Harelbeke

Harelbeke is a municipality and city in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Harelbeke proper and the towns of Bavikhove and Hulste, and covers 29.14 square kilometres. Its inhabitants consider their hometown a Weireldstad, a metropolis, a nickname that also led to a monthly Harelbekedag among the students of Harelbeke who study in Ghent. A museum known as the Peter Benoit Huis remembers the life and work of the musician and composer Peter Benoit. Just outside the downtown lies the Harelbeke New British Cemetery, which contains the graves of 1126 Commonwealth soldiers who died during the First World War. Since 1958 Harelbeke has been the start and finish place of the E3 Harelbeke, a semi-classic cycling race held the week before the Tour of Flanders. Among the composers born there or possibly born there are Andreas Pevernage and Jacobus Vaet.