Krefeld ( , ; ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

), is a city in

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

, in western

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is located northwest of

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

, its center lying just a few kilometers to the west of the river

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

; the borough of

Uerdingen Uerdingen () is a district of the city of Krefeld, Germany, with a population of 17,888 (2019). Originally a separate city in its own right, Uerdingen merged with the city of Krefeld in 1929. Today, Uerdingen is best known for a local distillery ...

is situated directly on the Rhine. Because of its economic past, Krefeld is often referred to as the "Velvet and Silk City". It is accessed by the

autobahn The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. Much of t ...

s A57 (

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

–

Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...

) and A44 (

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

–

Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...

–

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...

). Krefeld's residents now speak ', or standard German, but the native dialect is a

Low Franconian In historical linguistics, historical and comparative linguistics, Low Franconian is a linguistic category used to classify a number of historical and contemporary West Germanic languages, West Germanic Variety (linguistics), varieties closely r ...

variety, sometimes locally called ', ', or sometimes simply '. The

Uerdingen line The Uerdingen Line (, ; named after Uerdingen by Georg Wenker) is the isogloss within West Germanic languages that separates dialects which preserve the ''-k'' sound in the first person singular pronoun word "ik" (north of the line) from dialec ...

isogloss An isogloss, also called a heterogloss, is the geographic boundary of a certain linguistics, linguistic feature, such as the pronunciation of a vowel, the meaning of a word, or the use of some morphological or syntactic feature. Isoglosses are a ...

, separating general dialectical areas in Germany and neighboring Germanic-speaking countries, runs through and is named after Krefeld's Uerdingen district, originally an independent municipality.

History

Early history

left, up Frankish grave, c. 500 AD, with golden Spangenhelm from Gelduba (Gellep-Stratum">Gelduba.html" ;"title="Spangenhelm from Gelduba">Spangenhelm from Gelduba (Gellep-Stratum) Records first mention Krefeld in 1105 under the name of ''Krinvelde''. In February 1598, Walburga, wife of Adolf van Nieuwenaar, and last Countess of Limburg and Moers, gave the County of Moers, which included Krefeld, to

Maurice, Prince of Orange Maurice of Orange (; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was ''stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Lordship of Frisia, Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death on 23 April 1625. Before he became P ...

. After her death in 1600,

John William of Cleves John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

took possession of these lands, but Maurice successfully defended his heritage in 1601. Krefeld and Moers would remain under the jurisdiction of the

House of Orange The House of Orange-Nassau (, ), also known as the House of Orange because of the prestige of the princely title of Orange, also referred to as the Fourth House of Orange in comparison with the other noble houses that held the Principality of O ...

and the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

during the

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands which roughly lasted from 1588, when the Dutch Republic was established, to 1672, when the '' Rampjaar'' occurred. During this period, Dutch trade, scientific development ...

(1588–1672).Ada Peele
Een uitzonderlijke erfgenaam: De verdeling van de nalatenschap van Koning-Stadhouder Willem III
Uitgeverij Verloren, 2013, Germany, pp. 36-39. Krefeld was one of few towns spared the horrors of the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

(1618–1648). The town of Uerdingen, incorporated into Krefeld in the 20th century, had been destroyed at the hands of troops from

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

during the Thirty Years' War, and almost ceased to exist. After the death of

William III of Orange William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702), also known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 167 ...

in 1702, Krefeld passed to the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

. The

Battle of Krefeld The Battle of Krefeld (sometimes referred to by its French name of Créfeld) was fought at Krefeld near the Rhine on 23 June 1758 between a Prussian- Hanoverian army and a French army during the Seven Years' War. Background The Hanoverian ...

occurred nearby in 1758 during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

. Krefeld and Uerdingen were included within the Prussian

Province of Jülich-Cleves-Berg The Province of Jülich-Cleves-Berg () was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1822. Jülich-Cleves-Berg was established in 1815 from part restored and part newly annexed lands by the Kingdom of Prussia from France's Grand Duchy of Berg. Jülich- ...

in 1815 (after 1822 the

Rhine Province The Rhine Province (), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. ...

