UNESCO Creative City of design
Kortrijk has a long-standing tradition of international trade. As early as in the Middle Ages Kortrijk's flax was one of the most important Flemish export products. Thanks to this flax the city acquired a reputation of craftsmanship, quality design and entrepreneurship. Wars and economic setbacks required the textile industry to reinvent itself on various occasions. This necessary transformation turned the region of Kortrijk into what it is today: creative and resilient. That is why, on 31 October, Kortrijk was awarded with the membership of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network .
THE INTERIOR BIENNIAL
The leading biennial with a unique mixture of sales and culture attracted no less than 70,000 visitors in 2016.
The next edition will take place from 18-22 October 2018, followed by a city programme during the two subsequent weekends.
THE BUDAFABRIEK (BUDA FACTORY)
Budafabriek is a multidisciplinary forum where artists, entrepreneurs, academics, students and active citizens come together. Also home to the BUDA :: lab, an open makers area of Designregio Kortrijk & Devine (Howest).
Texture
TEXTURE tells us about the linen and flax industry. A story with very strong roots vouches for amazing craftsmanship and entrepreneurship, daring innovation and agility, as well as constant reinvention. In three rooms, set in an authentic flax dispatch building (1912), you will discover the revolutionary development brought about by the flax industry in this region.
WEEK OF DESIGN
The annual Design Week highlights the prominent role of design education as a catalyst for regional development. Each year an exhibition presents the best student projects from the Flemish design schools.
5X5
5X5 brings 5 companies together with a senior and junior designer. Together they create a new product and present it at the Interior Biennial. In the next 4 years Designregio Kortrijk and Leiedal will work together to install innovative products in the public space.
Kortrijk Weide
Kortrijk Weide is in full development and the first projects have already been completed. The city wants to regenerate the area between the railway station, the Lys and the western ring road to become a completely new district alongside the river. It will be a mix of entrepreneurship, sports, learning and relaxing. Room is made, for example, for an ecological city park, a regional swimming pool, an event hall, an Urban Sports park, an event square, an adult education centre and a co-creation hub for start-ups and growing businesses.
This new part of Kortrijk will not be a secluded site. Green passages seamlessly connect it with the city centre and area around the railway station. In addition, the leisure site will be the first place where Kortrijk can live up to its ambition of being an eco-friendly city. It reinforces the inner city with a multifunctional and lively new urban district.
Skatebowl
The skatebowl in Kortrijk is the very first skatebowl in Belgium worthy of the name. The aim was to find the best possible skate accommodation. The American company Team Pain, the most valued bowl builder in the world, built the skate bowl. The 850 m² concrete surface is a sloping landscape for skaters and bladers. The design is integrated in the park layout and the skatebowl is conceived as one of the terraces. The local residents often stand in awe watching the young people's stunts.
DESIGNX50'
Every two years DesignX50', an initiative of Designregio Kortrijk, selects fifty innovative products and remarkable cases, which have been developed in the broad region around Kortrijk and are often marketed worldwide from there. All products are presented in a book. Six editions have already been published and a beautiful design presentation is what is aimed for.
