Every design for Viersen

Viersen lies on the left bank of the Lower Rhine, between Mönchengladbach and Krefeld and only a short drive from Venlo across the Dutch border. Its centre stands low on flat ground, and much of the town's wide area is farmland, gardens, woods and water rather than streets. The Niers runs nearby, a river that once marked the frontier between rival territories.

What sets the place apart is that it is really several towns in one. Viersen, Dülken and Süchteln were each independent until they merged, with the village of Boisheim joining too, and each still holds its own carnival parade and keeps its own pride. Dülken's parade is one of the biggest in the region, and its Schöppenmarkt the next day fills the streets with bargain hunters. Out of town lies the nature reserve NSG Rintger Bruch, and the Bismarckturm Viersen looks out over the flat country.

The town even takes its name from water: the Viers, today the Dorfer Bach, still runs past the old Kaisermühle, a quiet stream with a whole town named after it.