). The population was 16,325 in 1825 but had grown to 30,000 by the 1840s. In 1872 Krefeld became an

independent city An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province). Historical precursors In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...

within Rhenish Prussia. In 1918 during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

the

Belgian Army The Land Component (, ), historically and commonly still referred to as the Belgian Army (, ), is the Land warfare, land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land ...

used it as a base during the

occupation of the Rhineland The Occupation of the Rhineland placed the region of Germany west of the Rhine river and four bridgeheads to its east under the control of the victorious Allies of World War I from 1December 1918 until 30June 1930. The occupation was imposed a ...

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

The Mennonites of Krefeld

From 1607

Mennonites Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

arrived in Krefeld, as in nearby Gronau, from neighboring Roman Catholic territories where they were persecuted. In 1609

Herman op den Graeff Herman op den Graeff, also ''Hermann'' (Kerken, Aldekerk, 26 November 1585 - Krefeld, 27 December 1642) was a Mennonite community leader from Krefeld. Biography Origin Herman op den Graeff was the first historically proven member of the Op ...

, originally from Aldekerk, moved with his family to Krefeld. There he became a lay preacher and chairman of the Mennonite religious community. In 1637, Op den Graeff was referred to as “the Mennonite lord Bishop” (der hiesigen Mennoniten Herrn Bischof) of Krefeld in the reformed community’s minutes book. They sought refuge in the lands of the more tolerant

House of Orange-Nassau The House of Orange-Nassau (, ), also known as the House of Orange because of the prestige of the princely title of Orange, also referred to as the Fourth House of Orange in comparison with the other noble houses that held the Principality of Or ...

, at the time rulers of Krefeld; in 1657 their congregation was officially recognized and in 1693 they were allowed to build their own church, although hidden in a back yard (which still exists, reconstructed after World War II, with about 800 members). Also the

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

Evangelists received a sympathetic audience among the larger of the German-Mennonite congregations around Krefeld, Gronau,

Emden Emden () is an Independent city (Germany), independent town and seaport in Lower Saxony in the north-west of Germany and lies on the River Ems (river), Ems, close to the Germany–Netherlands border, Netherlands border. It is the main town in t ...

and

Altona, Hamburg Altona (), also called Hamburg-Altona, is the westernmost Boroughs and quarters of Hamburg#Boroughs, urban borough (''Bezirk'') of the Germany, German States of Germany, city state of Hamburg. Located on the right bank of the Elbe river, Alton ...

. In 1683 a group of thirteen Mennonite families (twelve of them Mennonite-Quakers), the so called Original 13, including three of the

Op den Graeff Op den Graeff () is a German and American family of Dutch origin. They were one of the first families of the Mennonite faith in Krefeld at the beginning of the 17th century. Various family members belonged to Original 13, the first organized imm ...

families left Krefeld to re-settle in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

in order to enjoy religious freedom. They crossed the Atlantic on the ship ''Concord'', and founded the settlement of Germantown (now incorporated in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

), invited by

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

, and thus beginning the

Pennsylvania Dutch The Pennsylvania Dutch (), also referred to as Pennsylvania Germans, are an ethnic group in Pennsylvania in the United States, Ontario in Canada, and other regions of both nations. They largely originate from the Palatinate (region), Palatina ...

ethnic identity. The most important Mennonite family of Krefeld were the

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

merchants and silk weaving industrialists Von der Leyen who, by 1763, employed half of Krefeld's population of 6,082 in their factories. Their residence, built from 1791, is the current City Hall.

The Jews of Krefeld

Jews were listed as citizens of Krefeld from 1617. In 1764, a

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

was erected, and by 1812, under French rule, the town included 196 Jewish families, with three Jewish-owned banks. Under

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, the town became the capital for the surrounding Jewish communities including over 5000 Jews, and by 1897 they comprised 1.8% of the population.Jews of Krefeld

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

website. Town citizen Isaac Meyer Fuld, a member of the family of

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; ; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was an outstanding poet, writer, and literary criticism, literary critic of 19th-century German Romanticism. He is best known outside Germany for his ...

, was a prominent bank-owner in Germany at the time. In 1846 a Jewish representative was voted onto the town's municipal council, while rising antisemitism was noted during these elections. A

reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

synagogue was built in 1876, arousing opposition from the

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

community. A Jewish school existed in the town, with more than 200 students around 1900. In November 1938, during the

November pogroms ( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...

