Kempen (Germany) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Kempen

Old School Street

Coat of arms

Country

Germany

State

North Rhine-Westphalia

Subdivisions

Elevation

30 - 68 m (−193.1 ft)

Population

(2021-12-31)

• Total

34,562

CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)

47906

0 21 52

VIE

Website

www.kempen.de

Kempen is a town in the district of Viersen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is about 30 km northwest of Düsseldorf, and 20 km east of Venlo. It was once a center of textile making, silk, cotton, and linen.

Not to be confused with Kempen in Posen (today Kepno, Poland).

Notable persons
History
Images for kids
See also

Notable persons

Thomas à Kempis

Kempen is the birthplace of Thomas à Kempis was a German-Dutch canon regular of the late medieval period and the author of The Imitation of Christ, one of the most popular and best known Christian books on devotion. His name means Thomas "of Kempen", his hometown

In 1836, the Thomas Society was founded in Kempen in order to foster the memory of the greatest son of the city. In the twentieth century, there have been two other foundations: in 1979 the Thomas Foundation was founded and in 1987 the Thomas Archive, which can be found in the Cultural Forum of the Franciscan Monastery.

History

1186 First mention in official documentation of Kempen as a place - the sovereign until 1794 is the Archbishop of Cologne
1290 Kempen is rebuilt as a fortified town
1294 First confirmation of Kempen as a town in official documentation
15th century town blooms economically and culturally (population of approx. 4,200)
1542 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 de la 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
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.
1994 700-year jubilee of the confirmation of Kempen as a town