City facts Kall – Eifel region

Kall – city facts

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Founding and age

According to the municipality, the area of today’s municipality of Kall was already settled in prehistoric times. Kall is first mentioned in a document in 1238. A founding charter of the settlement itself is not documented on the municipal website; the first mention refers to the St Nikolaus Chapel as a filial of the Andreas parish of Steinfeld Abbey. In 1988 the municipality celebrated the 750th anniversary of this documentary first mention. Since 1974 the municipality has used a coat of arms and seal that heraldically combines the former territorial lords of Schleiden and Jülich as well as Steinfeld Abbey. For today’s district of Sistig, the municipality’s village development concept documents a written mention already in 1214 and the incorporation of the previously independent municipality of Sistig into Kall on 1 January 1970.

No information on a formal founding of the settlement of Kall is available on the official municipal site. Documented are prehistoric use of the area as well as Roman presence and the medieval link to Steinfeld Abbey via the Nikolaus Chapel. Today’s municipal part Sistig was an independent municipality until 1 January 1970 and was incorporated into Kall in the course of municipal reorganisation.

From the 16th century onwards, iron and lead works as well as mining in the Urft valley and in Kall took on a particular economic role. With the construction of the Cologne–Trier railway lines (1860–1870) and Kall–Hellenthal (1885), the area was opened up for transport and developed from a rural village more strongly into an industrial place. The Second World War interrupted this development; the place Kall was especially heavily destroyed as a transport hub. After the war, according to the municipality’s account, an historically exceptional reconstruction followed. Besides the Second World War, the municipality cites the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648) as well as the French Revolutionary upheavals and the Napoleonic Wars as further severe historical ruptures. Later the municipality was shaped not only by housing and the economy but also by tourism and proximity to Eifel National Park. In autumn 2012 the municipality resolved a municipal climate protection concept; the public presentation took place on 22 November 2012. Since the end of 2012 Kall has taken part in the European Energy Award competition and was awarded in autumn 2015 as the first municipality in the district of Euskirchen. Since 2017 Kall has been included in urban development funding of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia; the basis is an integrated action concept. The flood disaster of July 2021 severely damaged among other things the town hall, the archive and further infrastructure and initiated a multi-year reconstruction. In terms of land-use planning, the land-use plan of 1973 initially applied, which by the time of the new preparation had undergone 28 formal amendments and five corrections. On 30 September 2003 the council resolved the new preparation; the determination resolution was passed on 17 November 2015, approval by the Cologne district government on 11 May 2016, and with public announcement on 12 August 2016 the new land-use plan became effective. The aim was urban development as a residential, commercial and service location for the following 20 to 25 years.