, a synagogue on Marktstraße, as well as synagogues in

Linn Linn may refer to: People * Linn (surname) * Linn (given name) * Carl Linnaeus, abbreviated as Linn. * Linn da Quebrada, stage name of Brazilian singer, actress, screenwriter and television personality Lina Pereira dos Santos (born 1990) Place ...

and Hüls were destroyed, in addition to attacks on Jewish shops and homes. In 1941 following an order from

Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

to deport the German Jews to the east, Jews from the town were sent to the area around Riga and murdered there. 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.

World War II

On 11 December 1941, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, a detailed report on the transport of Jews from Krefeld and its surroundings listed 1007 Jews from Krefeld and Duisburg, were deported to the Šķirotava Railway Station near

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

, later to become

Jungfernhof concentration camp The Jungfernhof concentration camp () was a Nazi concentration camp located in Riga, Latvia from December 1941 to March 1942. Jungfernhof was an improvised concentration camp near the Šķirotava Railway Station in southeast Riga to serve as over ...

. They were transported in freezing conditions with no drinking water for more than two days.Report on Jewish Deportation to Riga
(Hebrew Translation of German document by

), Almost immediately upon arrival, they were shot in the Rumbula forest massacre.(German) Gottwald, Fred, and Schulle, Diana: ''Die „Judendeportationen“ aus dem Deutschen Reich 1941–1945. (''The Jewish deportations by the German Empire from 1941 to 1945.'') Wiesbaden 2005, , p.121 ''I heard that the Jews were evacuated in rows - and as they left the train - they were shot" (Victor Klemperer, diary entry of 13 January 1942) Forced laborers of the 3rd

SS construction brigade The SS-Baubrigaden were a type of subcamp of Nazi concentration camps that were first established in Autumn 1942. These units were usually made up of male non-Jewish prisoners—most were Poles or Soviets. Chances of survival were higher in these ...

were dispatched in the town in 1943. On 21 June 1943, British bombs destroyed many buildings in the east part of the city; a firestorm consumed large parts 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. After occupying the city and due to a lack of fluent German speakers in the intelligence unit to which he was assigned, the U.S. Army placed

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (May 27, 1923 – November 29, 2023) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 56th United States secretary of state from 1973 to 1977 and the 7th National Security Advisor (United States), natio ...

, then a private, in charge of the city administration. During the Cold War, the city was host to the 16th Signal Regiment of the United Kingdom's Royal Corps of Signals stationed at Bradbury Barracks. The town became part of the new state of

after World War II. Blick_auf_den_Ostwall_Krefeld_im_Winter

Points of interest

* Linn Castle (German) * Botanischer Garten Krefeld, a municipal

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

Krefeld Zoo Krefeld Zoo is a zoo in the city of Krefeld, Germany, specialized in management of primates, carnivores, fauna from the African savanna and tropical birds. History Foundation time The zoo was opened on 22 May 1938, as a youth education plac ...

* Lange and Esters Houses, neighbouring houses by early

Mies van der Rohe Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ( ; ; born Maria Ludwig Michael Mies; March 27, 1886August 17, 1969) was a German-American architect, academic, and interior designer. He was commonly referred to as Mies, his surname. He is regarded as one of the pionee ...

, now serving as local contemporary art museum venues * Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, contemporary art museum * German Textile Museum * Galopprennbahn Krefeld, horse racing track * The well-preserved historic old towns of the formerly independent districts

and Hüls * Krefeld-Uerdingen Bridge, the only bridge to cross the

in Krefeld

Districts

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

Municipal absorptions

Cities and places that were incorporated into Krefeld: * 1901:

(

Stadtrecht Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...

since 1314) * 1907: Bockum, Verberg und Oppum (all mayoralty Bockum) * 1929: ** Krefeld became an independent city **

Krefeld Krefeld ( , ; ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its c ...

(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)

Demographics

¹ Census data Largest migrant communities in Krefeld by 31.12.2017 are

Politics

Mayor

The current mayor of Krefeld is Frank Meyer of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

(SPD), elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2020. The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, with a runoff held on 27 September, and the results were as follows: ! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate ! rowspan=2, Party ! colspan=2, First round ! colspan=2, Second round , - ! Votes ! % ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Frank Meyer , align=left,

, 36,025 , 43.4 , 37,125 , 62.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Kerstin Jensen , align=left, Christian Democratic Union , 22,901 , 27.6 , 22,366 , 37.6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Thorsten Hansen , align=left,

Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (, ), often simply referred to as Greens (, ), is a Green (politics), green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of the Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (formed in East Ger ...

