Kempen District Court

Before the district court was founded, Kempen was home to a justice of the peace court until 1879. On 1 October 1879 the Prussian state established the Royal Prussian District Court here — one of nine district courts in what was then the Kleve regional court district, which in turn belonged to the Cologne Higher Regional Court.

The court district covered the district of Kempen, except for the areas assigned to the district courts of Dülken and Lobberich, together with the mayoralties of Wachtendonk and Wankum. In 1880 the court had two judgeships, making it a mid-sized district court within its region. Court days were additionally held in Wachtendonk.

The protected building is set at an angle to Hessenring. Its two-storey, three-bay main section houses the imposing entrance and a large stairwell. The central axis is emphasised on the ground floor by the wide, recessed entrance door reached by a flight of steps, and on the upper floor by a triple-coupled window.

The original wooden entrance door survives, with a continuous frame and separated fanlight, crowned by a richly ornamented arch. The ground-floor windows are round-arched, while those above are tall rectangles. A moulded impost cornice divides the façade horizontally and steps around the openings. The building is topped by a converted mansard roof. A cross-wing added at the rear in the post-war year of 1958 is not part of the monument's protected value.

Today the Kempen District Court is responsible for the town of Kempen and the municipalities of Grefrath and Tönisvorst in the eastern part of the Viersen district. Around 82,000 people live within its 144 km² area. It also handles agricultural matters for the district court areas of Kempen, Krefeld and Nettetal. Above it stand the Krefeld Regional Court and the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court.