Year Title Description
3rd century BC Celtic mining and finds According to the municipality, Celts mined lead ore in the area in the 3rd century BC. Celtic spearheads, tools and coins were found in the surrounding area, particularly near Keldenich.
around 50 BC Roman rule and Eifel aqueduct Around 50 BC the Romans occupied the area for almost five centuries. The Roman aqueduct from Nettersheim to Cologne ran through the municipal territory; the municipality cites a simple route length of 95.4 kilometres and counts it among the longest long-distance water conduits in the Imperium Romanum.
1238 First documentary mention Kall is mentioned in documents for the first time: the St. Nicholas Chapel appears as a filial of the Andreas parish of Steinfeld Abbey.
until 1929 Spelling Call Until 1929, “Call” was the official spelling of the municipal name.
1860–1870 / 1885 Railway connection With the construction of the Cologne–Trier line (1860–1870) and the Kall–Hellenthal line (1885), the economic area was opened up for transport; the locality of Kall developed more strongly into an industrial site.
1939–1945 Destruction in the Second World War In the Second World War, according to the municipality, the average degree of building destruction in the municipality was 50–70 percent; in the locality of Kall, as a hub of two railway lines and several roads, as many as 85 percent of all buildings were destroyed.
1988 750th anniversary celebration and Roman Canal hiking trail In 1988 the 750th anniversary of the first documentary mention was celebrated. In the same year the Roman Canal hiking trail was laid out along the Roman aqueduct.
since 1974 Right to a coat of arms Since 1974 the municipality of Kall has had the right to bear a coat of arms and seal. The coat of arms combines the arms of the lords of Schleiden and the dukes of JĂĽlich as well as the crossed arrows of Steinfeld Abbey.
1618–1648 Thirty Years’ War The municipality counts the Thirty Years’ War, alongside the Second World War, among the worst historical upheavals, with devastation and destruction in the municipal territory.
1698 Records of the Call mining court According to the municipality, records of the Call mining court from 1698 concerning disputes between the counts of Blankenheim and JĂĽlich over the mine in Call are held in the State Archive in DĂĽsseldorf.
2016–2017 Inclusion in urban development funding After the integrated action concept was drawn up in 2016, the municipality of Kall was included in North Rhine-Westphalia’s urban development funding at the beginning of 2017; measures under the “Small towns and municipalities” programme are funded at a rate of 60 percent.
2018–2019 House of Encounter The House of Encounter was conceived in 2018 on the pillars of culture, education and integration and inaugurated on 1 February 2019. After the flood of 2021 the ground floor was rebuilt; the facility comprises two floors with a total of 640 square metres.
July 2021 Flood disaster On the night of 15 July 2021 the flood disaster hit the municipality of Kall hard. According to the municipality, three people from the municipal territory lost their lives; the town hall, archive and further infrastructure were severely damaged.
14.09.2025 Election of Mayor Emmanuel Kunz On 14 September 2025 Emmanuel Kunz was elected mayor of the municipality of Kall; he heads the administration, council meetings and the representation of the municipality. According to BĂĽrgerinfo Kall he took office on 1 November 2025.
French Revolutionary period / Napoleonic Wars French Revolutionary turmoil and Napoleonic Wars Municipal history expressly names the French Revolutionary turmoil and the Napoleonic Wars as further severe upheavals that the municipality did not survive unscathed.
2012 Municipal climate protection concept In autumn 2012 a municipal climate protection concept was adopted; it was presented on 22 November 2012 in the public part of the meeting of the specialist committee for properties, forestry and the environment. Its preparation was funded under the national climate protection initiative of the Federal Ministry for the Environment.
2015 European Energy Award According to the integrated action concept, Kall has participated in the European Energy Award since the end of 2012 and in autumn 2015 became the first municipality in the district of Euskirchen to be recognised for climate protection activities. A climate protection manager has been in place since March 2015.
28.06.2025 25th Eifel Oldies Night On 28 June 2025 the 25th Eifel Oldies Night of the Hilfsgruppe Eifel and PAPSTAR GmbH took place in Kall. According to the municipal report, around 1,700 visitors attended; four donation cheques of 50,000 euros each went to the DKMS and to support circles for children with cancer at the university hospitals in Bonn, Aachen and Cologne.
1214 Written mention of Sistig The village development concept for Sistig of the municipality of Kall cites a document from 1214 in which Konrad von Schleiden confirms revenues to Steinfeld Abbey and reports on worship in the Sistig chapel.
1774 Sistig with 65 houses According to the village development concept, in a register from 1774 Sistig consisted of 65 houses with 288 inhabitants and already had a certain importance for public administration.
1904 Parish church of St. Stephen in Sistig The Catholic parish church of St. Stephen in Sistig was built in 1904 and, together with the Old School and the church square, forms today’s village centre.
1 January 1970 Incorporation of Sistig On 1 January 1970 the previously independent municipality of Sistig was incorporated into Kall.
1973 First land-use plan The first land-use plan of the municipality of Kall dates from 1973 and was amended and corrected several times until its re-adoption.
12 August 2016 New land-use plan takes effect Following the adoption decision of 17 November 2015 and approval by the Cologne district government of 11 May 2016, the new land-use plan of the municipality of Kall took effect with public announcement on 12 August 2016.
1 September 2023 Recertification of the EifelSpuren On 1 September 2023, at the Caravan Salon holiday fair in Düsseldorf, among others the Kall EifelSpuren trails “Heideheimat” and “Pingenwanderweg” were again certified for three years as Quality Trails Wanderbares Deutschland.

Important information

Kall is a municipality belonging to a rural district of the northern Eifel with 23 districts and a historically strong imprint from mining, metalworking and later the railway connection. Today the municipality emphasises, besides residential and economic functions, in particular tourism, nature experience and proximity to Eifel National Park. IT.NRW classifies Kall as the municipality type “Larger small town” (Größere Kleinstadt). Education, club life, church sites such as Steinfeld Monastery and reconstruction after the 2021 flood shape the current local picture. The integrated action concept moreover describes Kall as a regional economic, school and rail-commuter centre in the Nordeifel Nature Park and as an inter-municipal hub of social services of general interest. The certified EifelSpuren Pingen hiking trail and Heideheimat as well as major reconstruction and infrastructure projects in Kall and Sötenich additionally shape today’s profile.

Kall is a municipality belonging to a rural district in the district of Euskirchen in North Rhine-Westphalia (Cologne administrative district) and lies in the northern Eifel. The municipal administration names the northern Eifel and Eifel National Park as the tourist reference area. The environmental report on the Kall landscape plan describes the municipality as climatically continental in character, in the midst of the district of Euskirchen on the southwestern edge of North Rhine-Westphalia and immediately adjoining Eifel National Park; the plan area is surrounded by Nettersheim and Hellenthal as well as the towns of Mechernich and Schleiden. Historically and geographically the municipal area is closely linked to the river Urft: left of the Urft the area formerly belonged to the county of Schleiden-Manderscheid, right of the Urft to the domain of the Duke of JĂĽlich. The town of Mechernich expressly names Kall among its neighbouring municipalities in the district of Euskirchen. The integrated action concept situates the district of Kall in the Nordeifel Nature Park on the edge of Eifel National Park. According to the village development concept, the district of Sistig lies in the southwest of the municipality, about six kilometres southwest of the main place Kall and about six kilometres southeast of the town of Schleiden; the western edge of the place is bounded by federal road B258.

