|
 Founded
in the Ninth Century as one of a number of fortress towns designed
to protect the region from Viking raids, Veurne stuggled to
establish itself in its first two hundred years' existence. This
changed through great fortune in 1099, when Robert II of Flanders
returned from the Crusades in the Holy Land. His journey back was
fraught, stormy weather putting his ship in great peril. Fearing for
his life and the lives of his crew, he swore an oath that should he
reach land, he would donate the piece of the True Cross which he had
obtained in the Holy Land to the first church he came across. Chance
would have it that Robert survived, and the church to receive his
favour was St. Walburga at Veurne. This proved literally a godsend
for the town, which subsequently became a centre for pilgrimage to
commemorate the holy gift it had received and Veurne finally became
a thriving community.
Situated 6 km from the coastal town of
De Panne, Veurne is today one of the most picturesque and unspoilt
areas in Flanders. Its Grote Markt (town square) is undoubtedly the
jewel in its crown, being one of the best-preserved historic town
squares in Belgium. Ludovic Beun, director and writer of Kurrel &
Co. referred to it as a living representation of a "timeless
Flanders", when questioned about the choice of location by
Adventurer. It's certainly that, and the regular stream of
tourists visiting the town seem to agree with the sentiment.
 In
Kurrel & Co., we first see the streets of Veurne-centrum when
Annemie (Tine Reymer) drives along them on her motorcycle, heading
for an appointment with the notary. She sees two suspicious
characters in conversation with the notary at his front door. She
follows them as they drive off in a Land Rover, ending up at "The
Paint Brush", an art gallery-cum-antiques shop - in the back streets
of central Veurne. Later in the film, having received the tip-off
from Annemie, Jeroen (Mathias Sercu) and Ben (Steph Baeyens) return
to "The Paint Brush" to investigate further. This sequence
culminates in the pair of adventurers recovering van Parijs' stolen
painting before driving off at speed in the Amphicar. The owner of
the shop discovers Jeroen's intentions too late, dashes out of the
front door and runs angrily after the disappearing vehicle, before
giving up the chase. |
