Geilenkirchen (, Ripuarian: ) is a town in the district Heinsberg, in

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It is situated near the border with the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, on the river Wurm, approx. 15 km (9.3 mi) north-east of

Heerlen Heerlen (; li, Heële ) is a city and a municipality in the southeast of the Netherlands. It is the third largest settlement proper in the province of Limburg. Measured as municipality, it is the fourth municipality in the province of Limburg ...

and 20 km (12.4 mi) north of Aachen. It was the site of

Operation Clipper During the Second World War, Operation Clipper was an Allied offensive by the British XXX Corps (which included the American 84th Infantry Division) to reduce the Geilenkirchen salient in mid-November 1944. ''Clipper'' was the preliminary to ...

in November 1944. The town gives its name to nearby

NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen (E-3A Component) is located near Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the main operating base of the NATO Boeing E-3 Sentry Component, one of two operational elements of the NATO Airborne Early Warning ...

. The base is home to 17 E-3A airborne early warning and control aircraft manned by crews from 14 nations. On July 24, 2019 the highest temperature ever recorded in Germany was measured in Geilenkirchen at during a heat wave that affected much of Europe. The record was broken the following day when temperature in

Lingen Lingen (), officially Lingen (Ems), is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. In 2008, its population was 52,353, and in addition there were about 5,000 people who registered the city as their secondary residence. Lingen, specifically "Lingen (Ems)" is ...

reached .

Born in Geilenkirchen

Ludolf Camphausen Gottfried Ludolf Camphausen (10 January 1803 in Geilenkirchen – 3 December 1890 in Cologne) was a Prime Minister of Prussia. Life During the Revolutions of 1848 in Germany, Ludolf Camphausen stepped suddenly from his banker's desk at Colog ...

(1803–1890), banker, Prussian minister president in the revolutionary year 1848 *

Otto von Camphausen Otto von Camphausen (21 October 1812 – 18 May 1896) was a Prussian statesman. Biography Camphausen was born at Hünshoven, part of Geilenkirchen on the right bank of the River Wurm, in the Rhine Province. Having studied jurisprudence and polit ...

(1812–1896), Prussian Finance Minister * Christoph Dohmen (born 1957), professor of the Old Testament at the University of Regensburg * Hans Meyer (1900–1962), German physician and ministerial official *

Max Wilms Carl Max Wilhelm Wilms () (5 November 1867 – 14 May 1918) was a German pathologist and surgeon who was a native of Hünshoven, which today is part of the town Geilenkirchen. In 1890, he earned his medical doctorate from the University of Bonn ...

(1867–1918), German physician and surgeon

References

Heinsberg (district) Districts of the Rhine Province {{Heinsberg-geo-stub