Kortrijk

Kortrijk grew on flax: the Leie river running through it was used for retting the crop, which gave the town a linen industry that lasted centuries and made it wealthy, and the Texture museum in a former flax warehouse covers that trade and the wider textile history. The Broel Towers, two medieval towers flanking a bridge over the Leie, are the emblem of the city and among the few surviving pieces of its fortification. The beguinage is one of the Flemish group listed by UNESCO, a quiet enclosure of small white houses. The Grote Markt has a belfry, and the church of Our Lady holds a Van Dyck. The city was heavily bombed in both world wars, so much of the centre is rebuilt.

What you actually see

• The Broel Towers - two medieval towers flanking the Leie bridge.
• The beguinage - white houses around lanes behind a gate.
• Texture flax museum - the linen trade the city was built on.
• A Van Dyck in Our Lady - the painting in the church chapel.

When to go

April to October. A day. Museums close on Mondays. The riverside has been redeveloped and is pleasant in summer. Kortrijk is an easy stop between Ghent and Lille.

Honest expectations

Much of the centre was destroyed in the wars and rebuilt, so the historic fabric is patchy. Museums are small. Interpretation is largely in Dutch. The city is a working commercial centre rather than a preserved one.

Nearby

Oudenaarde is east; Lille lies south across the French border.