Kempen,_Germany

Kempen, Germany

Kempen, Germany

Town in North Rhine-Westphalia, 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.

Quick Facts Country, State ...

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]

Notable people

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

References

  1. [1]
    Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 30 June 2021.
  2. [2]
    "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2022 – Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus vom 9. Mai 2011" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  3. [3]
    "Partnerstädte". kempen.de (in German). Kempen. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
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 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wood, James, ed. (1907). "Kempen". The Nuttall Encyclopædia. London and New York: Frederick Warne.
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