, 12,778 , 15.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Martin Vincentz , align=left,

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a Far-right politics in Germany (1945–present), far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative p ...

, 4,186 , 5.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Joachim C. Heitmann , align=left, Free Democratic Party , 3,578 , 4.3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Richard Jansen , align=left,

Die PARTEI (''Party for Labour, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Promotion of Elites and Grassroots Democratic Initiative''), or Die PARTEI (''The PARTY''), is a German political party. It was founded in 2004 by the editors of the German satirical magazine ...

, 1,551 , 1.9 , - , , align=left, Salih Tahusoglu , align=left, We Make Krefeld , 1,047 , 1.3 , - , , align=left, Andreas Drabben , align=left, Independent Voters' Association/Free Voters , 783 , 0.9 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Peter Lommes , align=left,

German Communist Party The German Communist Party (, ) is a communist party in Germany. The DKP supports far-left positions and was an observer member of the European Left before leaving in February 2016. History The DKP considered itself a reconstitution of the C ...

, 207 , 0.2 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 83,056 ! 98.8 ! 59,491 ! 99.0 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 990 ! 1.2 ! 612 ! 1.0 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 84,046 ! 100.0 ! 60,103 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 180,496 ! 46.6 ! 180,256 ! 33.3 , - , colspan=7, Source
State Returning Officer
The following is a list of 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 The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( , SPD ) is a social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the party's leader since the 2019 leadership election together wi ...

) * 1961–1968: Herbert van Hüllen ( CDU) * 1968–1982: Hansheinz Hauser ( CDU) * 1982–1989: Dieter Pützhofen, first term in office ( CDU) * 1989–1994: Willi Wahl (

) * 1994–2004: Dieter Pützhofen, second term in office ( CDU) * 2004–2015: Gregor Kathstede ( CDU) * 2015–present: Frank Meyer (

) The following is a list of city counsellors from 1946 until 1999: * 1946–1949: Johan Stepkes * 1949–1964: Bernhard Heun * 1964–1986: Hermann Steffens * 1986–1988: Alfred Dahlmann * 1988–1999: Heinz-Josef Vogt

City council

The Krefeld city council governs the city alongside the mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 24,977 , 30.2 , 3.4 , 17 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(SPD) , 23,599 , 28.6 , 6.1 , 17 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(Grüne) , 16,662 , 20.2 , 9.0 , 12 , 6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 4,834 , 5.9 , 0.5 , 3 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(AfD) , 4,476 , 5.4 , 1.2 , 3 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 2,664 , 3.2 , 1.4 , 2 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(PARTEI) , 2,031 , 2.5 , 1.3 , 1 , ±0 , - , , align=left, We Make Krefeld (WIR) , 1,200 , 1.5 , New , 1 , New , - , , align=left, Independent Voters' Association/Free Voters (UWG/FW) , 1,023 , 1.2 , 0.5 , 1 , ±0 , - , , align=left, Voters' Association Our Future (WUZ) , 842 , 1.0 , New , 1 , New , - , colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Independents , 267 , 0.3 , – , 0 , – , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(DKP) , 7 , 0.0 , New , 0 , New , - ! colspan=2, Valid votes ! 82,582 ! 98.5 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Invalid votes ! 1,216 ! 1.5 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 83,798 ! 100.0 ! ! 58 ! ±0 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 180,491 ! 46.4 ! 1.2 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source
State Returning Officer

Transport

Krefeld is connected to the

Deutsche Bahn (, ; abbreviated as DB or DB AG ) is the national railway company of Germany, and a state-owned enterprise under the control of the German government. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). DB was fou ...

network with several stations, including its main station,

Krefeld Hauptbahnhof Krefeld Hauptbahnhof is the largest station of the city of Krefeld in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The double-track and electrified Duisburg-Ruhrort–Mönchengladbach railway (KBS 425) and the Lower Left Rhine Railway (KBS 495) ...

. They are served by

Intercity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the train categories in Europe, classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to InterRegio, regional train, r ...

