Krefeld

Krefeld
City Hall
Coat of arms
Krefeld
Coordinates: 51°20′0″N 06°34′0″E
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Düsseldorf
District	Urban districts of Germany
Government
• Lord Mayor	Frank Meyer (SPD)
Area
• Total	137.68 km2 (53.16 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	225,144
• Density	1,600/km2 (4,200/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	47701-47839
Dialling codes	02151
Vehicle registration	KR
Website	www.krefeld.de

Castle Linn at Night

Krefeld (German pronunciation: [ˈkʁeːfɛlt]), also known as Crefeld until 1929, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its centre lying just a few kilometres to the west of the River Rhine; the borough of Uerdingen is situated directly on the Rhine. Krefeld is accessed by the autobahns A57 (Cologne–Nijmegen) and the A44 (Aachen–Düsseldorf–Dortmund–Kassel).

Krefeld is also called the "Velvet and Silk City".

Krefeld's residents speak Hochdeutsch, the standard German taught to all people in Germany. However, the native dialect is a Low German variety, sometimes locally called Krefelder Plattdeutsch, Krieewelsch Platt, Plattdeutsch, or sometimes simply Platt. The Uerdingen line isogloss, separating general dialectical areas in Germany and neighbouring Germanic-speaking countries, runs through and is named after Krefeld's Uerdingen district, originally an independent municipality.

History

The town originated in Roman times when the legions founded the military camp of Gelduba (today the borough of Gellep). Records first mention Krefeld itself in 1105 under the name of Krinvelde. Uerdingen, originally an independent town east of Krefeld, founded in 1255, became in medieval times larger and more important than Krefeld.

The growth of the town began in the 17th century, when Krefeld was one of few towns spared the horrors of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). In 1683 a group of thirteen families (Quakers and Mennonites) left Krefeld at the invitation of William Penn to re-settle in Pennsylvania in order to enjoy religious freedom. They crossed the Atlantic on the ship Concord, and founded the settlement of Germantown (now incorporated in Philadelphia), thus beginning the Pennsylvania German ethnic identity. The town of Uerdingen experienced a less fortunate in the 17th century; troops from Hesse completely destroyed it in the Thirty Years' War and it almost ceased to exist.

After the 1702 death of William III of Orange, Krefeld passed to the Kingdom of Prussia. The Battle of Krefeld occurred nearby in 1758 during the Seven Years' War. Krefeld and Uerdingen were included within the Prussian Province of Jülich-Cleves-Berg in 1815 (after 1822 the Rhine Province). In 1872 Krefeld became an independent city within Rhenish Prussia. During part of 1918 the Belgian Army used it as a base during the occupation of the Rhineland after the First World War.

In 1929 Krefeld and Uerdingen merged to form Krefeld-Uerdingen; in 1940 the name was shortened to simply Krefeld.

During World War II, on December 11, 1941, a detailed report on the transport of Jews from Krefeld and its surroundings to the Šķirotava Railway Station near Riga, later to become Jungfernhof concentration camp, listed 1007 Jews from Krefeld and Duisburg, deported in freezing conditions with no drinking-water for more than two days. Almost immediately upon arrival these Jews were shot in the Rumbula forest massacre.

On 21 June 1943 British bombs destroyed large parts of east of the city; a firestorm consumed most of the city center (apart from the central train station, which remained intact apart from minor damage). On 3 March 1945 US troops entered Krefeld, among them the later U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

The town became part of the new state of North Rhine-Westphalia after World War II.

The Jews of Krefeld

Jews were listed as citizens of Krefeld from 1617. In 1764 a synagogue was erected, and by 1812, under French rule, the town included 196 Jewish families, with three Jewish-owned banks. Under Napoleon, the town became the capital for the surrounding Jewish communities including over 5000 Jews, and by 1897 they comprised 1.8% of the population.

In 1846 a Jewish representative was voted onto the town's municipal council, while rising antisemitism was noted during these elections.

A reform synagogue was built in 1876, arousing opposition from the Orthodox community.

A Jewish school existed in the town, with more than 200 students around 1900.

In November 1938 during Kristallnacht, the two synagogues were attacked.

In 1941 following an order from Hitler to deport the German Jews to the east, Jews from the town were sent to the area around Riga and murdered there.

In 1945, the U.S. Army occupied the city and placed Henry Kissinger, then an Army private and later Secretary of State of the United States, in charge of the city administration.

In 2008 a new synagogue, library and Jewish cultural center were erected on the location of one of the demolished synagogues. Around 1100 Jews were reported to live in and around Krefeld at the time.

