Roesalare

Roeselare is the capital of the Flemish province of West Flanders, with a regional population of nearly 250,000 people. It has motorway and rail connections with the provincial capital of Bruges and the city of Kortrijk. Industrial development in the area began at the end of the 19th century, when a canal was built to link Roeselare with the River Lys. The region has experienced strong economic growth over the last twenty years through a combination of the agri-food industry, including beer brewing, and the service sector. It also has further potential in tourism.

Timber was also an important sector in the region since it supplied the breweries with wooden barrels. The almost 200-years-old Rodenbach brewery in Roeselare, in particular, was renowned for fermenting its beers in oak casks for up to two years. But the brewing industry has declined in the last twenty years as sales fell due to changing tastes and consumption habits, together with new health standards. This decline had a heavy impact on the wooden barrel industry. The company built a new and smaller production unit and many jobs were lost. The historic brewery was sold to Palm Breweries in 1998.

The downturn in its fortunes left the brewery’s monumental old building in the heart of the city empty. The city authorities want to see this whole neighbourhood—a heritage of its industrial past—redeveloped for the future. Roeselare already has some fine historic buildings in the town centre. Its city hall, market hall and belfry are classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.