2016 2017 CAPTIVATING KORTRIJK from historic centre to design city on the water CITY ON THE WATER The banks of the Leie and the course of the Old Leie are the place to be! The green zone is ideal for young and old to enjoy some undisturbed peace. And in the middle of a city! The banks bring you wonderfully close to the fresh water and the moored pleasure craft, so that you can sit on one of the delightful terraces and almost feel the water. After the Middle Ages, the River Leie, and the linen and damask industry that grew up around it, played the leading role. Successfully too! From the 18th century Kortrijk enjoyed fame as the world centre for fl ax. Thanks to the creative entrepreneurship of its people, Kortrijk grew to become the vibrant, economic heart of the region. A new Leie needs new bridges. Seven impressive examples redraw the Kortrijk skyline and aff ord it a distinctive, imposing appearance. No boring or identical copies, but seven distinctive bridges that will help both visitors and locals orientate themselves. Sometimes majestic big city structures, at other times bold zigzags. 2 CITY ON THE WATER King Albertpark and skatebowl Texture, museum of Flax and river Lys Recently King Leopold III and his horse gaze over an open park Texture tells the rich story of fl ax in three totally diff erent and the renewed Leie banks. Th e park, which is bordered by rooms. You start in the Wonder Room: a fun laboratory about the lowered river banks, forms the transition between the city fl ax in your everyday life. It is amazing how many products centre and the outskirts of the city, and is the ideal halting-place actually contain fl ax! Flax is now an inspirational material for for cyclists and walkers. Th anks to this design, the 100-year-old designers, scientists and entrepreneurs. You are welcome to Caucasian wingnut tree has a prime position. In and around the look, feel, sample, try it out and discover! Skatebowl, the whoops of young, ambitious skaters breathe extra Th e Leie Room recounts how the fl ax industry infl uenced the life into the area. development of this agricultural region, which evolved to become an industrial and urban area. It does so using authentic > King Albertpark and IJzerkaai visual material, heartfelt testimonies and intriguing objects. Th e Treasure Room displays a selection of masterpieces from the museum collection created from fl ax linens: lace, fi ne da- TIP mask, linen embroidery etc. Walking or ambling, cycling or racing, sunbathing and relaxing on a terrace, you can do all this and more > Noordstraat 28 along the Leie riverbanks. > [email protected] / www.texturekortrijk.be / + 32 (0)56 277470 3 Between the arms of the Leie you will fi nd Buda Island. It’s an island bursting with creativity. Buda Beach and open air swimming pool workshops and studios. Th ere is a prototype lab with 3D printers, laser cutters and lots of other machines for creative people. In July and August, the Buda Beach turns into a beach with a sunbathing area and a bar so that locals and tourists alike can > Dam 2a enjoy the sunshine to the full. A little further along lies the > BudaLAB: every day from 13.00 to 21.00, closed on Saturday and Sunday outdoor swimming pool, which besides off ering endless fun in the water, is also a gem in terms of listed heritage. > IJzerkaai en Abdijkaai Bubox BUBOX is a place for contemporary visual art in Kortrijk that resolutely opts for artists that strive to interact with the space Budafactory and its environment in an idiosyncratic and artistic manner. It off ers young, upcoming talent the physical space to experiment, Th e Buda Factory is an impressive venue where designers, entre- create and exhibit and the mental space to engage in a discourse preneurs, artists, students and active citizens work side-by-side. with the public. Th e architectural fi rm of the Flemish Government Architect Peter Swinnen took charge of the old building. A pentagonal section > Korte Kapucijnenstraat was added along the streetside to make the building’s façade more > Th-Sat : 14.00 to 18.00 / Su : 11.00 to 18.00 / Only open during projects visible. Th e building’s 3,000 m² provides space for exhibitions, > www.bu-box.be 4 CITY ON THE WATER TIP Mad about film? Be sure to choose something from Budascoop’s specta- cular selection. It’s a cinema complex with an impressive history. Buda Tower Sailing Architect Stéphane Beel has succeeded in giving the old brewery You could take a trip on the silent, Blue Velvet water taxi or a contemporary look. This old industrial building now has a new rent a