Kempen, Medieval municipality in Viersen district, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Kempen is a medium-sized town in Viersen district, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, extending west of Krefeld toward the Dutch border. The old core sits around the market square, from which narrow lanes run toward the preserved town gates and an early Gothic church.
The settlement received town rights in 1294 from the Archbishop of Cologne and was fortified with walls and gates. In the late Middle Ages it grew into a trading point for textiles and grain from the surrounding plain.
The name refers to a historical region between the Meuse and Rhine rivers once known as Kempenland. Around the central square, a fountain marks the spot where bakeries and shops cluster, and on market days local traders set up stalls under open awnings.
Visitors reach the town core on foot from the station in a few minutes along a wide street that leads to the market square. Those staying longer can explore the nearby countryside from here on marked paths through flat fields.
On the north side of the town core stands a 13th-century brick church whose tower rises above the rooftops and serves hikers from the plain as a landmark. Inside, wooden votive tablets hang that were donated by pilgrims and travelers who stopped here.
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