Harelbeke (; ) is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

and

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

located in the Belgian province of

West Flanders West Flanders is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest. It has land borders with the Dutch province of Zeeland to the northeast, the Flemis ...

. The municipality comprises the city of Harelbeke proper and the towns of Bavikhove and Hulste. On January 1, 2019, Harelbeke had a total population of 28,447. The total area is 29.14 km² which gives a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

of 898 inhabitants per km². Inhabitants consider their hometown to be a "Weireldstad" (

metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...

), which also led to a monthly "Harelbekedag" amongst the students of Harelbeke studying in

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

. In Harelbeke a museum remembers the life and work of musician and composer Peter Benoit, called the Peter Benoit Huis.

Famous natives

* Andreas Pevernage (1542/1543 – 1591), composer of the late

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

* Jacobus Vaet (1529-1567), Renaissance composer, possibly born in Harelbeke * Armand Coeck (1941 - 2024),

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

composer * Jan Bucquoy (1945 - ), anarchist and film-maker ('' Camping Cosmos'') * Peter Benoit, composer *

Wim Opbrouck Wim Opbrouck is a Flemish actor and singer from Belgium who is especially known for his work on stage. Early life and education Wim Opbrouck comes from Bavikhove, part of Harelbeke and studied at the Herman Teirlinck Studio. Career Opbrou ...

, actor and singer

Harelbeke New British Cemetery

This cemetery is located just outside the downtown of Harelbeke and was designed by Willian Harrison Cowlishaw and contains the graves of 1126 Commonwealth soldiers who died during WWI (1055 from the UK, 26 from Canada, 7 from Australia, 4 from South Africa and 3 from Newfoundland). In addition 10 British soldiers who died during WWII are buried here.

Events

Harelbeke has, since 1958, been the start and finish place of the E3 Harelbeke, a semi classic cycling race held the week before the

Tour of Flanders The Tour of Flanders () may refer to the following cycle races: * Tour of Flanders (men's race) The Tour of Flanders (), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race held in Belgium every spri ...

. File:Harelbeke, de Sint-Salvatorkerk IMG 6625 2023-06-06 11.06.jpg, Harelbeke, church: the Sint-Salvatorkerk File:Bavikhove_rond_punt.JPG, Roundabout in Bavikhove decorated with artwork referring to (and sponsored by) the local Bavik Brewery

Twin towns

* Kinheim, Germany (1997) * Eenhana, Namibia (2007) *

Frýdek-Místek Frýdek-Místek (, ; ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 54,000 inhabitants. The historic centres of both Frýdek and Místek are well preserved and are protected as two Cultural monument (Czech Republic) ...

, Czech Republic

References

External links

Official website
- Available only in Dutch
all about the town of Hulste
- Available only in Dutch {{Authority control Municipalities of West Flanders