Kempen, Germany

Kempen (German: [ˈkɛmpn̩] ^ⓘ) 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.

CountryGermany

Subdivisions4

Highestelevation

68 m (223 ft)

Lowestelevation

30 m (98 ft)

Quick facts Country, State ...

Kempen
Town
Old School Street
Coat of arms
Location of Kempen within Viersen district
Location of Kempen
Kempen Show map of Germany Kempen Show map of North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 51°21′57″N 6°25′10″E
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Düsseldorf
District	Viersen
Subdivisions	4
Government
• Mayor (2025–30)	Christoph Dellmanns
Area
• Total	68.8 km² (26.6 sq mi)
Highest elevation	68 m (223 ft)
Lowest elevation	30 m (98 ft)
Population (2024-12-31)^[1]
• Total	34,105
• Density	496/km² (1,280/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

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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

Politics

The current mayor is Christoph Dellmanns who has been serving since 2020. In the 2025 local elections, he was reelected with 89 % of votes. His only opponent was Joachim von Contzen of Die PARTEI.^[2]

Council

After the 2025 elections, the Kempen city council is composed as follows:

More information Party, Votes ...


Party		Votes	%	+/-	Seats	+/-
	Christian Democratic Union (CDU)	6,887	38.0	1.5	20	±0
	Social Democratic Party (SPD)	3,157	17.4	0.7	9	±0
	Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne)	2,939	16.2	6.2	8	3
	Alternative for Germany (AfD)	1,754	9.7	7.8	5	4
	Free Voters Kempen (FWK)	1,275	7.0	3.2	4	2
	Free Democratic Party (FDP)	1,047	5.8	2.7	3	1
	The Left (Die Linke)	726	4.0	1.9	2	1
	ÖDP-Citizens Initiative Kempen (ÖDP-BIKK)	255	1.4	1.6	1	1

	The PARTY (PARTEI)	85	0.5	New	0	New
Valid votes		18,125	98.9
Invalid votes		198	1.1
Total		18,323	100.0		52	2
Electorate/voter turnout		28,523	64.2
Source: City of Kempen