Regional-Express In Germany, Luxembourg and Austria, the Regional-Express (; RE, or in Austria: REX) is a type of regional train. It is similar to a semi-fast train, with a top speed of and an average speed of about as it calls at fewer stations than ''R ...

and

Regionalbahn The ''Regionalbahn'' (; lit. Regional train; abbreviated ''RB'') is a train categories in Europe, type of Regional rail, local passenger train (stopping train) in Germany. It is similar to the Regionalzug (R) and Regio (Swiss railway train), R ...

trains. The

-based

Rheinbahn Rheinbahn is a German public transport operator operating in Düsseldorf, Meerbusch and Kreis Mettmann. Its network consists of the Düsseldorf Stadtbahn, a network of 11 Stadtbahn (light rail) lines which are integrated in the Rhine-Ruhr St ...

operates a

Stadtbahn (; German for 'city railway'; plural ) is a German word referring to various types of urban rail transport. One type of transport originated in the 19th century, firstly in Berlin and followed by Vienna, where rail routes were created that co ...

service to the centrally located Rheinstraße stop. This line was the first electric

inter-city rail Inter-city rail services are Express train, express trains that run services that connect cities over longer distances than Commuter rail, commuter or Regional rail, regional trains. They include rail services that are neither short-distance co ...

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 Rapid transit in Germany consists of four systems and 14 systems. The , commonly understood to stand for ('underground railway'), are conventional rapid transit systems that run mostly underground, while the or ('city rapid railway') are c ...

lines. The term ''K-Bahn'', however, prevails in common usage. The city of Krefeld itself operates four tramway and several

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...

lines under the umbrella of SWK MOBIL, a city-owned company. Since 2010, 19 of the oldest trams of the type

Duewag Düwag or Duewag (stylised in all caps), formerly Waggonfabrik Uerdingen, was a German manufacturer of rail vehicles. It was sold in 1999 to Siemens with the brand later retired. History Duewag was founded in March 1898 as Waggonfabrik U ...

GT8 were replaced by modern barrier-free trams of the type

Bombardier Flexity Outlook The Bombardier Flexity Outlook is a series of low-floored trams of the multi-articulated type, manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. Part of the larger Bombardier Flexity product line (many of which are not low-floor), Flexity Outlook vehi ...

. 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. The

Nirosta Outokumpu Nirosta is a business segment of Outokumpu, headquartered in Krefeld, Germany. It produces flats of stainless steel. Prior to January 2012, it was named ThyssenKrupp Nirosta and part of ThyssenKrupp AG. The unit has a plant in Bochum. T ...

steelworks, once owned by

ThyssenKrupp ThyssenKrupp AG (, ; stylized as thyssenkrupp) is a German industrial engineering and steel production multinational conglomerate. It resulted from the 1999 merger of Thyssen AG and Krupp and has its operational headquarters in Duisburg and E ...

, was sold in 2012 to

Outokumpu Outokumpu Oyj is a group of international companies headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, with 10,600 employees in more than 30 countries. Outokumpu is the largest producer of stainless steel in Europe and the second largest producer in the Americ ...

International relations

Since 1964, the city has hosted an "honors program in foreign language (German) studies" for high school students from

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. 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 A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade ( Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention an ...

of Krefeld and twin city

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

have played each other in an annual 'friendly' football match.

Twin towns – sister cities

Krefeld is twinned with: *

Venlo Venlo () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg (Netherlands), ...

, Netherlands (1964) *

, England, United Kingdom (1969) *

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

, France (1974) *

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

, Netherlands (1974) * Charlotte, United States (1986) * Oder-Spree (district), Germany (1990) *

Ulyanovsk Ulyanovsk,, , known as Simbirsk until 1924, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Volga River east of Moscow. Ulyanovsk has been the only Russian UNESCO Ci ...

, Russia (1993) - put on hold since 2022 due to the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

Kayseri Kayseri () is a large List of cities in Turkey, city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri Province, Kayseri province. Historically known as Caesarea (Mazaca), Caesarea, it has been the historical capital of Cappadocia since anc ...

, Turkey (2009) *

Kropyvnytskyi Kropyvnytskyi (, ) is a city in central Ukraine, situated on the Inhul, Inhul River. It serves as the administrative center of Kirovohrad Oblast. Population: Over its history, Kropyvnytskyi has changed its name several times. The settlement ...

