eligiuschurch
• Saint-Pius X-church
• Saint-Rochchurch
• Saint-Elisabethchurch
• Saint-Anthonychurch or Toontjes kerk with the pilgrimage of Isidore of Saint Joseph
• Saint-Annechurch
• Saint-Theresiachurch
• Father Damienchurch

Museums

Museums in Kortrijk include:

• Kortrijk 1302: seven centuries in one day, a historic museum about the famous Battle of the Golden Spurs, which gave Flanders its official holiday (11 July)
• Broelmuseum (Museum of Fine Arts and archaeological museum), with paintings by Roelant Savery and international Ceramic.
• National Flax Museum in honour of the plant that once was the main driver of Kortrijk’s economy. This museum will be relocated.
• Groeninge Abbey with the Groeningemuseum. This museum gives you an overview of Kortrijk’s history.
• Beguinage museum located in the old town, in the béguinage.
• Flemish Film museum and archive
• Bakery- and Millmuseum, located in an old windmill.
• Museum of Agriculture
• International Rose gardens, located in the park of the Castle t Hooghe, in the Hoog-Kortrijk quarter just in front of Kortrijk Xpo.
• Begijnhofmuseum

Culture

Music

• Kortrijk has widely recognised local artists, such as:
  • Fapy Lafertin, foremost exponent of the Belgian-Dutch style of gypsy jazz.
  • Goose, electronic rock band with international projection.
  • Amenra, extreme metal band prominent in the European metal scene.
  • Marcel Ponseele, baroque oboist known for his Bach performances and recordings.
  • Balthazar, indie rock band popular in both Belgium and the Netherlands.
  • Michaela Karadjian, soprano Opera singer.

Theatres and concert venues

• Kortrijk has several cultural centres, each comprising different locations:
  • Cultural Centre Kortrijk
  • City Theatre (De Schouwburg, see picture), a neo-Renaissance architecture theatre known for its glass ceiling, an artwork of the French-Algerian artist Alberola
  • Arenatheatre
  • Antigone Theatre
  • Buda Kunstencentrum (Buda Arts Centre), comprising the cinema Budascoop, the artist residence Tacktower and the artist creation space Budafactory
  • The Concertstudio
  • Music Centre Track*
  • Concert venue De Kreun
• Cinemas
  • Kinepolis, a modern cinema multiplex with 10 screens.
  • Budascoop, a 5 screen cinema, specialised in European movies.

Festivals and events

The city is host to some sizable cultural events such as:

• Day of the Flemish Community (11 July)
• Golden River City Jazz Festival (first weekend of September)
• Humorologie: cabaret festival
• Next: arts festival in the Eurodistrict Kortrijk-Lille-Tournai
• Happy New Ears: festival of experimental modern music
• Budafest: theatre festival
• The Internationaal Festival van Vlaanderen (April–May): several concerts of classical and modern music.
• Novarock: rock festival in Kortrijk Xpo
• Easter Carnival (Paasfoor): during the weeks after Easter
• Sinxenfestival: one of the most vivid festivals downtown with street artists, concerts and flea markets all over town
• Kortrijk Congé (July)
• Alcatraz Hard Rock & Metal Festival (August)
• Summer Carnival (weekend in August)
• Student Welcome Concert: rock festival to celebrate the start of the new academic year at the Kortrijk University and the Kortrijk Colleges.

Also, trade shows and events such as the international Design Fair Interieur, Busworld and the Eurodogshow take place in the Kortrijk Xpo event center. These fairs attract numerous visitors to the city.

Shopping

• Kortrijk was the first town in Belgium to have a fully traffic-free shopping street, the Korte Steenstraat (1962). Later, a lot of neighbouring streets were also made traffic-free. As a result, Kortrijk nowadays has one of the biggest traffic-free areas in Belgium (comprising Lange Steenstraat, Steenpoort, Sint-Jansttraat, Wijngaardstraat and several squares).
• Kortrijk has several indoor shopping malls including the Ring Shopping Kortrijk Noord, Bouwcentrum Pottelberg and K in Kortrijk (opened March 2010). The latter is in the town centre and which links the main shopping street (Lange Steenstraat) with the Veemarket square. It contains up to 90 stores, including Mediamarkt, H&M, Zara and many other clothes, food and houseware stores.

Parks

• Beguinagepark
• Groeningepark, on the site of the Groeningekouter where the Battle of Courtrai or the Battle of the Golden Spurs took place. In contains the Groeningegate and the Groeninge Monument
• King Albertpark, with the Leiemonument which commemorates the Battle of the Lys
• Gebroeders van Raemdonckpark
• Queen Astridpark in the Overleie district
• ‘t Plein, a nineteenth-century park, laid out on a former military site
• Park de Blauwe Poort
• Magdalenapark
• Rozentuin, the International Rose Garden
• Stadsgroen Messeyne
• Kasteelpark Blommeghem
• Kasteelpark ‘t Hooghe
• Nolfpark
• Stadsgroen Venning, with a butterfly garden