Kortrijk's curved central square is scarred by insensitive 20th-century constructions, but the slightly leaning, multi-spired brick belfort (belfry) provides an attractive focus, and the restored 1421 Historisch Stadhuis (former town hall) building has a fine ornate facade dotted with stone mini-spires and niche statues.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb
25.46 MILES
Art enthusiasts swarm the Sint-Baafskathedraal to glimpse The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (De Aanbidding van het Lams God), a lavish representation of…
16.2 MILES
Dominating Tournai’s skyline are the five spires of its remarkable cathedral, which survived WWII bombs only for a freak 1999 tornado to compromise its…
26.04 MILES
Founded in 1242, this is Belgium’s only medieval convent-farm-hospital complex to have survived reasonably intact. Laboriously restored, it demonstrates…
16.27 MILES
Inaugurated in 1892, Lille's illustrious Fine Arts Museum claims France's second-largest collection after Paris' Musée du Louvre. Its cache of sublime…
26.42 MILES
The heart of ancient Bruges, the old market square is lined with pavement cafes beneath step-gabled facades. The buildings aren't always quite as medieval…
16.74 MILES
No museum gives a more balanced yet moving and user-friendly introduction to WWI history. It’s a multisensory experience combining soundscapes, videos,…
16.18 MILES
Tournai’s gorgeous triangular main square is ringed with cafes in fine gable-fronted guildhouses merrily flying guild banners. Kids play in ‘dare-you’…
26.2 MILES
Bruges’ most celebrated art gallery boasts an astonishingly rich collection that's strong in superb Flemish Primitive and Renaissance works, depicting the…
Nearby West Flanders attractions
0.1 MILES
Small but utterly delightful, Kortrijk’s enclosed begijnhof is as charming a cluster of whitewashed old terraced houses as you could hope to find. Enter…
0.1 MILES
The noble 83m tower that adds such finesse to the Kortrijk skyline belongs to this mostly 15th-century Gothic church, built on the site of St-Eloi’s 7th…
0.13 MILES
Echoing with wistful music, this church has a gilt sunburst altarpiece, heraldic panels in the 1373 St-Catherinekapel and features Van Dyck’s 1631…
0.22 MILES
This iconic pair of three-storey fortress towers guards a picturesque arched stone bridge across the River Leie in central Kortrijk. Last reminders of a…
0.22 MILES
Highlights of this fine art museum include Roelandt Savery’s 1604 masterpiece Plundering of a Village and Emmanuel Viérin’s semi-impressionist scenes of…
0.23 MILES
Promising seven centuries in one day, this modern multimedia ‘experience’ museum delves deep into the background events leading up to the Battle of the…
0.49 MILES
The Texture museum is located in an 1902 flax factory and focuses on the town's flax and linen industry; you'll also see a lovely collection of damasks…
8. La Piscine Musée d'Art et d'Industrie
10.27 MILES
An art deco municipal swimming pool built between 1927 and 1932 is now an innovative museum showcasing fine arts (paintings, sculptures, drawings) and…