Kortrijk Béguinage, Kortrijk, Belgium

The Saint Elisabeth Béguinage (Begijnhof) from 1238 is a combination of a béguinage square and street and was added to UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998. The Kortrijk béguinage was surrounded by the castle of the Counts of Flanders, the city walls and the St. Martin's Church Cemetery and is situated between the Church of Our Lady and the St. Martin's Church. The Kortrijk béguinage has been destroyed several times and its current form dates back to the 17th century. It comprises forty small Baroque houses each with an enclosed front garden.

The house with the double stepped-gable (1649) belonged to the 'Grand Dame'. The remarkable stair turret is the corner tower of the former St. Anna hall from 1682. In the Sint-Annaroom you will find the new experience centre. Her you will be immersed in many centuries of history in a remarkably dynamic manner. The béguinage also includes three chapels, including the Gothic Saint Matthew Chapel from 1464 that was transformed into the Baroque style in the 18th century. House number 41, near the entrance to the béguinage, will be converted into a house museum.

References:

Kortrijk Tourism

User Reviews

Ihor Zeiger (8 months ago)
Amazing place, historical beguinage

A. Faruk UNAL (19 months ago)
Calm and relaxing place to walk around. It also looks like that the atmosphere had been same during medieval times, like everyone lived here in peace. A cool, relaxed neighborhood ?

Bernardo Pagnoncelli (23 months ago)
This is a magical place! Walking around the houses in those narrow streets really takes you back in time. The place is well kept, and it feels like an open-air museum. If you have time for one thing in Courtrai, this is it!

Vit Soupal (2 years ago)
Amazing place with 13. century history roots.

Lynn (2 years ago)
Very calm and beautiful place. Can learn about the religious history of the place.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Wikimedia Commons

Historic Site of the week

Château du Lude

The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.

Kortrijk Béguinage

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Château du Lude