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

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

, Germany. It is situated approximately northwest of

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...

, and east of

Venlo Venlo () is a city and municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg, about 50 km east of the city of Eindhoven, 65 km north east of the provincial capital Maastricht, a ...

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 The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

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 was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of batt ...

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

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...

'' of Roer 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 ...

, 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 commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. A fortified location of the Chevreuse valley since the 8th centur ...

, France (1973) * East Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom (1978) *

Werdau Werdau () is a town in Germany, part of the Landkreis Zwickau (district), 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 I, Elect ...

, Germany (1990)

Notable people

Thomas à Kempis Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380 – 25 July 1471; german: Thomas von Kempen; nl, Thomas van Kempen) was a German-Dutch canon regular of the late medieval period and the author of '' The Imitation of Christ'', published anonymously in Latin in the ...

(c. 1380–1471) * John Brugman (?–1473),

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ...

and preacher in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-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 cultu ...

* Wilhelm Hünermann (1900–1975), priest and writer *

Adolph Moses Radin Adolph Moses Radin (August 5, 1848 – February 5, 1909) was a Polish-born Jewish-American rabbi. Life Radin was born on August 5, 1848 in Neustadt-Schirwindt, Congress Poland, the son of Marcus Radin and Hinde Ritow. Radin received his Talmudi ...

(1848–1909), rabbi *

Isabel Varell Isabel Varell ( Wehrmann; born 31 July 1961) is a German singer, actress and television presenter. Life Born in Kempen, Varell participated in various talent shows as a singer before she was discovered and supported by German producer Jack W ...

(born 1961), actress and singer * Bernhard van Treeck (born 1964), psychiatrist and author * Tobias Koch (born 1968), pianist

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)