Kempen () is a town in the district of Viersen, in

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

, Germany. It is situated approximately northwest of

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

, and east of

Venlo Venlo () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg (Netherlands), ...

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 A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with to ...

*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 The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

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 The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

) *1794–1814: Kempen is under French rule. In the ''

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

'' of

Roer The Roer (, ) or Rur (; ) is a major river that flows through portions of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. It is a right (eastern) tributary to the Meuse (). About 90 percent of the river's course is in Germany. It is not to be conf ...

established in 1797, Kempen becomes a canton seat in 1798 and a French town in 1801. *1815: After the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

, 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: * Wambrechies, France (1972) *

Orsay Orsay () is a Communes of France, commune in the Essonne Departments of France, department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. A fortifie ...

, France (1973) *

East Cambridgeshire East Cambridgeshire (locally known as East Cambs) is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. Its council is based in the cathedral city of Ely. The district also contains the towns of Littleport and Soham and surrounding rural a ...

, England, United Kingdom (1978) *

Werdau Werdau () is a town in Germany, part of the Landkreis Zwickau in Saxony. It is situated on the river Pleiße, 8 km from Zwickau. The town was mentioned as early as 1304, and in 1398 it was purchased by Frederick, then margrave of Meissen ...

, Germany (1990)

Notable people

Thomas à Kempis Thomas à Kempis, CRV ( – 25 July 1471; ; ) was a German-Dutch Catholic canon regular of the Augustinians and the author of '' The Imitation of Christ'', one of the best known Christian devotional books. His name means "Thomas of Kempen", ...

(c. 1380–1471) *

John Brugman John Brugman, was a 15th-century Franciscan friar who became a renowned preacher in the Netherlands. Biography Brugman was born at Kempen in the Electorate of Cologne, towards the end of the preceding century. He became a lector of theology, Vi ...

(?–1473),

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendi ...

and preacher in

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

Wilhelm Hünermann Wilhelm Hünermann (28 July 1900 – 28 November 1975) was a German priest and writer, best known for his novelized biographies of Roman Catholic saints. Life and Works Wilhelm Hünermann was born in Kempen, Germany. His father was a profe ...

(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 Daniel Altmaier (; born 12 September 1998) is a German professional tennis player. He has a career high ATP singles ranking of world No. 47, achieved on 2 October 2023. He is the current German No. 2. Personal life Altmaier's father Jurij is Ukr ...

(born 1998), Tennis player

Gallery

Kempen, straatzicht2 2009-08-16 13.33.JPG, View in a street Kempen, kerk foto1 2009-08-16 13.35.JPG, Church Kempen, Kuhtor foto1 2009-08-16 13.44.JPG, Towngate (''Das Kuhtor'') Kempen, kerk3 2009-08-16 14.01.JPG, Lutheran church (Thomas Church) Kempen Denkmal-Nr. 3c, Hessenwall 1 (2067).jpg, Hessenmühle Burg_Kempen_Suedansicht_01.jpg, Kempen Castle

References

External links

* {{Authority control Towns in North Rhine-Westphalia Viersen (district)