Kempen

Kempen is a town in the district of Viersen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is arranged roughly 30 km northwest of Düsseldorf, and 20 km east of Venlo. Not to be mistaken for Kempen in Posen today Kepno, Poland. Kempen is the origination of Thomas a Kempis. Thomas was born in either 1379 or 1380 in Kempen. His origin was on the Kirchplatz church square about where the house "St. Marien 11" stands today. Thomas was the second child of the skilled worker Johann Hemerken and his significant other Gertrud Kuyt, who was most likely an instructor. In 1186, First notice in authority documentation of Kempen as a spot- the sovereign until 1794 is the Archbishop discretionary ruler of Cologne.

Around 1290 Kempen is modified as a strengthened town. In 15th century town blossoms economically and culturally population of approx. 4,200. In 1836, the Thomas Society was established in Kempen so as to encourage the memory of the best child of the city. In the 20^th century, there have been two different establishments: in 1979, the wedded couple Heinrich and Christine Kiefer established the Thomas Foundation and in 1987, the Provost's area, the town of Kempen and the Thomas Society together established the Thomas Archive, which can be found in the Cultural Forum of the Franciscan Monastery.