Halbfastenmarkt Kempen

Kempen — Hanseatic City on the Lower Rhine

Kempen is a medium-sized town in the Viersen district (Düsseldorf administrative region), located on the Lower Rhine between Krefeld and the Dutch border. With around 35,000 inhabitants, it is a manageable but exceptionally well-preserved medieval town — the almost complete city wall with towers, the Kuhtor, and the Mühlentor still stand, and the old town with its central Buttermarkt is one of the most beautiful and authentic in the Lower Rhine region. Kempen was granted town rights by the Archbishop of Cologne in 1372 and developed into an important market town between Cologne and Holland.

Market Rights Since the 15th Century

The Halbfastenmarkt — also known as Mittfastenmarkt — dates back to the 15th century in its current form. It traditionally took place and still takes place on the Tuesday in the middle of Lent (Mediofastenzeit, the third Tuesday of Lent). This timing has religious roots: the strict fasting period was interrupted on Mid-Lent Sunday with a milder day, which carried over to the following market Tuesday. With industrialization and secularization, this connection lost importance, but the market date remained. Today, the Halbfastenmarkt is one of the largest and most popular markets in the Lower Rhine region.

Over 200 Vendors on Eight Streets

The market extends over eight central old town streets: Buttermarkt (central festival square), Engerstraße, Burgstraße, Petersstraße, Ellenstraße, Studentenacker, Judenstraße, Kuhstraße. A total of over 200 vendors from all over Germany set up their stalls — an exceptionally dense arrangement for a town of this size. The range of goods is broad and sometimes curious: from household items (umbrellas, pots, dishes, cleaning supplies) to fashion and jewelry, to essential oils, herbal products, regional honey, and sweets. In addition, food stalls offer bratwurst, potato pancakes (Reibekuchen), crêpes, almonds, and mulled wine alternatives for the still wintry March temperatures.

Market with a Supra-Regional Catchment Area

The Halbfastenmarkt attracts visitors far beyond Kempen. Thousands of market visitors come to Kempen every year from the Rhineland (Krefeld, Düsseldorf, Neuss), the Ruhr area (Duisburg, Oberhausen), and especially from the nearby Netherlands (Roermond, Venlo). This international appeal is one of the market's special features — few German weekly markets manage to generate similarly strong cross-border visitor flows.

Free Admission, Traffic Regulations

Free admission — the old town is closed to car traffic during the market, which is already the case in many streets as the old town is largely a pedestrian zone with traffic calming measures. The majority of shops are open as usual, and many offer special promotions on market day.

Getting to Kempen

By car via the A 40 (exit Krefeld-Oppum) or A 44 (exit Mönchengladbach-Ost); parking garages on the outskirts are often full during the market, so public transport is recommended. By train: Kempen station on the Krefeld-Kleve line (RE 10), about a 5-minute walk to the old town from the station. About a 15-minute train ride from Krefeld, about 30 minutes from Düsseldorf.