Kemnath was first referenced in historical documents on 6 July 1008 by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry II when he donated Keminata to the Diocese of Bamberg.

The town is in the foothills of the Fichtel Mountains of northeast Bavaria and is approximately 55 km from the Czech border at Mähring.

The Steinwald Nature Park abuts the edge of the town as well and stretches from Kemnath to the Czech border.

The town's motto is "das Tor zur Oberpfalz," which translates into English as "The Door to the Upper Palatinate.

"[4] The two largest employers in Kemnath are the Ponnath Meat Processing plant and a Siemens Healthineers production facility.