According to the municipal land-use presentation, by far the largest share of land-use types falls to land for agriculture and forestry (526,167 ares of a total of 660,800 ares). IT.NRW’s municipal profile reports as of 31 December 2024 among other things about 44.5 percent agricultural land and about 37.8 percent forest and woodland; vegetation and water areas together make up about 83.1 percent of the municipal area. Touristically the municipality points to extensive forests and open landscapes in the surroundings of Eifel National Park as well as to the mining-history character of the landscape with traces of iron and lead mining. The environmental report on the landscape plan describes a mosaic of watercourses, forests, agriculturally used land and larger heath complexes; in the existing landscape plan, among other things numerous nature conservation and landscape conservation areas as well as natural monuments and protected landscape elements are designated. In terms of natural regions, parts of the Rureifel, the Kalkeifel (including the Sötenich limestone basin and Blankenheim Forest) and the Mechernich Voreifel are represented in the municipal area. The village development concept for Sistig describes the Gemarkung at the western end of the Sötenich limestone basin in the border area of the northern Kalkeifel towards the Hocheifel and the Rureifel and names to the south the Sistiger Heide nature reserve of about 188 hectares as well as the Natura 2000 / SAC site “Wiesen, Borstgrasrasen und Heiden bei Sistig” (code DE-5505-301). According to the municipal presentation on the EifelSpur Pingen hiking trail, more than 2,000 Pingen (mining collapse pits) as evidence of historic ore extraction lie in the Kall municipal area.

Historically, lead and iron ore extraction as well as smelting and hammer works shaped economic life; the municipality names among other things a large lead mine in the area of today’s industrial estate as well as iron mines in and near Kall or Sötenich. According to the municipality’s account, the clapper of the former Imperial Bell in Cologne Cathedral was made in a hammer mill. Currently the municipality presents itself as a business location and refers to economic development as well as current commercial investments. According to the municipality, the family company Pro Pet Koller is investing about 25 million euros in a new production site with high-bay warehouse and administration in industrial estate III; production is to be fully relocated to Kall in the third quarter of 2027. On about 15,000 square metres of land, production buildings, a high-bay warehouse with 27,000 pallet spaces and administration are being built; about 8,000 square metres will be built on. Pro Pet Koller employs about 115 staff and distributes premium pet food to numerous European countries; the existing site on Messerschmittstraße in Kall remains among other things for head administration as well as commission and dispatch operations. VR-Bank Nordeifel is building a new head office in the Kall industrial estate. As of 30 June 2014 the integrated action concept cited about 3,000 employees subject to social insurance contributions at the place of work Kall with roughly equal shares of manufacturing, trade/hospitality/transport/warehousing and other services; the share of trade/hospitality/transport/warehousing was higher compared with the district, administrative district and state. According to municipal reports, PAPSTAR GmbH is a partner and venue of the Eifeler Oldienacht on the company premises on Daimler Straße. In Sistig the cooperatively run “Sistiger Lädchen” (since 2013) secures local supply with a full range, post and further services.

For stay information the municipality refers to Nordeifel Tourismus GmbH and names among other things the Eifelsteig, the Eifel milk trail (Eifeler Milchweg), Eifel National Park, the Roman Canal hiking trail and the Pingen hiking path Kall as a mining-history trail. Kall is the start and end point for two stages of the Roman Canal hiking trail and is described as a national park municipality. The integrated action concept describes the station as a starting point for walking and cycling routes as well as the location of a tourist information office and as a “gateway to Eifel National Park”; named among others are the Eifelsteig, the Roman Canal hiking trail and the NationalparkShuttle SB 82. The EifelSpur Pingen hiking trail leads around Kall for 11 kilometres to historic ore pits and prospecting sites; more than 2,000 Pingen lie in the municipal area. The EifelSpur Heideheimat starts at Steinfeld Monastery and leads for 10 kilometres to the Sistig-Krekeler Heide. Both Kall EifelSpuren are certified as Qualitätswege Wanderbares Deutschland in the traumhaft category and were recertified in 2023. In the 2025 online vote “Hiking trail of the year” by Nordeifel Tourismus GmbH, the Pingen hiking trail took third place with 5.46 percent of the votes.

Culturally and historically significant are the link to Steinfeld Abbey or Monastery, the Nikolaus church history and the mining-history heritage. Via its app and event notices the municipality also provides information on sport, art, culture and club life. The Haus der Begegnung and the municipal library serve as places for culture, education and integration. According to municipal reports, the Hermann-Josef-Kolleg in Kall-Steinfeld is also a cultural venue with musical performances and lecture series. According to Mayor Esser, the Eifeler Oldienacht of Hilfsgruppe Eifel has found a lasting home in Kall and enlivens the cultural offer; the 2025 anniversary edition attracted about 1,700 visitors. The Kall municipal library is on the first floor of the Haus der Begegnung and was the starting point for the district-wide book fetch-and-return service of the generation cooperative GenoEifel.

