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CULTURAL-HISTORICAL PATRIMONY
Battle of The Spurs On July 11 the 1302 the united
armies of the Flemish towns, mainly consisting of
foot soldiers defeated the well equipped French army
of knights commanded by Robert d'Artois. About 1100
cavalrymen met their death on the Groeningekouter
battlefield. The Flemish collected 700 gold plated
spurs and displayed them in the Church of Our Lady (Onze
Lieve Vrouwekerk), For this reason the battle was
later named the Battle of The Spurs. Socially and
militarily it was an exceptional battle, The
rebellion arose in the towns themselves. It was
basically a conflict between the Flemish cities and
the French king, and not between two kingdoms, The
defeat of an army of knights by a town militia was a
historical first. As a consequence the County of
Flanders maintained a measure of political
independence and as from 1973, the 11 th of July was
proclaimed the national holiday of the Flemish
Community.
BEGUINE COURT, Groeninge Abbey
(JM)
At the Groeninge Abbey the history of Kortrijk is
illustrated with particular attention to the Battle
of the Spurs itself and the huge Battle of Spurs
celebrations at the beginning of the 20th century,
in that period two memorials commemorating the
Battle were erected: the Groeninge Gate and the
Groeninge Monument. The gilded bronze statue that Is
the Groeninge Monument represents the triumphant
Virgin of Flanders holding a lion under control. A
few scenes from the Battle embellish the plinth.
There are more museums worth a visit in Kortrijk.
The Broel Museum surveys five centuries of art,
mostly by artists who lived or worked at Kortrijk.
The Beguinage Museum is housed in the former home of
the Grand Mistress and offers a view of the life of
Beguines. The National Museum of Flax and the Museum
of Lace and linen show all aspects of flax
cultivation and flax Industry.
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