Kortrijk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Dutch village, see Kortrijk (Netherlands)
 Kortrijk |
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| Geography | ||
| Country | .svg/27px-Flag_of_Belgium_(civil).svg.png){kind=small} Belgium |
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| Region |  Flemish Region |
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| Community | Flemish Community |
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| Province |  West Flanders |
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| Arrondissement | Kortrijk | |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: | |
| Area | 80.02 km² | |
| Population (Source: NIS) | ||
| Population – Males – Females - Density |
73,657 (January 1, 2006) 48.72% 51.28% 920 inhab./km² |
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| Age distribution 0–19 years 20–64 years 65+ years |
(01/01/2006) 21.83% 57.71% 20.47% |
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| Foreigners | 3.73% (01/07/2005) | |
| Economy | ||
| Unemployment rate | 9.03% (January 1, 2006) | |
| Mean annual income | 12,964 €/pers. (2003) | |
| Government | ||
| Mayor | Stefaan De Clerck (CD&V) | |
| Governing parties | CD&V, VLD | |
| Other information | ||
| Postal codes | 8500, 8501, 8510, 8511 | |
| Area codes | 056 | |
| Web address | www.kortrijk.be | |
Kortrijk (official name in Dutch; French: Courtrai; Latin: Cortoriacum) is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province West Flanders. The wider municipality comprises the city of Kortrijk proper and the towns of Aalbeke, Bellegem, Bissegem, Heule, Kooigem, Marke, and Rollegem. With 73,657 inhabitants Kortrijk is the seventh largest city in the Flemish region.
The city is situated on the River Lys, 42 km (26 miles) southwest of Ghent and 25 km (15 miles) northeast of Lille in France. Both Kortrijk and Lille are part of the same transnational Eurodistrict urban area with around 1,700,000 inhabitants.
The arrondissement of Kortrijk is both a judicial and an administrative arrondissement.
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[edit] History
[edit] Origins to the 13th century
Cortoriacum was founded by the Romans at an important crossroads near the Lys River, then developed as a typical Gallo-Roman vicus. In the 9th century, Baldwin II, Count of Flanders established fortifications against the Normans. The town gained its city charter in 1190 from Philip of Alsace. The population growth required new defensive walls, part of which can still be seen today (the Broeltorens).
In the 13th century, the battles between Fernando of Portugal, Count of Flanders and his first cousin, King Louis VIII of France, led to the destruction of the city. The Counts of Flanders had it rebuilt soon after. From that time, Kortrijk gained great importance as a centre of linen production.
[edit] Battle of the Golden Spurs
In 1302, the population of Bruges started a successful uprising against the French, who had annexed Flanders a couple of years earlier. On May 18, the French population in that city was murdered, an event that could not go unpunished. The famous ensuing Battle of the Golden Spurs (Dutch: Guldensporenslag) between the Flemish people, mostly commoners and farmers, and Philip the Fair’s knights took place near Kortrijk on July 11, resulting in a massive victory for Flanders. This date is now remembered as a national holiday by the whole Flemish community.
Following a new uprising by the Flemish in 1323, but this time against their own Count Louis I, the French invaded again. These Flemish acquisitions were consolidated by the French at the Battle of Cassel (1328). Louis I’s son, Louis II, then Philip van Artevelde briefly regained the city in 1381 but lost it again the following year at the Battle of Roosebeke, resulting in a new wave of plundering and destruction.
[edit] 15th century until now
Most of the 15th century was prosperous under the Dukes of Burgundy, until the death of Mary of Burgundy in 1482, which ushered in renewed fighting with France. The 16th century was marked by the uprising of the Netherlands in 1539, by Charles V’s heavy-handed reprisal to it, and later by the confrontations engendered by the Reformation. Louis XIV’s reign saw Kortrijk occupied by the French five times in sixty years and its former fortifications razed to the ground. The Treaty of Utrecht finally gave the whole area to Austria.
After the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era, the textile industry, based on flax, and the general economy of the city could finally prosper again. Kortrijk was heavily bombed in the summer of 1917, but even more damaged by the allied bombing in 1944. Most of the city that we see today was rebuilt after the war.
[edit] Sights
- On the main square, the façade of the late-Gothic, early Renaissance city hall is adorned with the statues of the Counts of Flanders.
- The nearby belfry is surmounted by a statue of Mercury, god of the merchants. The belfry is classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.[1]
- 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.
