Mary of Burgundy, Duchess of Cleves (1393 – 30 October 1466) was the second child of John the Fearless and Margaret of Bavaria,[1] and an elder sister of Philip the Good.

The wealthy bourgeois and the presence of the nobility in the person of Mary attracted artists, solicited for their works in oils and clay.

The city became, until the early sixteenth century, the center of a school of sculpture including Heinrich Douvermann [cs; de; es; fr; it].

Further, scientists like Konrad Heresbach, counselor of the Dukes of Cleves, humanist, lawyer, educator and farmer, periodically resided in Kalkar.

This flourishing period ended in the mid-sixteenth century, when, after the fall of weaving activities, epidemics of plague decimated the population.