Points of interest

• Castle of Linn (German)
• Botanischer Garten Krefeld, a municipal botanical garden
• Lange and Esters Houses, neighbouring houses by early Mies van der Rohe, now serving as local contemporary art museum venues
• Zoo Krefeld
• Galopprennbahn Krefeld, horse racing track

Districts

There are a number of districts in Krefeld. Each has a municipal representative, with representatives chosen by local elections. The districts are:

010 Stadtmitte 020 Kempener Feld/Baackeshof 030 Inrath/Kliedbruch 040 Cracau 050 Dießem/Lehmheide 060 Benrad-Süd 070 Forstwald 080 Benrad-Nord 090 Hülser Berg 100 Traar, pop: about 5,000, postal code: 47802 110 Verberg 120 Gartenstadt 130 Bockum, pop: about 21.903, elevation: 35 m, postal code: 47800 (old: 4150 Krefeld 1) 140 Linn Linn, with its own history reaching to between 1090 and 1120, was situated on the banks of the Rhine. In Linn, there is a park built around a Wasserburg, a castle built at the water's edge, and with a water-filled moat. The Burg Linn, as the castle is known, has been preserved for the city's residents as a park and museum. 150 Gellep-Stratum 160 Oppum 170 Fischeln 180 Uerdingen, pop: about 18,507, elevation: 31 m, postal code: 47829 190 Hüls

Incorporations

Cities and places that were incorporated into Krefeld:

• 1901: Linn (Stadtrecht since 1314)
• 1907: Bockum, Verberg und Oppum (all mayoralty Bockum)
• 1929:
  • Krefeld became an independent city
  • Uerdingen, Krefeld (received municipal law in 1255/1344, added Hohenbudberg in today's Duisburg district Friemersheim)
  • Fischeln, Krefeld district
  • Traar, Krefeld district
  • Gellep and Stratum (in Lank), Krefeld district
  • Forstwald (Vorst), Krefeld district
  • Benrad und Hülserberg (Hüls), Kempen
• 1975: Locality of Hüls from Kempen (since 1970 integrated and belonged since 1929 to the Kempen-Krefeld district; in 1936 Orbroich had been independent)

Historical population of Krefeld

Year Population 1604 350 1722 1,499 1787 7,896 1830 18,511 1871 57,105 1875 ¹ 62,905 1880 73,872 1 December 1890 ¹ 105,376 2 December 1895 ¹ 107,245 1 December 1900 ¹ 106,928 1 December 1905 ¹ 110,344 1 December 1910 ¹ 129,406 8 October 1919 ¹ 124,325

Year Population 16 June 1925 ¹ 131,098 16 June 1933 ¹ 165,305 17 May 1939 ¹ 170,968 13 September 1950 ¹ 171,875 6 June 1961 ¹ 213,104 31 December 1970 222,700 30 June 1975 230,500 30 June 1980 223,400 30 June 1985 217,000 1 January 1989 235,423 30 June 1997 246,800 31 December 2003 238,565 31 December 2007 240,648

¹ Census data

Mayors of Krefeld from 1848

• 1848–1872: Ludwig Heinrich Ondereyck
• 1872–1881: Friedrich Christian Roos
• 1882–1903: Ernst Küper
• 1903–1905: Wilhelm Hammerschmidt
• 1905–1911: Adalbert Oehler
• 1911–1930: Johannes Johansen
• 1945–1946: Johannes Stepkes
• 1946–1947: Wilhelm Warsch
• 1947–1949: Hermann Passen
• 1949–1951: Hanns Müller (FDP)
• 1951–1956: Johannes Hauser (CDU)
• 1956–1961: Josef Hellenbrock (SPD)
• 1961–1968: Herbert van Hüllen (CDU)
• 1968–1982: Hansheinz Hauser (CDU)
• 1982–1989: Dieter Pützhofen, first term in office (CDU)
• 1989–1994: Willi Wahl (SPD)
• 1994–2004: Dieter Pützhofen, second term in office (CDU)
• 2004–2015: Gregor Kathstede (CDU)
• 2015–present: Frank Meyer (SPD)

City counsellors 1946 until 1999

• 1946–1949: Johan Stepkes
• 1949–1964: Bernhard Heun
• 1964–1986: Hermann Steffens
• 1986–1988: Alfred Dahlmann
• 1988–1999: Heinz-Josef Vogt

Transport

Bundesautobahn 44 towards Düsseldorf

Krefeld is connected to the Deutsche Bahn network with several stations, including its main station, Krefeld Hauptbahnhof. They are served by Intercity, Regional-Express and Regionalbahn trains. The Düsseldorf-based Rheinbahn operates a Stadtbahn service to the centrally located Rheinstraße stop. This line was the first electric inter-city rail line in Europe, established in 1898, and commonly called the K-Bahn because of the letter "K" used to denote the trains to Krefeld. Nowadays, in the VRR notation, it is called U76, with the morning and afternoon express trains numbered as U70, the line number there coloured red instead of the usual blue used for U-Bahn lines. The term K-Bahn, however, prevails in common usage.