comfortable motorboat to sail around Buda Island your- cultural role. Stéphane Beel added a glazed zone for staircases and self. You can of course sail on the Leie to Menen and Harelbeke lifts to the old Tack Tower. if you want. Tourists with their own boat can moor it in the marina for a few days, right in the city centre with a view of the > Korte Kapucijnenstraat Broel Towers. > The Buda Tower can only be visited in the company of a guide. > Guido Gezellepad > www.de-keper.be en www.fb.com/Blue-Velvet-Watertaxi Kortrijk Concept Corner www.toerismekortrijk.be/en/en/node/121 In 2016, Designregio Kortrijk and Buda Arts Centre are crea- ting a concept corner, where you can experience the regional, unique mix of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship in an original experience space. > Broelkaai 6 5 MEDIEVAL CITY OF THE GOLDEN SPURS Kortrijk is peaceful today, but centuries ago it was in turmoil. After all, ever since its emergence as a Roman settlement, Cortoriacum has had much to endure. Yet despite frequent invasions and occupations, its inhabitants have repeatedly come out on top. On 11 July 1302 on the Groeningekouter, the Flemish amateur army even defeated the seemingly invincible professional French cavalry. More than seven centuries later, the Battle of the Golden Spurs continues to be widely celebrated. Kortrijk 1302 imprints this single unforgettable day of battle in your memory. On the same location you can also fi nd the Visitor Centre for Kortrijk and the Leie Region. In fact you will realise that the whole city is strewn with traces of the Middle Ages. They include the sturdy Broel Towers and the elegant Belfry, the impressive Our Lady’s Church, the sober Saint Martin’s Church and the peaceful Beguinage 6 MEDIEVAL CITY OF THE GOLDEN SPURS Kortrijk 1302 Beguinage and the experience center You are whisked back to that famous day in 1302, the Battle Th e sober beguinage, not surprisingly a UNESCO world heri- of the Golden Spurs, which was fought on the Groeningekou- tage site, is a wonderfully quiet oasis right in the busy city ter. You get to know the heroes and the footmen and hear the centre. It’s a place to experience some inner peace. Around the weapons clashing, you search high and low for the golden spurs. Saint Matthew Chapel (1464) you can fi nd about 40 small, 17th In short, you are at the heart of the action and fi nd an answer century, baroque houses, the Saint Anna Hall with its octagonal to all your questions. Was Jan Breydel involved in the fi ghting? winding staircase and the house of the Grootjuff rouw. In the Where was the Lion of Flanders? And what did Conscience chapel, the Dutch organ from 1678 is one of the oldest and think of it? You won’t miss a detail! Kortrijk 1302 also makes a most authentic examples of its kind. In the Saint Anna room great family outing. Young and old alike can explore 1302 from (Sint-Annazaal) you will fi nd the experience centre. corner to corner in an exciting, active, fun and educational way. Here you will be immersed in many centuries of history in a re- markably dynamic manner. An audio guide for use during your > Begijnhofpark visit to the Béguinage and the experience centre can be obtain- > [email protected] ed from the Visitor Centre, located just outside the gate www.kortrijk1302.be TIP +32 (0)56 277850 A holder-de-bolder cart leads child- > Begijnhofstraat ren through Medieval Kortrijk. They > Begijnhof: 7.00 to 18.00 dress up and have to solve all kinds > Opening times Visitor Centre and Experience centre: Every day from of riddles. It has been an educational 10.00 to 17.00 / Closed on Monday. smash hit for years. 7 Broel towers graphical maps. In the Gothic Hall is a modern fresco by Jan van Imschoot, depicting the Battle of the Gulden Spurs. Th ese solid medieval towers are the only remnants of the city’s original walls and over the years have become the symbol of > Grote Markt 54 the city. Th e southern or Speye Tower (1385) was part of the > Visit the City Hall in July and August on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday reinforced fortifi cations of the Count’s castle. Th e northern and Sunday, from 15.00 to 17.00. or Ingelborch Tower (1413), was built for primitive artillery defence. Belfry > Broelkaai > De Broeltorens can only be visited in the company of a guide. Th is UNESCO world heritage gem dates from the 13th century. Th e Belfry is a remnant of the medieval cloth hall and contains a 48-bell carillon. At the top you can see Mercurius, god of City Hall commerce, and the famous bell-ringers Manten and Kalle.