Postcards from Kortrijk catalogue

Kortrijk is a central city in the south of the Belgian province of West Flanders and the capital of the administrative and judicial district of the same name. The Leie River flows through the historic city. Kortrijk has approximately 81,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the province. Residents are called Kortrijkzanen (Kortrijk residents), sometimes Kortrijkaars. The city is located 25 kilometers northeast of the French city of Lille and, together with Lille and Tournai, is part of the Franco-Belgian Eurometropolis Lille–Kortrijk–Tournai, with a population of approximately 2.1 million.

Kortrijk originated from a Roman settlement at the intersection of the Leie River and two Roman roads. In the Middle Ages, thanks to a flourishing flax and cloth industry, the city grew into one of the most prosperous cities in Flanders. Kortrijk is known as the "City of the Golden Spurs" or "Groeningestad," referring to the Battle of the Golden Spurs that took place on July 11, 1302, on the Groeningekouter. In 1820, the Treaty of Kortrijk, which established the border between France and present-day Belgium, was signed in the city.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, Kortrijk was a major center of the flax industry. Today, the city distinguishes itself through its textile industry, its role as a shopping center, and its role as a regional center for employment, services, and education. In addition to several colleges, Kortrijk also boasts a university.

On April 19, 1962 (Maundy Thursday), Kortrijk was the first city in Belgium to introduce a car-free shopping street, with Korte Steenstraat. Since then, a large part of the historic city center has been transformed into a car-free pedestrian zone. In 2019, the entire historic city center also became an official bicycle zone, where motorized vehicles are not allowed to overtake cyclists. This made Kortrijk one of the pioneers of such zones in Europe.