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| Viersen | |
 Map of North Rhine-Westphalia highlighting the district of Viersen |
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| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Adm. region | Düsseldorf |
| District seat | Viersen |
| Area | 563.29 km² |
| Population | 304,112 (2002) |
| Pop. density | 540 /km² |
| Licence plate code | VIE |
| Web page | http://www.kreis-viersen.de |
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.
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History
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
- Pardesia in Israel
- Peterborough in Great Britain
- Cambridgeshire in Great Britain
- Lambersart in France
- Kanew in Ukraine
- Panévezys in Lithuania
- Calau in Brandenburg, Germany
- Mittweida in Sachsen, Germany
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
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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
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district-depending municipalities
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medium district-depending cities
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large district-depending cities
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based on data from: 31. December 2005>
External links
- Official website (German)
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