Kerpen
Kerpen (German: [ˈkɛʁpn̩] (
listen)) is the most populated town in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany). It is located about 20 kilometres southwest from Cologne.
Kerpen | |
|---|---|
![]() Bergerhausen Castle | |
![]() Coat of arms | |
Location of Kerpen within Rhein-Erft-Kreis district ![]() | |
![]() Kerpen ![]() Kerpen | |
| Coordinates: 50°52′19″N 6°41′46″E | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Admin. region | Köln |
| District | Rhein-Erft-Kreis |
| Subdivisions | 9 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–25) | Dieter Spürck[1] (CDU) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 113.94 km2 (43.99 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 95 m (312 ft) |
| Population (2020-12-31)[2] | |
| • Total | 65,802 |
| • Density | 580/km2 (1,500/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 50169, 50170, 50171 |
| Dialling codes | 02237 (Balkhausen, Brüggen, Kerpen, Türnich), 02273 (Horrem, Neu-Bottenbroich, Sindorf), 02275 (Blatzheim, Buir, Manheim, Manheim-neu) |
| Vehicle registration | BM |



Division of the town
The town of Kerpen was created in 1975, when the previously independent municipalities Balkhausen, Blatzheim, Brüggen, Buir, Horrem, Kerpen, Manheim, Mödrath, Sindorf and Türnich were merged.
Monuments
- Burg Bergerhausen
- Burg Loersfeld
- Schloss Türnich
Notable people
Kerpen is famous as the birthplace of Catholic priest and social reformer Adolph Kolping (8 December 1813 – 4 December 1865) and Karlheinz Stockhausen (22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007), pioneer of electronic music composition. It was the hometown of Formula One motor racing driver Wolfgang von Trips (4 May 1928 – 10 September 1961). In more recent times, two former residents, the brothers Michael and Ralf Schumacher, have emulated von Trips in achieving success in Formula One. Patrice Bart-Williams is an acclaimed reggae artist.
Education
In 2008, Gymnasium der Stadt Kerpen was considered the largest school in Germany.[3]
Twin towns – sister cities
References
- Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 29 June 2021.
- "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2020" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- "Die wohl größte Schule in Deutschland". ksta.de (in German). Retrieved 19 October 2019.
- "Kerpens Städtepartnerschaften". stadt-kerpen.de (in German). Kerpen. Retrieved 2021-02-16.




