Kortrijk

Next to the Leie (Lys) River, Kortrijk (Courtrai) in West Flanders is a large town of over 75,000 inhabitants with a long and varied past. Archaeological excavations provide evidence of settlement in the area from as early as 1500 BC. It grew further under Roman occupation (at which point it was named Cortracum) when its infrastructure was developed, but it wasn’t until the Franks arrived in the fourth century that the population really started to expand. As a result of the Norman invasion in the ninth century, a wooden castle was built to protect the town, which had been replaced by a stone building by the tenth century. However, battles between the Flemish and the French, including the famous Battle of the Golden Spurs, destroyed much of the town and the castle in the 14th century and a great deal had to be rebuilt. In the following centuries Kortrijk was occupied by various other powers, from France to Spain and Austria. These turbulent times led to a decline in the linen industry upon which the town depended. However, by the 18th century the trade had picked up again and Kortrijk remains today the largest producer of linen in Western Europe.