Roeselare (Belgium)
This industrial city in West Flanders came through a revival in the 19th century with the completion of the Roeselare-Leie Canal.
In the decades that followed, Roeselare would be described as the Manchester of Belgium, and has a port on the canal still bustling with activity.
In 1875 a young Albrecht Rodenbach, who later became an important poet, led a protest against the use of French in education at the city’s Klein Seminarie (minor seminary), spearheading the Flemish Groote Stooringe student revolt.
This was a big step in the “Dutchization” of Flemish secondary education.
AloJapan.com