Roeselare

Textile town in West Flanders province, northwest Belgium, 19 km/12 mi northwest of Courtrai; population (2001 est) 54,300. It lies on the Mandel, a tributary of the Lys, to which it is connected by canal. A weaving centre in the Middle Ages, it cultivates flax and manufactures lace, linen, gloves, carpets, pottery, and tiles. Brewing is also an important industry.

The town was a major German base during World War I. It was severely damaged during the War, but was rebuilt and recovered as a textile town. Surviving buildings included the Church of St. Michael's (1504). The town also has an 18th-century town hall and seminary church. In 1794 the French under Pichegru defeated the Austrians in the French Revolutionary Wars at Roeselare. The town is the birthplace of the composer Adrian Willaert and the poet Albrecht Rodenbach.