The city of Krefeld itself operates four tramway and several bus lines under the umbrella of SWK MOBIL, a city-owned company. Since 2010, 19 of the oldest trams of the type DUEWAG GT8 were replaced by modern barrier-free trams of the type Bombardier Flexity Outlook. SWK Mobil owns an option to buy another 19 trams of the same type to replace the last 19 DUEWAG M8 trams. The whole tram fleet will then be barrier-free. Next to that the city plans to extend the line 044 in Krefeld-Hüls to connect the northern district of Hüls with the Krefeld downtown area.

Economy

The headquarters of Fressnapf, a pet food retailer franchise company, are situated in Krefeld.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Since 1964, the city has hosted an "honors program in foreign language (German) studies" for high school students from Indiana, United States. The program annually places approximately thirty carefully selected high school juniors with families in and around Krefeld for intensive German language training. Since 1973, the fire services of Krefeld and twin city Leicester have played each other in an annual 'friendly' football match.

Twin towns – Sister cities

Krefeld is twinned with:

	Country		City		County/District/ Region/State	Date
	Netherlands		Venlo		Limburg	1964
	England		Leicester		Leicestershire	1969
	France		Dunkirk		Nord	1974
	Netherlands		Leiden		South Holland	1974
	United States		Charlotte		North Carolina	1986
	Germany		Beeskow		Brandenburg	1990
	Russia		Ulyanovsk		Ulyanovsk Oblast	1993
	Turkey		Kayseri		Kayseri Province	2009

Notable natives

Scientists:

• Charlotte Auerbach (1899-1994), genetic scientist, born here
• Rudi Dornbusch (1 December, 8 June 1942 – 25 July 2002), economist
• Max Zorn (6 June 1906 – 9 March 1993 in Bloomington, Indiana), mathematician
• Leopold Löwenheim, (1878-1957), German logician

Writers, poets and journalists:

• Bernhard Hennen (born in 1966), German best-seller writer of fantasy literature
• Kurt Feltz (14 April 1910 – 3 August 1982 in Majorca), poet
• Werner Ross (1912 in Uerdingen – 2002), German writer
• Otto Brües (1 May 1897 – 18 April 1967), journalist
• Margarethe Schreinemakers (1958), German television presenter and journalist

Musicians:

• Silent Force, prog/classical "epic" rock band
• Blind Guardian, popular German heavy metal band
• Everon, German progressive metal band
• Ralf Hütter (20 August 1946), lead singer of electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk
• Aquagen, popular German trance and eurodance artists
• Heinrich Band (1821–1860)
• Andrea Berg, (* 1966), popular German singer
• Cosmic Gate, popular German trance duo

Artists:

• Joseph Beuys (12 May 1921 – 1986), artist
• Heinrich Campendonk (3 November 1889 – 9 May 1957 in Amsterdam)
• Albert Oehlen, artist
• Markus Oehlen, artist
• Marc Margielsky, artist

Aviators:

• Felix Kracht (1912–2002), aerospace engineer, an Airbus pioneer and former Senior Vice President
• Werner Voss (13 April 1897 – 23 September 1917), German World War I aviator
• Edmund Roßmann (1918 - 2005), German officer
• Emil Schäfer (17 December 1891 – 5 June 1917), German World War I aviator

Athletes:

• Martin Hyun, German and U.S. hockey player
• Frank Schwinghammer, a German and Canadian hockey player
• Philip Hindes, a British sprint cyclist

Knights Cross Holder:

• Heinz Harmel

Other:

• Carl Josef Kleingrothe (1864 - 1925), photographer in Medan, Sumatra.
• Thierry Hermès, German-born French businessman and founder of Hermès (1801-1878)

External links

• (German) Official city website
• Map of the districts of Krefeld
• Krefeld-Linner Flachsmarkt
• Krefeld Icehockeyteam
• KFC Uerdingen
• Stadttheater Krefeld
• Krefelds Veranstaltungen, Events, Termine