Kerpen

For other uses, see Kerpen (disambiguation).

Kerpen (German: [ˈkɛʁpm̩] ^ⓘ; Ripuarian: Kerpe) is the most populated town in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany). It is located about 20 kilometres southwest from Cologne. As of 2023, Kerpen has a total population of 67,627.

Kerpen
Town
Bergerhausen Castle
Coat of arms
Location of Kerpen within Rhein-Erft-Kreis district
Kerpen Show map of Germany Kerpen Show map of North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 50°52′19″N 6°41′46″E
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Köln
District	Rhein-Erft-Kreis
Subdivisions	9
Government
• Mayor (2020–25)	Dieter Spürck[1] (CDU)
Area
• Total	113.96 km2 (44.00 sq mi)
Elevation	95 m (312 ft)
Population  (2023-12-31)[2]
• Total	66,521
• Density	580/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	50169, 50170, 50171
Dialling codes	02237 (Balkhausen, Brüggen, Kerpen, Türnich), 02273 (Horrem, Neu-Bottenbroich, Sindorf), 02275 (Blatzheim, Buir, Manheim, Manheim-neu)
Vehicle registration	BM

Loersfeld Palace

Palace Loersfeld around 1860, Edition by Alexander Duncker

Loersfeld Palace

Division of the town

The town of Kerpen was created in 1975, when the previously independent municipalities Balkhausen, Blatzheim, Brüggen, Buir, Horrem, Kerpen, Manheim, Mödrath, Sindorf and Türnich were merged.

Monuments

• Burg Bergerhausen
• Burg Loersfeld
• Schloss Türnich

Notable people

• Adolph Kolping (1813–1865), Catholic priest and social reformer
• Wolfgang von Trips (1928–1961), Formula One motor racing driver
• Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928–2007), pioneer of electronic music composition
• Franz-Peter Hofmeister, Olympic medalist in the 4 × 400 m relay
• Michael Schumacher, 7-time Formula One world champion
• Ralf Schumacher, brother of Michael, both have emulated von Trips in achieving success in Formula One
• Patrice Bart-Williams is an acclaimed reggae artist

Education

In 2008, Gymnasium der Stadt Kerpen was considered the largest school in Germany.^[3]

Twin towns – sister cities

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

Kerpen is twinned with:^[4]

• St. Vith, Belgium (1975)
• Oświęcim, Poland (1997)