Kempen, Germany


Kempen is a town in the district of Viersen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approximately northwest of Düsseldorf, and east of Venlo.
WWW Official Site

History

1186: First mention in official documentation of Kempen as a place – the sovereign until 1794 is the Archbishop of Colognearound 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
  • 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"
  • 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

Kempen is twinned with:

Notable people