Kortrijk is the historical central town of one of the most dynamic regions in Flanders.

The town looks back on a gripping historical past.

Over seven centuries ago, Kortrijk was the setting for the Battle of the Golden Spurs, one of the key symbols of the Flemish struggle for emancipation. More recently, the flax industry, leaving a myriad of economic imprints on the region, served to lend the town its solid international reputation.

Today, Kortrijk stands proud as a multifaceted modern town, intensively investing in its future.

Melding tradition and innovation, Kortrijk combines a due sense of history and a forward-looking vision of the future …

As a town, Kortrijk exudes a very distinct character all its own.

By nature, Kortrijk enjoys a reputation as an open town, with a lineup of entrance gates, but without bulwarks or ramparts.

Here is a town that loves movement, trade, and entrepreneurship.

A town on the road from multicultural to intercultural.

A town that is very much alive to all things innovative, pushing back the frontiers.

And keen to act in response to new challenges with determination and due flexibility.

All of which combine to make Kortrijk the perfect setting for the development of trendsetting initiatives in virtually every field imaginable.

Kortrijk was home to the first pedestrianised shopping street in the country; here is where students flock from all across Flanders to enroll for a unique offering of training programmes at the university and colleges;  here is where design has long been a time-honoured staple; here is where the arts thrive; here is where old sites are redeveloped to take on a fresh, and surprisingly contemporary new sense of purpose.

 In Kortrijk, openness translates into a wide range of schemes, ranging from the spectacular redevelopment of the shopping precinct, the industrial estate Evolis that was purpose-designed to attract high-quality businesses, across the works to the river Leie that merges the rivers Seine and Scheldt in a glorious architectural setting, right up to Xpo exhibition grounds, home to salons and biennial events of global appeal and stature.

As a central town, Kortrijk is building and developing to scale.

For decades, the town has enjoyed solid ties with the surrounding region as a whole.

And recently, town and region have gone on to become one of the cornerstones of the cross-border Eurodistrict that is home to over two million residents.

By the same token, Kortrijk also guards the sense of safety and well-being of its residents.

Under the lee of the major cities, the town of Kortrijk ensures its residents a high quality of living. In every respect. Safety and cleanliness score exceedingly well; a wide range of superb facilities and amenities, including sports, culture, a bustling social life involving clubs, associatons and societies, a close-knit social network ... are all there to be enjoyed to the full.

In a nutshell, a thriving and distinct town at the creative vanguard of Flanders.

For more info: www.kortrijk.be