Burg Kempen

Burg Kempen was built in 1396 as a frontier fortress for the Archbishop-Electors of Cologne, guarding the northwestern edge of the Kurköln territory along the Lower Rhine. Together with Burg Zülpich, it is considered the best-preserved Kurköln castle of the 14th century, retaining more original medieval fabric than any other surviving structure from the electorate. The 19th century brought Neo-Gothic alterations, though the medieval core remains largely intact beneath them. The castle served as a seat of archiepiscopal administration continuously until the French Revolutionary forces marched in 1794. Today it stands as a listed monument at the heart of Kempen's old town, offering a rare glimpse into late-medieval defensive architecture on the Lower Rhine.