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 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 (; ) is a municipality and city located in the Belg ...

. 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 Peter Benoit (17 August 18348 March 1901) was a Flemish people, 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 fa ...

, 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 Vlaa ...

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 ( , ) 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 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 - 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 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 cause ...

(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) ...

'') *

, 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 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 ki ...

, 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

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

Bavik Brewery Bavik-e Vosta (, also Romanized as Bavīk-e Vosţá; also known as Bavīk and Bawīk) is a village in Shakhenat Rural District, in the Central District of Birjand County, South Khorasan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Repu ...

Twin towns

Kinheim Kinheim is a baseball and softball club based in Haarlem, the Netherlands. Kinheim's top baseball team plays in the Honkbal Hoofdklasse, the top level of professional baseball in the Netherlands. The club's most successful period was in the ...

, 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. It had a population of 16,588 people in 2023. Eenhana is situ ...

, 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 Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

all about the town of Hulste
- Available only in

{{Authority control Municipalities of West Flanders