As landscape and historically distinctive references the municipality names the visible sections of the Roman aqueduct, the Roman Canal hiking trail and the mining-history Pingen hiking path relating to iron and lead mining and smelting. Further distinctive references are the basilica and Salvatorian Monastery Steinfeld as well as the memorial stele for the 2021 flood on the town hall forecourt. The Corten steel stele bears the lettering “Flut 2021”, marks the water level at the town hall and with three notches commemorates the three fatalities from the municipal area; design: Markus Auel, execution: blacksmith Stephan Pütz. The municipal coat of arms expressly identifies Steinfeld Abbey as the cultural-historical centre of the municipal area. The integrated action concept moreover names the historic town centre around the church and the popularly so-called “Fels” access to the nature park on Gemünder Straße. In Sistig the parish church of St Stephanus (1904) and the Old School shape the village centre; to the south lies the Sistig-Krekeler Heide as the starting point of the EifelSpur Heideheimat.

The municipal administration has its seat at Bahnhofstraße 9. Urban development funding has applied since 2017; Deutsche Bahn is modernising tracks, platforms and the station surroundings, and state road L105 (Bahnhofstraße, Hindenburgstraße, Aachener Straße) is being refurbished and redesigned. Current infrastructure projects concern among other things the replacement construction of the bridge or underpass at the Kallbach on Hindenburgstraße (L105) with total costs of about 2.7 million euros; according to a notice from straßen.nrw, Hindenburgstraße is fully or sectionally closed from 21 May 2025 until summer 2026, with the Kallbach bridge being renewed first and pavements widened to 1.50 metres each. After the 2021 flood, according to the municipality about 90 reconstruction projects were underway; further schemes concern among other things the indoor swimming pool, the fire station equipment building and preventive flood protection. For the five-year commemoration in 2026 the last outsourced office returned to the fully refurbished town hall; Mayor Kunz described reconstruction as a task for at least a decade and cited about ten million euros in funding for the indoor swimming pool, fire station equipment building and flood protection. The integrated action concept describes the station as a key project of town-centre development and names among other things accessibility, the station square and Bahnhofstraße as central fields of action. Since 2012 climate protection has been institutionalised via the municipal climate protection concept and the European Energy Award; since March 2015 there has been a climate protection manager. In Sötenich the municipality bundles the new construction of a sports clubhouse and community hall, conversion to an artificial turf pitch with multifunctional area, and heavy-rain protection as a jointly coordinated package of measures.

Distinctive features are the national park municipality location, the role on the Roman Canal hiking trail, the mining-history heritage including the Pingen hiking path with more than 2,000 Pingen, and the school and education location with primary schools, Hermann-Josef-Kolleg and Berufskollegs Eifel. Added to this are the distinction as a European energy and climate protection municipality (European Energy Award) and the function as an inter-municipal hub for southern district municipalities at the station. The two EifelSpuren Pingen hiking trail and Heideheimat certified as Qualitätswege Wanderbares Deutschland and the Sistiger Heide nature reserve with Natura 2000 reference further strengthen the tourist and landscape profile.

  • municipality belonging to a district in the North Eifel
  • 23 districts
  • location at Eifel National Park (national park municipality)
  • Roman Canal Hiking Trail with stage connection
  • mining-historical ping hiking trail
  • historic mining and metal processing
  • historic railway junction Cologne–Trier and Kall–Hellenthal
  • first documentary mention 1238 via St. Nikolaus and Steinfeld Abbey
  • education location with primary schools, Hermann-Josef-Kolleg and Berufskollegs Eifel
  • community meeting house and municipal library
  • Hallenbad Kall
  • urban development funding since 2017
  • reconstruction after the flood of 2021
  • basilica and Salvatorian monastery Steinfeld
  • location in the North Eifel Nature Park
  • rail connection also in Urft-Steinfeld and Scheven
  • European Energy Award / climate protection municipality
  • Eifel Oldienacht of the Hilfsgruppe Eifel
  • EifelSpur Pingen Hiking Trail (quality trail, 11 km, more than 2,000 pingen)
  • EifelSpur Heideheimat from Steinfeld Monastery
  • Sistiger Heide nature reserve / Natura 2000
  • youth centre Colours (sponsored by the District of Euskirchen since 2022)
  • fire brigade units Kall, Sistig and Wahlen
  • reconstruction and sports package Sötenich
  • flood memorial stele on the town hall square
  • Nettersheim
  • Hellenthal
  • Schleiden
  • Köln
  • Mechernich
  • Blankenheim
  • Dahlem
  • Trier

Notable events

Documented turning points in local history range from the documentary first mention in 1238 via the rise through mining and the railway to the severe destruction in the Second World War, the public remembrance of the 750th anniversary celebration and the Roman Canal hiking trail in 1988, the institutionalisation of municipal climate protection from 2012, and the flood disaster of 2021 with subsequent reconstruction. Added to this are the incorporation of Sistig in 1970, the effective new land-use plan in 2016, the recertification of the Kall EifelSpuren in 2023, and current charity culture, commercial investments and the five-year commemorations with inauguration of the memorial stele.

