Kortrijk

Kortrijk (French: Courtrai) is a city and municipality

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located in West Flanders, Belgium.

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The city is situated on the River Lys 42 km (26 miles) southwest of Ghent, at the map coordinates 50 50N 03 17E. It was founded by the Romans, who called it Cortoriacum. Kortrijk gained great importance as a centre of linen production during the Middle Ages and is still the largest producer of linen in western Europe. The Battle of the Golden Spurs (Dutch: Guldensporenslag) took place near Kortrijk on July 11, 1302, when the local Flemish population mounted a successful uprising against the French rulers of Flanders. The chapel of the count ("Gravenkapel") in the church of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) has a large number of golden spurs painted on the ceiling. Another reminder of Kortrijk's medieval history are the Broel towers and the small bridge in between spanning one arm of the river.

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The wider municipality comprises the city of Kortrijk proper and the towns of Aalbeke, Bellegem, Bissegem, Heule, Kooigem, Marke and Rollegem. On January 1st, 2005 Kortrijk had a total population of 73,625. The total area is 80.03 km² which gives a population density of 919.96 inhabitants per km².

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The KULAK, a department of the Catholic University of Leuven is located in Kortrijk.

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West Flanders: West Flanders (Dutch: West-Vlaanderen) is the westernmost province of Flanders and of Belgium. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the Netherlands, the Belgian provinces of East Flanders (Oost-Vlaanderen) and Hainaut (Henegouwen), France and the North Sea. Its capital is Bruges (Brugge). It has...

Belgium: The Kingdom of Belgium (Dutch: Koninkrijk Belgi?, French: Royaume de Belgique, German: K?nigreich Belgien) is a Federal state in a continuous process of devolution. It is a developed country in North-Western Europe that is bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France, and the North Sea. ...

River Lys: REDIRECT Leie...