Courtrai originated from a Gallo-Roman town,Cortoriacum,[8] at a crossroads near the Leie river and two Roman roads. In theMiddle Ages, Courtrai grew significantly thanks to theflax andwool industry with France and England and became one of the biggest and richest cities inFlanders. The city is often referred to as City of Groeninge or City of the Golden Spurs, referring to the Battle of Courtrai or theBattle of the Golden Spurs which took place on 11 July 1302 on theFields of Groeninge in Courtrai. In 1820 theTreaty of Kortrijk was signed, laying out the still-current borders between France and Belgium. Throughout the 19th and 20th century, the flax industry flourished and remains important within the Belgian textile industry today.
Courtrai is the largest city in southern West Flanders, with several hospitals, colleges anda university. Courtrai was the first city in Belgium with a pedestrian shopping street, theKorte Steenstraat.
The Latin nameCortoriacum[8] means the settlement near the curb in the river.[citation needed] There is also mention of 'Cortoracum' in some literature. Its name later evolved to 'Cortrycke', 'Cortryck' and 'Kortrijk' (19th century). In French and in English, the city is called Courtrai.
Findings from an archeological dig in 1950 in which remains of three Romanfuneral pyres were found[9] suggest that thevicus was used as an encampment by the Romans during theirinvasion of Britain in AD 43.
Cortoriacum was a largerGallo-Romanvicus ofcivitasMenapiorum at an important crossroads near theLys river of the Roman roads linkingTongeren andCassel andTournai andOudenburg. It was first mentioned in a document from the 4th or 5th century calledNotitia Dignitatum where the cortoriacenses (cavalry) troops were mentioned. In the 9th century,Baldwin II, Count of Flanders established fortifications against theVikings. The town gained itscity charter in 1190 fromPhilip, Count of Flanders. The population growth required newdefensive walls, part of which can still be seen today (theBroeltorens,Armory, Kortrijk). Several local places still refer to physical parts of the defensive structures around Kortrijk (Walle, Waterpoort, Menenpoort, Gentsepoort, Brugsepoort, Kasteelkaai); Most of the physical parts have been overbuilt or destroyed.
In 1302, the population ofBruges started a successful uprising against the French, who had annexedFlanders a couple of years earlier. On 18 May the French population in that city was massacred, an event that could not go unpunished. The famous ensuingBattle of Courtrai in 1302, also known as theBattle of the Golden Spurs (Dutch:Guldensporenslag), between theFlemish people, mostly commoners and farmers, andPhilip the Fair's knights took place near Courtrai on 11 July, resulting in a victory for Flanders;[11] the date is commemorated as a national holiday by theFlemish community.
Following a new uprising by the Flemish in 1323, this time against their ownCount Louis I, the French invaded again. These Flemish acquisitions were consolidated by the French at theBattle of Cassel (1328).[citation needed]
Louis I's sonLouis II lost the city to a Flemish uprising led byPhilip van Artevelde in 1381, but the Flemish were later decisively defeated at the 1382Battle of Roosebeke by Louis II with French support, resulting in a new wave of plundering and destruction.[citation needed]
Most of the 15th century was prosperous under theDukes of Burgundy, until the death of the Burgundian heiressMary of Burgundy in 1482, which ushered in renewed fighting with France.
The 16th century was marked by the confrontations engendered by theReformation and the uprising of the Netherlands against Spain.
Louis XIV's reign saw Courtrai occupied by the French five times in sixty years and its former fortifications razed. TheTreaty of Utrecht assigned the area to the Austrian Habsburgs.
After theFrench Revolution and theNapoleonic era, the textile industry, based onflax, and the general economy of the city prospered again. The city had a population of 18,000 inhabitants by the 1840s.[12]
Courtrai was heavily bombed in the summer of 1917, butwas liberated by the British Army the following year. During World War II the city was an important railway hub for the German army, and for this reason was the target of several Allied airstrikes. On 21 July 1944 (the Belgian National Day) around 300Avro Lancasters dropped over 5,000 bombs on the city centre.[13] Many historical buildings on the central square, as well as the old railway station, were destroyed.
The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, also consists of Kuurne, Wevelgem, Zwevegem and Harelbeke. Although these municipalities have strong morphologic ties with Courtrai, they aren't officially part of the city.
Much of the city'smedieval architecture remains intact and is remarkably well preserved and restored. The city centre is one of the largestcar-free areas in Belgium. The béguinage, as well as thebelfry, have each been recognized byUNESCO asWorld Heritage Sites. The city was also recognized as a "Design City" by UNESCO in 2017. Interesting highlights are:
TheSaint-Martin church dates from the 13th century but was mostly rebuilt after a fire in the 15th century. It now houses a 48-bellcarillon. Its 83-meter (272 feet) tower remains the highest building in the city.
Thechurch 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 ofvan Dyck.
