Mahnmal vor der Burg

With the dates 1914–1918 and 1939–1945, the inscription refers to the First and Second World Wars. Set in a prominent spot in front of the historic castle, the memorial keeps the memory of the victims of both wars present in public space.

The dating is notable: according to the source, the memorial was erected as early as 1939, yet the inscription also names the war years 1939–45. The reference to the Second World War must therefore have been added after its end — no further details about this are recorded.

The memorial was created by Helmut Hentrich (1905–2001) and Hans Heuser (1904–1953), two German architects. Hentrich opened his first own office in Düsseldorf in 1933; after an initial period of collaboration with Heuser, the two founded the partnership "Hentrich & Heuser" in 1935, which established itself through competition successes and residential buildings in Düsseldorf.

The Kempen memorial of 1939 thus dates from the early phase of this collaboration. Only decades later did Hentrich become known nationwide as an architect of striking high-rise buildings of the 1960s and 1970s. His office later gave rise to HPP Architekten (Hentrich, Petschnigg und Partner), which still exists today.