- The beguinage is one of the quaintest sites in the city, taking visitors back to the 17th century. It too, was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. [2]
- The church of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) was where the golden spurs taken from the battlefield in 1302 were hung. It now houses a famous van Dyck painting.
- Other reminders of Kortrijk's medieval history are the Our Lady Hospital (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwehospitaal), and the near-identical Broel towers with the small bridge in between that spans the river.
- Several museums dot the city, including a fine art and archeological museum, Kortrijk 1302: a historic museum, as well as a flax museum in honour of the plant that once was the main driver of Kortrijk’s economy.
[edit] Economy
The city is historically connected with the flax and the textile industry, and still today the textile industry remains important in the region. Major companies headquartered in Kortrijk include Barco and Bekaert.
[edit] Education
Kortrijk serves as an educational centre in south West-Flanders, attracting students from the entire region. There are 55 schools in Kortrijk, on 72 different locations throughout the city, with an estimated 21.000 students. [3] The KULAK, a campus of the Catholic University of Leuven, is located in on the south edge of the city. Other institutes of higher education include the KATHO and HOWEST university colleges.
[edit] Transport
Kortrijk lies at the intersection of three highways. The Belgian highway A19 and European roads E17 and E403. These highways can be reached from the ringroad R8 around the city. The Kortrijk train station has hourly direct connections to many Belgian cities including Ghent, Bruges, Ypres, Oudenaarde, Brussels and Antwerp. It also has a direct connection with the neighbouring French city of Lille. The city has a small airport known as Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport, which is mainly used for business travel. The River Lys is used for goods transport and is currently upgraded for ships of 1350 metric tons of deadweight (DWT), which causes important public works in the city-center.
[edit] Sport
Kortrijk has three official football clubs. The most famous of them is K.V. Kortrijk, which will play in the Belgian First Division in the 2008-2009 season, after having won the championship in the Belgian second division during the 2007-2008 season. The second club SV Kortrijk plays in the second provincial division. The third club, Wikings Kortrijk, only has youth teams. KZK Kortrijk is arguably the best waterpolo team in Belgium, having won the Belgian championship nine times. In the 2007-2008 season they won both the championship and the Belgian cup.
[edit] Notable citizens
- Hendrik Beyaert, architect
- Francis Bonaert, architect
- John II of Brienne, Count of Eu
- Hendrik Conscience, writer
- Greg LeMond, 3-time Tour de France Winner
- Carl Colpaert, director movie industries
- Laurence Courtois, tennis player
- Edmée Daenen, pop artist
- Stefaan De Clerck, politician and mayor of Kortrijk, former Minister of Justice
- Carl de Keyzer, photographer
- Pierre de La Rue, Renaissance composer
- Ann Demeulemeester, fashion designer
- Sophie de Schaepdrijver, historian
- Stijn Devolder, road bicycle racer
- Ernest Gambart, art publisher and dealer
- Guido Gezelle, poet
- Robert Gillon (1884-1972), lawyer, politician
- Piet Goddaer, singer-composer, mostly under the name:Ozark Henry
- Paul Goethals (1832-1901), first Archbishop of Calcutta
- The members of electro rock band Goose
- Gilles Joye, Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance
- Xavier Malisse, tennis player
- Isidore of Saint Joseph (1881-1916), Passionist brother, beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1984
- Morris, creator of Lucky Luke
- Jan Palfyn (1650-1730), doctor, surgeon and inventor of the forceps
- Louis Robbe (1806-1887), painter
- Roelant Savery (1576-1639), painter
- Stijn Streuvels (1871-1969), writer
- Jacobus Vaet, Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance
- Gella Vandecaveye, judoka, former world champion and Olympic silver medalist
- Guido van Gheluwe (b. 1926), founder of the Orde van den Prince
- Vincent Van Quickenborne (b. 1973), current minister of enterprise and member of the Kortrijk city council.
- Emmanuel Vierin (1869-1954), painter
- George Washington, inventor
[edit] Town twinning
Kortrijk participates in town twinning to encourage good international relations.
Frascati, Italy
Bad Godesberg, Germany (1964)
Windsor and Maidenhead, United Kingdom
Saint-Cloud, France
Lahore, Pakistan
Greenville, South Carolina, USA
[edit] External links
- Official website - Information available in Dutch, French, English and German
- Kortrijk airport
[edit] References
- ^ UNESCO. Belfries of Belgium and France. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
- ^ UNESCO. Flemish Béguinages. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
- ^ http://www.duurzamemobiliteit.be/duurzamemobiliteit/schoolbuurt/157-DSY.html
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