Viersen
Town

Flag Coat of arms
Location of Viersen within Viersen district
Viersen Show map of Germany Viersen Show map of North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 51°15′22″N 6°23′50″E / 51.25611°N 6.39722°E / 51.25611; 6.39722
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Düsseldorf
District	Viersen
Subdivisions	4
Government
• Mayor (2020–25)	Sabine Anemüller^[1] (SPD)
Area
• Total	91.07 km² (35.16 sq mi)
Elevation	40 m (130 ft)
Population (2021-12-31)^[2]
• Total	77,523
• Density	850/km² (2,200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	41747–41751
Dialling codes	0 21 62
Vehicle registration	VIE, KK
Website	www.viersen.de

Viersen (German pronunciation: [ˈfiːɐ̯zn̩]; Limburgish: Veeëse) is the capital of the district of Viersen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Geography

Viersen is situated approximately 8 km north-west of Mönchengladbach, 15 km south-west of Krefeld and 20 km east of Venlo (Netherlands).

Division of the town

The city of Viersen is made up of three (formerly independent) cities: Süchteln, Dülken and Viersen, which combined in 1970, and one former village, Boisheim, which combined with Viersen in 1968.

Politics

The current mayor of Viersen is Sabine Anemüller of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) since 2015. The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, with a runoff held on 27 September, and the results were as follows:


Candidate		Party	First round		Second round
Candidate		Party	Votes	%	Votes	%
	Christoph Hopp	Christian Democratic Union	11,438	40.5	11,572	49.2
	Sabine Anemüller	Social Democratic Party	10,965	38.8	11,955	50.8
	Martina Maaßen	Alliance 90/The Greens	3,418	12.1
	Simon Männersdörfer	The Left	1,098	3.9
	Frank a Campo	Free Democratic Party	935	3.3
	Siegfried Martin	National Democratic Party	404	1.4
Valid votes			28,258	98.2	23,527	99.5
Invalid votes			521	1.8	118	0.5
Total			28,779	100.0	23,645	100.0
Electorate/voter turnout			63,176	45.6	63,169	37.4
Source: City of Viersen (1st round, 2nd round)

City council

The Viersen city council governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows:


Party		Votes	%	+/-	Seats	+/-
	Christian Democratic Union (CDU)	11,806	41.9	1.9	22	2
	Social Democratic Party (SPD)	6,669	23.7	2.3	13	2
	Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne)	5,491	19.5	7.9	11	5
	The Left (Die Linke)	1,417	5.0	0.5	3	±0
	Free Democratic Party (FDP)	1,343	4.8	0.1	3	±0
	Alternative for Germany (AfD)	1,142	4.1	New	2	New

	Die PARTEI	195	0.7	New	0	New
	National Democratic Party (NPD)	107	0.4	1.0	0	1
Valid votes		28,170	98.0
Invalid votes		584	2.0
Total		28,754	100.0		54	2
Electorate/voter turnout		63,176	45.5	2.1
Source: City of Viersen

Economy

The company Mars Incorporated (chocolate bars) is situated in one of Viersen's industrial districts named Dülken-Mackenstein.

Kaiser's Tengelmann AG [de] (a big supermarkets chain in Germany) had his headquarter in Viersen, until it was closed in 2010.

Culture

Recurring events

International Jazz Festival in Viersen's Festival Hall (Festhalle). September
The World Championships of Carom billiards take place in Viersen's Festival Hall (Festhalle). March
Big Carnival Parades in all 3 city parts. The one in Dülken is one of the biggest and most traditional Parades in North Rhine-Westphalia. February
The Dülkener Schöppenmarkt, a type of flea/junk market, which takes place on the day after the last Carnival parade, is one of Germany's biggest. February
Big free flea market in Viersen's pedestrian zone, where only children are allowed to sell. Biggest market of this type in Germany. Summer
"Viersen blüht" (Viersen is blooming) is a voluntary initiative which places arrangements and sculptures of flowers all over the city's pedestrian zone. Summer
International Biker Meeting, organized by the local biker-club "MC Viersen 1980 e.V.". 2nd weekend each September
Viersen Jazz Festival. 4th weekend each September
Big kite-flying-festival. Autumn