Cleve

Cleve is the English exonym for Kleve, a town in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It lies on the Rhine near the Dutch border and serves as the administrative center of the Kreis Kleve district. The town is part of the Lower Rhine region and has a history that stretches back to the Middle Ages.

In the medieval period, Kleve was the seat of the Duchy of Cleves, a principality within the Holy Roman Empire. The duchy played a role in the politics of the northern Rhineland and neighboring territories. In the early modern era its lands were incorporated into larger territorial arrangements and, after a series of sovereignty changes, became part of the Kingdom of Prussia and later modern Germany.

Today Kleve is a small regional town with a well-preserved historic core and cross-border ties to the Netherlands. It hosts cultural institutions, local government offices, and serves as a center for local commerce, education, and agriculture.

The name Cleve is also used as a surname and as a place name in other contexts. In English-language use, Cleve may refer to the German town or to people bearing the surname.