Period Title Category Description Significance
1238 First documentary mention of St. Nicholas Chapel History In a document from 1238, St. Nicholas Chapel in Kall appears as a filial of the Andreas parish of Steinfeld Abbey. The municipality regards this as the first documentary mention of Kall. The mention forms the oldest written reference point for the place and its church history and was the occasion for the 750th anniversary celebration in 1988.
FrĂĽhe Neuzeit (um 1550 hervorgehoben) Political division along the Urft Politics Kall was politically divided into two county areas: left of the Urft the territory belonged to the County of Schleiden-Manderscheid (Duchy of Luxembourg; around 1550 under Spanish overlordship), right of the Urft the Duke of JĂĽlich ruled. The division shaped rule, administration and regional affiliation of the municipal territory over a longer period.
1860–1885 Railway development and industrialization Economy Construction of the Cologne–Trier railway (1860–1870) and the Kall–Hellenthal line (1885) connected Kall to the transport network and promoted the change from a rural village to an industrial place. The railway made Kall a junction and accelerated the economic development of the municipality and the former district of Schleiden.
1939–1945 Destruction in the Second World War Disaster Because of its strategic position as a rail and road junction, 85 percent of the buildings in the locality of Kall were destroyed; across the entire municipality the degree of destruction was 50–70 percent. The war interrupted industrial development and made the subsequent reconstruction a central phase of more recent local history.
1988 750th anniversary celebration and creation of the Roman Canal hiking trail Culture In 1988 the municipality celebrated 750 years since the first documentary mention and laid out the Roman Canal hiking trail along the Roman water conduit. The year links medieval local remembrance with the tourist development of the Roman heritage.
Zweiter Weltkrieg / NS-Zeit Forced labour in Kall during the Nazi period History According to author Franz Albert Heinen, as recounted by the municipality in a report, 230 forced labourers were named as demonstrable in the area of the municipality of Kall, about half of them Poles. The individual fate of the Polish forced labourer Walenty Fabijański, who was severely wounded in an air raid on Kall at the end of 1944 and died in early January 1945, was publicly examined by the municipality. Remembrance work makes the Nazi and wartime history of the municipality concrete and connects it with present-day practices of reconciliation and commemoration.
2017 Inclusion in urban development funding Politics At the beginning of 2017 Kall was included in the urban development funding of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The basis is the integrated action concept; measures in the “Small Towns and Municipalities” programme are funded at 60 percent. The funding contributes to the redesign of the station surroundings, the town centre and state road 105 and frames the later reconstruction after the flood.
1. Februar 2019 Opening of the House of Encounter Culture The House of Encounter was inaugurated on 1 February 2019 after concept work in 2018 and offers 640 square metres of space for culture, education and integration; after the 2021 flood the ground floor was rebuilt. The facility strengthens central meeting and education offers in the town centre and houses among other things the library.
Juli 2021 und Folgejahre Flood disaster and reconstruction Disaster On the night of 15 July 2021 the flood hit the municipality hard. Three people from the municipal area died; the town hall and archive were largely destroyed. According to minister Ina Scharrenbach, the federal government and the state approved around 86.5 million euros particularly for infrastructure and flood-affected private individuals. Five years later the municipality inaugurated a memorial stele on the town hall forecourt. The flood is one of the severest caesuras of more recent local history and shapes reconstruction, flood protection and collective remembrance into the present.
2026 Groundbreaking for Pro Pet Koller in industrial estate III Economy With the symbolic groundbreaking, construction of Pro Pet Koller began in industrial estate III: around 25 million euros of investment in production, a high-bay warehouse with 27,000 pallet spaces and administration on about 15,000 square metres of land. The complete relocation of production to Kall is regarded by the municipality as a strong signal for the business location and additional jobs.
Herbst 2012 / 22.11.2012 Adoption of the municipal climate protection concept Politics In autumn 2012 the municipal climate protection concept was adopted and presented publicly on 22 November 2012. Its preparation was funded through the national climate protection initiative; since then representatives of Kall have worked together with Schleiden, Blankenheim, Nettersheim and Hellenthal in the intermunicipal climate protection team. The concept institutionalises climate protection as an ongoing municipal task and forms the basis for the later European Energy Award and the climate protection manager.
Herbst 2015 Award of the European Energy Award Politics According to the integrated action concept, in autumn 2015 Kall was the first municipality in the district of Euskirchen to be awarded the European Energy Award for long-term climate protection engagement. The municipal administration had reduced energy consumption in 2015 by 25 percent compared with 2010. The award makes Kall visible as a climate protection municipality and frames later model projects such as energy-efficient renovation and neighbourhood energy concepts.
28. Juni 2025 25th Eifel Oldies Night Culture The anniversary Oldies Night of the Hilfsgruppe Eifel and PAPSTAR GmbH took place on the PAPSTAR site in Kall. Around 1,700 visitors experienced the open-air festival; the aid group handed over four donation cheques of 50,000 euros each to the DKMS and to support circles for children with cancer at the university hospitals in Bonn, Aachen and Cologne. The event links benefit work against childhood leukaemia with a fixed major cultural event at the Kall location and strengthens the municipality’s image as a venue.
1. Januar 1970 Incorporation of the municipality of Sistig Politics On 1 January 1970 the previously independent municipality of Sistig was incorporated into Kall. The incorporation helped shape today’s municipal structure and made Sistig one of the most populous upland villages and secondary centres of the municipality.
12. August 2016 Entry into force of the new land-use plan Politics After the adoption resolution in 2015 and approval by the Cologne district government in 2016, the new land-use plan of the municipality of Kall took effect on 12 August 2016 and replaced the repeatedly amended plan of 1973. The plan sets out urban development as a residential, commercial and service location for the following decades in land-use planning terms.
1. September 2023 Recertification of the Kall EifelSpuren Culture The EifelSpuren “Pingenwanderweg” and “Heideheimat” were again awarded as Quality Trails Wanderbares Deutschland at the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf and certified for a further three years. The award confirms the tourist quality of the mining-history and heath-related hiking offers in the national park municipality of Kall.
2025 Third place for the Pingenwanderweg Culture In the online vote by Nordeifel Tourismus GmbH for the most popular hiking trail 2025, 5.46 percent of the 828 votes went to the EifelSpur Pingenwanderweg and thus third place. The result makes the mining-history hiking route around Kall visible beyond the region and confirms its place in the North Eifel trail network.
ab 2025 Four major projects in Sötenich Politics In Sötenich the new build of sports clubhouse and community centre, conversion to an artificial turf pitch with multifunctional area, and preventive heavy-rain protection are starting in parallel; coordinated via the municipality’s reconstruction team with the citizens’ association and SV Sötenich. The package bundles flood reconstruction, sports infrastructure and flood protection and is intended to strengthen services of general interest for Sötenich and surrounding districts.
Juli 2026 Five-year commemoration and inauguration of the flood stele Katastrophe On the fifth anniversary of the 2021 flood the municipality inaugurated a Corten steel memorial stele on the town hall forecourt. On the same day the last relocated office returned to the renovated town hall; around 90 reconstruction projects were completed or under way. The stele creates a lasting place of remembrance and at the same time marks the transition from emergency aid to the long-term reconstruction and prevention phase.

