The Kempen House

With its tall windows and decorative St Andrew’s crosses, Et Kemp’sche Huus is a fine example of traditional Lower Rhine half-timbered architecture.

Typical features of this style include the use of vertical posts and horizontal beams, here forming four timbered sections on the gable façade and five along the side. The house is thought to date from the first half of the 17th century.

Originally known as Haus Pielen, it once stood at Kuhstraße 7, where Wambrechiesstraße now joins. Over time it fell into disrepair and faced demolition.

In 1976, however, a Kempen citizen purchased the property on Neustraße from the Maria Basels Retirement Home Foundation, on the condition that Haus Pielen would be reconstructed there.

The timber frame was dismantled, each beam carefully numbered, and three years later the historic structure was rebuilt on this site. The front received a new doorway with windows, and both façades were fitted with new leaded glass.

In 1980, the restored building opened as a restaurant under its present name: Et Kemp’sche Huus.