Viersen () is a Kreis (district) in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Cleves, Wesel, district-free Krefeld, Neuss, district-free Mönchengladbach, Heinsberg and the Dutch province of Limburg.
History
thumb|250px|Panoramic view of the Remigius square in Viersen.
In 1816, the new Prussian government created the district of Kempen. Originally belonging to the Regierungsbezirk Kleve which was dissolved in 1822, Kempen has since then belonged to Düsseldorf. In 1929 the district was enlarged significantly and renamed Kempen-Krefeld.
In 1975 the district again changed its borders and was renamed Viersen even though Kempen remained the capital. Viersen city replaced Kempen as the capital in 1984.
Twin Cities
The district Viersen has been twinned with Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom since 1983.
Geography
The district is located in the lowlands between the rivers Rhine and Meuse. The highest elevation is at Süchtelner Höhen with
, whereas the lowest is at Pielbruch with .
Coat of arms
The top of the coat of arms shows the black cross of the Cologne bishops, as the district used to belong to the clerical state Cologne. The golden lion on blue ground is the symbol of the duchy of Guelders; the black lion on golden ground the symbol of the duchy of Jülich.
Cities and municipalities
{|
| valign="top" |
<div style="background:#e3e3e3">district-depending municipalities</div>
- Brüggen
:16.211 inhabitants
- Grefrath
:15.929 inhabitants
- Niederkrüchten
:15.457 inhabitants
- Schwalmtal
:19.279 inhabitants
| valign="top" |
<div style="background:#e3e3e3">medium district-depending cities</div>
- Kempen
:36.323 inhabitants
- Nettetal
:42.434 inhabitants
- Tönisvorst
:30.238 inhabitants
- Willich
:51.939 inhabitants
| valign="top" |
<div style="background:#e3e3e3">large district-depending cities</div>
- Viersen
:76.330 inhabitants
|}
<small>based on data from: 31 December 2005</small>
References
External links
- Official website (German)