Notable people

Personalities with a public local connection documented for Kall include among others serving and former mayors, local historians, people involved in remembrance work on Nazi and wartime history, and actors from charity culture, business, education, reconstruction and librarianship.

Name Role Lifespan Relation to place Why notable
Emmanuel Kunz Mayor On 14 September 2025, Emmanuel Kunz was elected mayor of the municipality of Kall; according to the municipal citizens’ information, he took office on 1 November 2025. He heads the administration and council meetings and represents the municipality, among other occasions at flood commemorations and business events. As the incumbent head of the municipality, he shapes its political leadership and the public communication of reconstruction and local economic development.
Hermann-Josef Esser former mayor Hermann-Josef Esser was mayor of Kall and appears in numerous municipal reports on flood recovery, the archive, and cultural projects; at the 2024 flood memorial festival he spoke publicly about the destruction of the town hall. At the 25th Eifeler Oldienacht he paid tribute to the Hilfsgruppe Eifel and named Willi Greuel “Mister Hilfsgruppe Eifel”. He was a central political figure in the period immediately after the 2021 flood disaster and during early reconstruction, as well as a visible supporter of charity culture in Kall.
Andreas Züll local historian and author Andreas Züll, who comes from Steinfeld, researched the fates of 873 people from the Kall municipal area in the First World War and donated a multi-volume memorial book to the municipal archive; after the flood destroyed the archive, he handed over a revised new edition. Mayor Esser praised his work as a contribution to the “memory of the municipality of Kall”; Züll also works on victims of the Second World War and the Nazi era.
Franz Albert Heinen author and historian Franz Albert Heinen is the author of a standard work on forced labour in the former Schleiden district and worked with the municipality of Kall on documenting individual fates, including that of Walenty Fabijański. For Kall he documents 230 forcibly conscripted workers who can be identified by name and places individual fates in the context of regional Nazi history.
Walenty Fabijański Polish forced labourer gestorben Anfang Januar 1945 Walenty Fabijański performed forced labour in Kall, among other roles as a driver for the firm Michael Schumacher on Trierer Straße. In late 1944 he was seriously wounded in an air raid on Kall and died in early January 1945; his grave is at the Mariawald war cemetery. His fate was publicly examined by the municipality; an application for a Stolperstein on Trierer Straße is planned.
Hubert Büth chronicler Hubert Büth produced a comprehensive chronicle of Kall that appeared in 2014; according to a municipal report, Andreas Züll used images from Büth’s archive for his memorial book work. The chronicle is a documented contribution to the local historiography of the municipality.
Fabian Giefer investor and former professional football goalkeeper Fabian Giefer invested together with partners in the Nord commercial building on Kall’s station forecourt and publicly stressed his commitment to his Eifel home region after the flood. As a well-known athlete and investor, he links the reconstruction of the town centre with wider public attention.
Markus und Michael Koller entrepreneurs (Pro Pet Koller) Entrepreneurs Markus and Michael Koller run the family business Pro Pet Koller and are starting construction in industrial estate III with an investment of around 25 million euros and a planned full relocation of production to Kall. Their major project is regarded by the municipality as one of the largest private building projects of recent years and as a commitment to Kall as a business location.
Willi Greuel chair of Hilfsgruppe Eifel Willi Greuel heads the Kall-based Hilfsgruppe Eifel, which organises charity events for children’s cancer aid with the Eifeler Oldienacht. At the 25th Oldienacht in 2025, mayor Hermann-Josef Esser named him “Mister Hilfsgruppe Eifel”. He stands for more than 30 years of charity work against leukaemia in children and for a firmly established major cultural event in Kall.
Helmut Lanio deputy chair of Hilfsgruppe Eifel According to municipal reports, Helmut Lanio is Willi Greuel’s deputy and jointly responsible for the programme and public relations of the Eifeler Oldienacht in Kall; among other things, he arranged Peter Orloff’s appearance at the 2025 anniversary edition. He shapes the content of the charity event and its anchoring at the Kall location.
Markus Ramers district administrator of the Euskirchen district Markus Ramers was patron of the 23rd and 25th Eifeler Oldienacht in Kall and publicly praised the work of Hilfsgruppe Eifel, including in connection with flood relief in 2021. Ahead of the five-year commemorations he came to Kall to remember the victims together with mayor Kunz and Markus Auel. As district administrator he links district-wide political responsibility with visible support for major cultural and social events in Kall.
Thomas Frauenkron headmaster of Hermann-Josef-Kolleg Steinfeld Thomas Frauenkron is headmaster of the Hermann-Josef-Kolleg in Kall-Steinfeld. In the anniversary year he presented at the Salvatorian motherhouse in Rome a donation of 10,000 euros raised by pupils in the monastery wall run for a Salvatorian school project in Venezuela. He represents the education and Salvatorian site of Steinfeld and its international solidarity work.
Manfred Poth head of the municipality of Kall’s reconstruction team According to municipal reports, Manfred Poth heads the municipality’s reconstruction team and coordinates, among other things, the major projects in Sötenich as well as numerous further reconstruction measures after the 2021 flood. At the five-year commemorations, mayor Kunz expressly praised him and his team as central actors in the multi-year reconstruction.
Markus Auel general deputy of the mayor Markus Auel is the mayor’s general deputy and designed the flood memorial stele on the town hall forecourt; he publicly accompanies groundbreaking ceremonies and commemorative events. His design of the stele creates the lasting place of remembrance for the 2021 flood and its victims.
Michelle Wagner head of the Kall municipal library Michelle Wagner initiated the idea of a book pick-up and delivery service and brought the Kall municipal library together with the generation cooperative GenoEifel; the library is on the first floor of the Haus der Begegnung. Her initiative led to a district-wide, free library service for mobile and non-mobile users.
Stephan Pütz artistic blacksmith Sistig blacksmith Stephan Pütz produced the flood memorial stele on the town hall forecourt in elaborate handwork to Markus Auel’s design. His work makes flood remembrance materially visible and links the district of Sistig through craftsmanship with the central memorial site in Kall.
Thomas Müller local district head of Sötenich Thomas Müller is local district head of Sötenich and publicly accompanies the reconstruction, sports and heavy-rain protection projects there; he stresses citizen participation and protecting residents from recurring heavy rain. As local district head of the most populous district after the main town, he is the central municipal contact for the major projects in Sötenich.

