Kempen, Germany

Not to be confused with Kempen, Poland.

Kempen (German: [ˈkɛmpm̩] ^ⓘ) is a town in the district of Viersen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) northwest of Düsseldorf, and 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of Venlo.

Kempen
Town
Old School Street
Coat of arms
Location of Kempen within Viersen district
Kempen Show map of Germany Kempen Show map of North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 51°21′57″N 6°25′10″E
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Düsseldorf
District	Viersen
Subdivisions	4
Government
• Mayor (2020–25)	Christoph Dellmann[1]
Area
• Total	68.79 km2 (26.56 sq mi)
Highest elevation	68 m (223 ft)
Lowest elevation	30 m (100 ft)
Population  (2023-12-31)[2]
• Total	34,260
• Density	500/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	47906
Dialling codes	02152 / 02845
Vehicle registration	VIE / KK
Website	www.kempen.de

History

• 1186: First mention in official documentation of Kempen as a place – the sovereign until 1794 is the Archbishop (electoral prince) of Cologne
• around 1290: Kempen is rebuilt as a fortified town
• 11 March 1294: First confirmation of Kempen as a town in official documentation
• 15th century: town blooms economically and culturally (population of approx. 4,200)
• 1542–1543: Kempen is the centre of the Reformation for the Lower Rhine
• 1579: The plague costs the town almost half of its inhabitants
• 1642: Kempen is conquered and destroyed by the allied French, Hessian and Weimar troops during the "Hessen War" (Thirty Years' War)
• 1794–1814: Kempen is under French rule. In the département of Roer established in 1797, Kempen becomes a canton seat in 1798 and a French town in 1801.
• 1815: After the Congress of Vienna, Kempen becomes Prussian and is the county seat
• 1929: Due to local reforms, Kempen becomes the administrative seat of the county of Kempen-Krefeld
• 1966 onward: Restoration of the old town
• 1970: Communal restructuring: The communities of Hüls, St. Hubert, Tönisberg and Schmalbroich join Kempen along with the localities of St. Peter and Unterweiden to form a single town
• 1975: In further local reforms, Hüls is assigned to the city of Krefeld. The county of Viersen is formed and Kempen becomes part of "Kreis Viersen"
• 1984: The county seat is transferred from Kempen to Viersen.
• 1987: A cultural forum is opened in the Franciscan monastery after comprehensive restoration and renovation work.
• 11 March 1994: Date of the 700-year jubilee of the confirmation of Kempen as a town

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Kempen is twinned with:^[3]

• Wambrechies, France (1972)
• Orsay, France (1973)
• East Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom (1978)
• Werdau, Germany (1990)

Notable people

• Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380–1471)
• John Brugman (?–1473), Franciscan friar and preacher in Flanders
• Wilhelm Hünermann (1900–1975), priest and writer
• Adolph Moses Radin (1848–1909), rabbi
• Isabel Varell (born 1961), actress and singer
• Bernhard van Treeck (born 1964), psychiatrist and author
• Tobias Koch (born 1968), pianist
• Daniel Altmaier (born 1998), Tennis player

Gallery

• 
  View in a street
• 
  Church
• 
  Towngate (Das Kuhtor)
• 
  Lutheran church (Thomas Church)
• 
  Hessenmühle
• 
  Kempen Castle