Harelbeke (; vls, Oarlbeke) is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and

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

located in the

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

province of

West Flanders ) , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg , shield_size = , image_map ...

. The municipality comprises the city of Harelbeke proper and the towns of

Bavikhove Bavikhove is a village ('' deelgemeente'') in the Belgian municipality of Harelbeke within the Flemish province of West Flanders. It is located between Harelbeke-centre and Hulste, along the Leie river. It is known for the Bavik Brewery which br ...

and

Hulste Hulste is a village in the Belgian province of West Flanders. Hulste has 3456 inhabitants (2008) and an area of 7.86 km2. It fused in 1977 to become part of the city of Harelbeke Harelbeke (; vls, Oarlbeke) is a city and municipality located ...

. 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 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

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 center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...

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

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

. In Harelbeke a museum remembers the life and work of musician and composer

Peter Benoit Peter Benoit (17 August 18348 March 1901) was a Flemish composer of Belgian nationality. Biography Petrus Leonardus Leopoldus Benoit was born in Harelbeke, Flanders, Belgium in 1834. He was taught music at an early age by his father and the vil ...

, called the

Peter Benoit Huis Peter Benoit Huis (literally ''Peter Benoit House'') is a museum in Harelbeke in West Flanders, Belgium. The museum is dedicated to the work of the Flemish composer and musical educational theorist Peter Benoit (1834-1901).Openbaar Kunstbezit Vla ...

Famous natives

Andreas Pevernage Andreas Pevernage or Andries Pevernage (1542 or 1543 – 30 July 1591) was a Flemish composer of the late Renaissance and a choirmaster in Bruges, Kortrijk, and Antwerp. He was one of a few composers from the Low Countries who remained in his n ...

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

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

Jacobus Vaet Jacobus Vaet ( – 8 January 1567) was a Flemish composer of the Renaissance. He was a representative of the generation between Josquin and Palestrina, writing smooth polyphony with pervasive imitation, and he was a friend both of Clemens non Pap ...

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

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

composer *

Jan Bucquoy Jan Bucquoy (; Harelbeke, 16 November 1945) is a Belgian anarchist who has worked in various media (film, comics writing, painting, sculptures, museums). He gained fame for his controversial anti-establishment works and media stunts, which caus ...

(1945 - ), anarchist and film-maker (''

Camping Cosmos ''Camping Cosmos'' is a 1996 Belgian satirical comedy film and a sequel to ''La Vie sexuelle des Belges 1950-1978'', directed by the same director: Jan Bucquoy. It stars Claude Semal, Lolo Ferrari (Miss Vandeputte), Noël Godin (Pierre Mertens), H ...

'') *

, composer *

Wim Opbrouck Wim Opbrouck (born 5 February 1969) is a Flemish actor and singer. He is especially known for his work on stage. Opbrouck comes from Bavikhove, part of Harelbeke and studied at the Herman Teirlinck Studio. As an actor, he joined the Blue Mond ...

, 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 E3 Saxo Bank Classic, previously known as E3 BinckBank Classic, E3 Harelbeke, Harelbeke–Antwerp–Harelbeke and E3-Prijs Vlaanderen, is an annual road cycling race in Flanders, Belgium. The race starts and finishes in Harelbeke, covering 203 kil ...

, a semi classic cycling race held the week before the

Tour of Flanders The Tour of Flanders ( nl, Ronde van Vlaanderen), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and organi ...

. File:Bavikhove_rond_punt.JPG, Roundabout in

decorated with artwork referring to (and sponsored by) the local Bavik Brewery

Twin towns

Kinheim Kinheim is a baseball and softball team based in Haarlem, the Netherlands. The title sponsor of the club is currently ''Corendon'' so that the official name of the team is Corendon Kinheim. Kinheim baseball team plays in the Honkbal Hoofdklass ...

, Germany (1997) *

Eenhana Eenhana (IPA: ) is the capital town of the Ohangwena Region, northern Namibia, on the border with Angola. It also used to be a mission station of the Finnish Missionary Society. Eenhana is situated in a subtropical forest. It is connected to the ...

, Namibia (2007) *

Frýdek-Místek Frýdek-Místek (, pl, Frydek-Mistek; german: Friede(c)k-Mistek) 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 protecte ...

, Czech Republic

References

External links

Official website
- Available only in

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

all about the town of Hulste
- Available only in

{{Authority control Municipalities of West Flanders