Kortrijk 1302: seven centuries in one day, a historic museum about the famousBattle of the Golden Spurs, which gave Flanders its official holiday (11 July)
Kortrijk has an extensive web of public transport lines, operated byDe Lijn, providing access to the city centre and the suburbs (city lines,Dutch:stadslijnen) and to many towns and villages in the region around the city (regional lines,Dutch:streeklijnen).
The city has an airport known asKortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport, which is mainly used for business travel and medical flights. Kortrijk Airport is located northwest of the city centre, next to the R8 ringroad.
The nationalBrussels Airport, one hour away by train or car, offers the best international connectivity.
Within the City, the river briefly splits in two, to re-join about a mile further.
Oude Leie (Old Lys) original southernmost riverbed where theBroel towers still stand.
Nieuwe Leie (New Lys) New bed that was dug around 1585 to accommodate water powered equipment.[citation needed][17]
From the 1970s on, the planning and later the execution of the so-calledLeiewerken (Leieworks) started. These construction works comprised the deepening and widening of the river. This would enable ships with 4400 tons to navigate from France to the Scheldt. At the same time, this project included a thorough urban renewal of the riversides in the city. Seven new bridges were to give a new architectural impulse to the river quarters as well as the construction of several new parks along the river.
The following bridges were built during the period of 1997 and 2012:
Dambrug
Groeningebrug near theAlbertPark
Ronde van Vlaanderenbrug near the newNelson Mandelapark
Collegebrug referring to theSt Amands college
Noordbrug (2010)
Budabrug
Reepbrug
More recently (2018), the banks in front of theBroel Towers were lowered to allow the public to enjoy the historic river banks along both sides of the River Lys (Leie). This area is now known as theLeieboorden (orBanks of the River Lys), a place for pedestrians with bars and restaurants.
Other Smaller Waterways with Historic and Geological value
Several small streams orBeken in and around Courtrai were of significant topological, historical and Geological value.[18]
Lange Mere Mentioned in the Town accounts of 1412-13 asLanghe Meere.
Mosscher (High Mossher and Low Mosscher) ending in the Southern Moat (Sanderus Map[19] mentions only theMosscher as a single toponym. It was also mentioned in almost full length on theDeventer Map.[20]
Groeninghe (first mentioned asGroeninc in 1412[citation needed] ) Its name came from the green color of the flooded meadow where it originated.
Grote Vijver (first mention asHoghen vivere in the town accounts of 1416-17).
Cars are required to give way to pedestrians and cyclists. In general, cars are led to large underground car parks in the historic centre of Courtrai or Park&Ride parking outside the town centre. Large parts of the historic centre are car free.
The city is historically connected with theflax and the textile industry, and still today the textile industry remains important in the region. Major companies which have headquarters in Courtrai includeCisco andBarco.
Even though Courtrai is a Dutch-speaking town, it bordersWallonia, and is only 9 km (5.6 mi) away from the border with France. This has created an urban area that extends across linguistic and national borders. The mayors ofLille, Courtrai andTournai met in Courtrai on 28 January 2008 to sign a document creating the firstEuropean Grouping of Territorial Cooperation within the EU. The purpose of this organisation is to facilitate the movement of people within this area of nearly 2 million people.
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, known as 'Kermis', moving around the country from Kortrijk to Bruges.
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 FairInterieur, Busworld and the Eurodogshow take place in theKortrijk Xpo event centre. These fairs attract numerous visitors to the city.
In July and August there are various boat tours on the riverLeie.
Local specialities include Kalletaart (apple cake withCalvados), Peperbollen, biscuits, and chocolatelittle beguines. The town ofHeule is the home of thePicobrouwerij Alvinne brewery, whileBellegem is the home of theBockor brewery.
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, Courtrai nowadays has one of the biggest traffic-free areas in Belgium (comprising Lange Steenstraat, Steenpoort, Sint-Jansttraat, Wijngaardstraat and several squares).
Courtrai has several indoor shopping malls including the Ring Shopping Kortrijk Noord, Bouwcentrum Pottelberg andK 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, includingMediamarkt,H&M,Zara and many other clothes, food and houseware stores.
KZK, Kortrijkse Zwemkring, arguably the bestwaterpolo team in Belgium, having won the Belgian championship nine times.[citation needed] In the 2007–2008 season, they won both the championship and the Belgian cup.[citation needed]
^ab"CORTORIACUM (Courtrai) Belgium".The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites. Perseus Digital Library.Archived from the original on 2020-01-17. Retrieved2018-06-08.
^AC02717376, Anonymus (1966).Acta Historiae Neerlandica. Brill Archive.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) p.11
^Verbruggen, J. F. (2002).The Battle of the Golden Spurs (Courtrai, 11 July 1302): A Contribution to the History of Flanders' War of Liberation, 1297-1305. Boydell & Brewer.ISBN978-0-85115-888-4.pp. 135-150
Fegley, R. (2002).The Golden Spurs of Kortrijk: How the Knights of France Fell to the Foot Soldiers of Flanders in 1302, 2007. McFarland and Company Inc.
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