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.

History
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 90.7 m, whereas the lowest is at Pielbruch with 28.6 m.

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
based on data from: 31. December 2005 >