Sources

Source Publisher Used for
History | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Foundation and first mention 1238, name Call/Kall, Celts and Romans, Urft manorial boundaries, mining and hammer mill, railway, war destruction, 750th anniversary celebration, Roman canal hiking trail, historical development, mining court 1698, Thirty Years' War, French Revolutionary turmoil and Napoleonic wars
Figures and data / Population | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Population figures since 1973, districts with population figures, land use/total area, reference to IT.NRW
Municipal directory 05366024 Kall Statistikportal / Statistical Offices of the Federation and the Länder Federal state, district, administrative region, municipality type, municipality key, postal code, area, population by sex, administrative address
Our municipality | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Brief overview first mention 1238, coat of arms rights since 1974
Tourism | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Northern Eifel tourism, Eifel National Park, Roman canal hiking trail, Pingen hiking path, Eifelsteig, national park municipality
Roman Canal Hiking Trail Römerkanal / City of Rheinbach (info centre) Confirmation of the Roman canal hiking trail Nettersheim–Cologne and the tourist development of the Eifel water conduit
Closure of HindenburgstraĂźe | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Kallbach bridge/HindenburgstraĂźe, infrastructure, diversions via B266 and B265 towards Schleiden, Berufskolleg Eifel, closure period until summer 2026, costs 2.7 million euros
Education & leisure | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Educational provision, kindergartens, family centres, music school, adult education centre (VHS), indoor swimming pool, library, clubs, youth centre Colours from 01.01.2022 sponsored by the District of Euskirchen
Schools in Kall | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Community primary schools Kall and Sistig as well as reference to further schools
Haus der Begegnung | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Concept 2018, inauguration 2019, area 640 square metres, reconstruction after the flood, library
Mayor, council & committees | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Election of Emmanuel Kunz on 14.09.2025, duties of the mayor, local district advisory areas
Flood memorial festival in Kall | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Flood night of 15.07.2021, three fatalities, destruction of the town hall, around 86.5 million euros in approvals, reconstruction
Preserving memory, shaping the future | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Five-year commemoration, memorial stele on the town hall forecourt (Auel/PĂĽtz), around 90 reconstruction projects, return of the town hall, flood protection and follow-up projects, funding of around 10 million euros
Unforgotten despite the flood | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Andreas ZĂĽll, First World War memorial book, archive destruction by the flood, Hubert BĂĽth chronicle 2014
Reconcile without forgetting | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Walenty Fabijański, Franz Albert Heinen, 230 forced labourers in Kall, remembrance work and planned Stolperstein
Major commercial project starts in Kall | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Pro Pet Koller, 25 million euro investment, industrial estate III, Markus and Michael Koller, 115 employees, MesserschmittstraĂźe, move in Q3 2027
New roofs for the basilica | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Steinfeld Basilica, roof renovation 1.7 million euros, Salvatorians, Diocese of Aachen
Urban development | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Urban development funding since 2017, InHK, railway and L105 renovation, neighbourhood office
Churches & religion | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Community of parishes, Salvatorian monastery Steinfeld, Protestant Trinitatis parish, Free Christian Congregation Kall
Working, living and enjoying in the heart of Kall | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Commercial buildings on the station forecourt, Fabian Giefer, archive in commercial building Nord, Aktivpark Hannes
Dream school | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Hermann-Josef-Kolleg Steinfeld as a school and cultural location in Kall-Steinfeld
