Kempen: Old Town, Culture and Cycling Tours

Castle, monument and historic ensembles

The Electoral Cologne State Castle was built between 1396 and 1400. After a fire, it was rebuilt in the Neo-Gothic style between 1856 and 1863. Its architectural history therefore spans a medieval construction phase and a much later reconstruction. If you are interested in how historic buildings have developed, you will find two clearly distinct periods here.

On the church square, Kempen honors Thomas a Kempis with a monument in the shadow of the provost church. In the district of Tönisberg, the Tönisberg post mill has 18-meter-long sails. Another historic ensemble is Gut Heimendahl: it is more than 650 years old, is a listed monument and is of importance beyond the region. These examples offer different points of interest—from a monument in an urban setting to a striking feature of a windmill and a protected ensemble.

Museums and concerts at the Franciscan monastery

The Franciscan Monastery Cultural Forum is home to the Kramer Museum. The Lower Rhine Museum of Sacred Art is located in the monastery church of the Cultural Forum. The “Kempen Monastery Concerts” are also held in this monastery church, which is used as a museum. The locations are therefore easy to distinguish: the Kramer Museum is part of the Cultural Forum, while the Museum of Sacred Art and the concert series are associated with the monastery church.

Markets and traditional festivals

More than 200 traders gather in the historic old town for the Mid-Lent Market, held on the third Tuesday of Lent. The Hubertus Market takes place annually on November 3; more than 200 traders also gather in the old town for this market. The dates are tied to different markers: the Mid-Lent Market is linked to the Lenten season, while the Hubertus Market has a fixed date.

Traditional festivals in Kempen include Carnival, St. Martin’s Day and the funfair. The Christmas market, “Market of the Stars,” takes place amid the historic atmosphere of the old town. If a market or festival is the reason for your trip, check the relevant event date before making plans.

Cycling tours in and around Kempen

Twelve cycling tours starting and finishing in the town are featured for Kempen. One specific route description is for the Kempen Boundary Stone Trail: the 38-kilometer bike tour runs around Kempen and includes 13 stops and more than 100 historic boundary stones. Distance, stops and boundary stones give you several points of reference when comparing tours by length and historical theme.

The signposted Kempener Land circular cycling route passes through fields along Königshütte and Lake Königshütte. Its description therefore has a different focus from the Boundary Stone Trail, which highlights historic boundary stones and stops. Before cycling, check local signs and route conditions.

Getting around town

Kempen’s historic old town is just a two-minute walk from the train station. This gives you a specific point of reference for your arrival if you are including the old town in your plans. A green belt with places to take a short break surrounds the historic town center. In this way, routes around town complement visits to the historic and cultural sites mentioned above with opportunities to pause.

Cycling in the wider destination of Viersen

In the wider destination of Viersen, the District of Viersen, with its towns and municipalities and the Schwalm-Nette Nature Park, is an important part of the Lower Rhine tourism destination. The District of Viersen Railway Cycle Path is 122.8 kilometers long. It runs on or alongside disused railway lines through open fields and quiet forests and leads to the lake district of the Krickenbecker Lakes.

In terms of distance, the Railway Cycle Path is considerably longer than the 38-kilometer Kempen Boundary Stone Trail. The route descriptions also emphasize different things: the Boundary Stone Trail focuses on stops and historic boundary stones, while the Railway Cycle Path highlights railway lines, fields, forests and the lake district. This allows you to compare the two routes by length and the themes described, without treating them as a single route.

Discover more destinations: Schwalmtal, Grefrath, Viersen, Brüggen, Willich, Tönisvorst, Nettetal, Niederkrüchten.

Back to the wider travel overview: Viersen.