Kempen
Town
Old School Street
Coat of arms
Location of Kempen within Viersen district
Kempen Show map of Germany Kempen Show map of North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 51°21′57″N 6°25′10″E / 51.36583°N 6.41944°E / 51.36583; 6.41944
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Düsseldorf
District	Viersen
Subdivisions	4
Government
• Mayor (2020–25)	Christoph Dellmann^[1]
Area
• Total	68.79 km² (26.56 sq mi)
Highest elevation	68 m (223 ft)
Lowest elevation	30 m (100 ft)
Population (2021-12-31)^[2]
• Total	34,562
• Density	500/km² (1,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	47906
Dialling codes	02152 / 02845
Vehicle registration	VIE / KK
Website	www.kempen.de

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.

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