Municipal profile Kall Information und Technik Nordrhein-Westfalen (IT.NRW) Municipality type larger small town, land-use shares agriculture/forestry and forest, population density, pupil numbers at general education schools
Spatial classification and urban development | InHK Mechernich City of Mechernich Neighbouring municipality Kall, railway lines RB24/RE12 with stop Kall
Commitment to the region | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall New building of VR-Bank Nordeifel in the Kall industrial estate
Public-law agreement Intermunicipal Procurement Centre Southern District of Euskirchen District of Euskirchen Intermunicipal cooperation of the Municipality of Kall with Blankenheim, Nettersheim and Schleiden
Environmental report Landscape Plan Kall District of Euskirchen Location and neighbouring municipalities, national park boundary, elevations of the landscape areas, climate and precipitation values, geology (Devonian, limestone basins, Buntsandstein), Urft/tributaries, nature reserves
Landscape Plan 24 Kall – text volume District of Euskirchen Natural region Rhenish Slate Mountains, Rureifel, Kalkeifel, Sötenich limestone basin, Mechernich foreland of the Eifel, elevation figures
Coat of arms of the municipality | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Coat of arms description, reference to Schleiden, JĂĽlich and Steinfeld Abbey as cultural-historical centre
Integrated action concept Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Districts and centrality, nature park/national park, rail connection Urft-Steinfeld and Scheven, school location, employees, European Energy Award, climate protection manager, station as key project, connection Cologne/Trier, southern district municipalities incl. Dahlem
Climate protection concept | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Resolution and presentation of climate protection concept 2012, National Climate Initiative, intermunicipal climate protection team with Schleiden, Blankenheim, Nettersheim and Hellenthal
Preview 25th Eifel Oldienacht | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall 25th Eifel Oldienacht, Hilfsgruppe Eifel, PAPSTAR, patron District Administrator Markus Ramers, Willi Greuel, Helmut Lanio, Hermann-Josef Esser
1,700 enthusiastic visitors | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Visitor number 1,700, donation cheques of 50,000 euros each, title Mister Hilfsgruppe Eifel for Willi Greuel, venue PAPSTAR grounds
Oldienacht 2023 | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Patronage Markus Ramers, flood aid by the Hilfsgruppe, establishment of the Oldienacht in Kall, support by the municipality and building yard
HJK donates to Venezuela | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Thomas Frauenkron, Hermann-Josef-Kolleg Steinfeld, Salvatorian donation 10,000 euros
Indoor swimming pool | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Closure of the indoor swimming pool due to severe flood damage for an indefinite period
Municipal heat planning Kall – interim report Municipality of Kall List of districts, focus area Steinfeld with biogas/monastery heat pipeline, municipal area 6,607 ha
EifelSpuren awarded | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Recertification EifelSpuren Pingen hiking trail and Heideheimat 01.09.2023, quality trail traumtour, 11 km / 10 km, more than 2,000 pinges, Nordeifel Tourismus Bahnhofstr. 13
Kall EifelSpur near the top | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Pingen hiking trail 3rd place in Hiking Trail of the Year 2025, 5.46 percent, 828 votes
Land-use plan | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall FNP 1973, resolution to draw up a new plan 30.09.2003, adoption 17.11.2015, approval 11.05.2016, entry into force 12.08.2016
Village development concept Sistig Municipality of Kall Incorporation of Sistig 01.01.1970, mention 1214, register 1774, elevation approx. 550 m above sea level, St. Stephanus 1904, NSG Sistiger Heide 188 ha, Natura 2000, B258, fourth-largest district, Sistiger Lädchen
Achieving more together | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Sötenich sports clubhouse, community centre, artificial turf pitch, heavy rainfall protection, Manfred Poth, Thomas Müller, cost figures
Books delivered free of charge | Municipality of Kall Municipality of Kall Michelle Wagner, municipal library in the HdB, GenoEifel book pick-up and delivery service
BĂĽrgerInfo Kall 06/2025 Municipality of Kall Taking office of Emmanuel Kunz 01.11.2025, fire brigade units Kall/Sistig/Wahlen, addresses of family centres and youth centre, library contacts