Top Historic Sights in Kortrijk, Belgium
Explore the historic highlights of Kortrijk
Kortrijk City Hall
The City Hall of Kortrijk is situated on the main square of the Belgian city of Kortrijk. The facade of the late-Gothic, early Renaissance city hall is adorned with the statues of the Counts of Flanders. As early as the 14th century, Kortrijk possessed a town hall, which was, however, completely gutted down by the French army after the victory at Westrozebeke in 1382. In 1420, a larger town hall was built in High Gothic ...
Founded: 1520 |
Location:
Kortrijk, Belgium
Kortrijk Belfry
The belfry (Belfort) of Kortrijk stands in the centre of the Grote Markt and was part of the former cloth hall. The earliest mention of the cloth hall dates back to 1248. The belfry is an imposing square tower, slightly sunk into the market square. This is due to the market being raised throughout the centuries. The view from the tower was mainly determined in 1520 with the reconstruction of the upper section of the tower ...
Founded: 1520 |
Location:
Kortrijk, Belgium
Church of Our Lady
Construction work on the Church of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) began in 1199 on the initiative of Count Baldwin IX. The church was located on the estate of Kortrijk that was fortified and completely walled in, with the exception of an area on the Leie. Of this early Gothic church only the west facade, the nave and the transept remain. The towers were constructed at the end of the 13th century. After the Battle of Wes ...
Founded: 1199 |
Location:
Kortrijk, Belgium
Kortrijk Béguinage
The Saint Elisabeth Béguinage (Begijnhof) from 1238 is a combination of a béguinage square and street and was added to UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998. The Kortrijk béguinage was surrounded by the castle of the Counts of Flanders, the city walls and the St. Martin"s Church Cemetery and is situated between the Church of Our Lady and the St. Martin"s Church. The Kortrijk béguinage ha ...
Founded: 1238 |
Location:
Kortrijk, Belgium
St. Martin's Church
The site occupied by St. Martin's Church (Sint-Maartenskerk) was already a place of worship in around 650 AD. Later a Romanesque church was built there, which was replaced by a Gothic church in the Middle Ages, built between 1390 and 1466. The Brabantine Gothic stone tower dates from 1439. But in 1862 the tower was struck by lightning and the wooden section was completely destroyed by fire. The spire was fully restored to ...
Founded: 1390-1466 |
Location:
Kortrijk, Belgium
Broel Towers
The Broel Towers are known as one of the most important symbols of Kortrijk city. Although they look identical, the towers were not built at the same time. The Southern tower, also known as the Speyetoren, was built in 1385 to control the traffic on the river Lys. This tower was part of the fortified fence of the first medieval castle of the Counts of Flanders. The Speyentoren was also part of the 12th century rampart, de ...
Founded: 1385/1415 |
Location:
Kortrijk, Belgium