Viersen (district)

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.

Viersen
District
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Adm. regionDüsseldorf
CapitalViersen
Area
 • Total563.29 km2 (217.49 sq mi)
Population
 (31 December 2019)[1]
 • Total298,863
 • Density530/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Vehicle registrationVIE
Websitehttp://www.kreis-viersen.de

History
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, it was dissolved in 1822, and since then has 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

Geography

The district is located in the lowlands between the Rhine and the Meuse river. Highest elevation is at Süchtelner Höhen with 90.7 m, with the lowest at Pielbruch with 28.6 m.

Coat of arms
At the top of the coat of arms is 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
Towns and municipalities in Kreis Viersen
district-depending municipalities
16.211 inhabitants
15.929 inhabitants
15.457 inhabitants
19.279 inhabitants
medium district-depending cities
36.323 inhabitants
42.434 inhabitants
30.238 inhabitants
51.939 inhabitants
large district-depending cities
76.330 inhabitants

based on data from: 31. December 2005>

References
  1. "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2019" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 17 June 2020.

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