Kortrijk is a city of 75,000 on the Leie River in western Belgium. Its most famous moment came on July 11, 1302, when a peasant militia scored a victory against an army of heavily armed French nobility at the Battle of the Golden Spurs, an event of subtantial political significance in European history.
In the centuries that followed, Kortrijk became famous for its textiles, specifically its linens, as the natural purity of the local river water was of great advantage in the processing techniques required for linen fabrics. Textile production remains a thriving industry to this day, and the National Linen Museum is located in Kortrijk.
Aalbeke, Bellegem, Bissegem, Heule (Huele), Kooigem, Marke, and Rollegem are boroughs within the municipal district of Kortrijk.