The best walks and hikes around Kuurne

Sente is a parish of Kuurne. "Sente" in the local dialect means "sint," which refers to Saint Catherine of Alexandria, the parish's patron saint. The process of Sente becoming an independent parish was quite a challenge, as the local information sign explains: In 1876, the municipalities of Kuurne, Heule, and Lendelede promised to build a church, establish a cemetery, and fill in the pond in the village center. The following year, none of this had materialized. In response, the West Flanders Provincial Council declared it would issue a favorable recommendation for the separation of St. Catherine if the surrounding municipalities did not begin carrying out the promised work. Even under this "threat," the surrounding municipalities protested seriously. Ultimately, a new cemetery was built, and plans for a church also took shape. Mr. De Quinnemaere from Heule designed the Neo-Romanesque church. On September 7, 1879, it was inaugurated by Ferdinand Vandeputte, then dean of Kortrijk. Since then, the first Sunday of September has been celebrated as Fair Sunday.

I couldn't find any information about this chapel in honor of Our Lady Mediatrix, which seems a bit odd: inside the chapel, there's a reference to an earlier chapel that stood on this site. So it does seem to be a chapel with a history. Unlike its predecessor, the current chapel can't be closed off with doors, but with a gate, and in that sense, it's semi-open. Besides the interior, a small chapel on the gable also features a statue of the Virgin Mary.

The miller's house, along with the three adjacent houses, forms a unique ensemble: they are situated on a side path perpendicular to Kouterstraat. This also means you can easily walk right past them without noticing them.

Nesten, the man depicted, is the artist name of Rik Delneste René (Zwevegem, December 20, 1946 – Kortrijk, October 13, 2018), a cartoonist specializing in drawing caricatures of cyclists and other famous people. He founded a "laugh museum," where his work is exhibited. Besides postcards, he also painted shop windows and walls. Nesten's paintings are a familiar sight on café windows, especially in this region, the south of West Flanders. Source: Wikipedia

Just like the Stubborn Donkey statue on the square in front of the town hall, this work by David Duits also refers to the nickname of the Kuur residents: the donkeys. Duits (born 1989) is also a "donkey" himself, by the way.

At the back of the church is a memorial stone for Brigand's Sunday, a bloody day in the uprising against the French occupiers. The slogan under which the uprising was waged, "Voor Outer en Heerd" (For Outer and Hearth), is written above the names of five Kuur residents who fell on October 28, 1798. At the front right of the church, you can see foundations excavated in 1985 and possibly dating back to the 12th century.

Under a shelter at the Kuurne marina, four signs were brought together with information about Kuurne, the entire course of the Leie River, the West Flemish section of the Leie, and the Roeselare-Leie Canal, as well as tourist cruises.

This swing bridge is particularly popular now that the Kuurne Bridge, located slightly to the west, has been closed (it is being raised to achieve the required 7-meter clearance). The work is scheduled for completion in November 2025.