Kortrijk, town, northwestern Belgium, in West Flanders Province, on the Lys River, near Ghent (Gent). Kortrijk is known for its fine linens made from the excellent flax grown nearby and for its Valenciennes lace. It has cotton and wool mills, sugar refineries, and a tobacco market. The town is encircled by remnants of ancient walls. Located in Kortrijk are a castle, a citadel, a 16th-century town hall, a bridge with fine old Flemish towers at each end, and, most important, the Gothic Church of Notre Dame, completed in 1211, which contains a famous Van Dyck painting, The Erection of the Cross.
Kortrijk dates from Roman times, when it was called Cortoriacum. Destroyed by the Normans, it was rebuilt in the 10th century by Baldwin III, count of Flanders. The town became an important center of trade and at its height had a population of about 200,000.