, Ukraine (2023)

Notable people

Scientists and academics

Charlotte Auerbach Charlotte "Lotte" Auerbach FRS FRSE (14 May 1899 – 17 March 1994) was a German geneticist who contributed to founding the science of mutagenesis. She became well known after 1942 when she discovered, with A. J. Clark and J. M. Robson, tha ...

(1899–1994)genetic scientist * Edmund ter Meer (1859–1931)chemist and industrialist *

Felix Kracht Felix Kracht (born 13 May 1912 in Krefeld; died 3 October 2002 in Weyhe) was a German engineer. After graduating from the Technical University of Aachen, he put his theoretical knowledge into practice at the aeronautical association Flugwissensch ...

(1912–2002)aerospace engineer, an

Airbus Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...

pioneer and former Senior Vice President * Fritz ter Meer (1884–1967)chemist and industrialist *

Leopold Löwenheim Leopold Löwenheim �le:o:pɔl̩d ˈlø:vɛnhaɪm(26 June 1878 in Krefeld – 5 May 1957 in Berlin) was a German mathematician doing work in mathematical logic. The Nazi regime forced him to retire because under the Nuremberg Laws he was considere ...

(1878–1957)logician * Herta Wescher (1899–1971), art historian and art critic *

Max Zorn Max August Zorn (; June 6, 1906 – March 9, 1993) was a German mathematician. He was an algebraist, group theorist, and numerical analyst. He is best known for Zorn's lemma, a method used in set theory that is applicable to a wide range of m ...

(1906–1993)mathematician * Rudi Dornbusch (1942–2002)economist * Kate Wallach (1905-1979)

Writers, poets and journalists

* Bernhard Hennen (born 1966)writer of

fantasy literature Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fan ...

* Bodo Hauser (1946–2004)journalist and writer * Erol Yesilkaya (born 1976)Turkish-German screenwriter * Johannes Floehr (born 1991)author and comedian *

Kurt Feltz Kurt Feltz (14 April 1910 in Krefeld, Germany – 3 August 1982 in Mallorca, Spain) was a highly prolific German poet and song lyricist. Selected filmography *''...und die Musik spielt dazu'' (1943, based on ''Season in Salzburg'') *''Lascia canta ...

(1910–1982)poet *

Margarethe Schreinemakers Margarethe Schreinemakers (born 27 July 1958) is a German television presenter, talk show host and journalist. Life Schreinemakers was born in Krefeld and studied sociology at the University of Bonn. She works as television presenter and jour ...

(born 1958)television presenter and journalist

Musicians

* Albert Dohmen (born 1956)opera singer *

Andrea Berg Andrea Ferber ( Zellen; born 28 January 1966),Ferber famil ...

(born 1966)singer *

Blind Guardian Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in 1984 in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres. Nine musicians have been part of the band ...

(1984-)Power Metal band *

Engin Nurşani Engin Ayhan (9 January 1984 – 25 December 2020), commonly known as Engin Nurşani, was a Turkish people, Turkish-Germans, German Turkish folk music, folk musician. He started his music career with the ''Adına Bir Çizik Çektim'' album in 2003 ...

(1984–2020)folk musician * Heinrich Band (1821–1860)inventor of the

bandoneón The bandoneon () or bandonion is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It is a typical instrument in most tango ensembles. As with other members of the concertina family, it is held between the hands, and playe ...

Maria Madlen Madsen Maria Madlen Madsen (23 March 1905 – 23 March 1990), temporarily also under the stage name Gerda Hansi, was a German operatic soprano, theatre, film and television actress. Life Training period Born in Krefeld, Madsen grew up in Hamburg, w ...

(1905–1990)opera singer *

Ralf Hütter Ralf Hütter (born 20 August 1946) is a German musician and composer best known as the lead singer and keyboardist of Kraftwerk, which he founded with Florian Schneider in 1970, and became the only consistent member of the band (although he brief ...

(born 1946)leader of electronic music pioneers

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...

* Saki Kaskas (1971–2016)Greek-Canadian video game music composer * Claus Terhoeven (born 1972)member of trance music duo

Cosmic Gate Cosmic Gate is a German DJ duo consisting of trance music producers Claus Terhoeven (born 1972) and Stefan Bossems (born 1967). Both hail from Krefeld, Germany. On October 28, 2009, ''DJ Magazine'' announced the results of their annual Top 100 ...

* Stefan Bossems (born 1967)member of trance music duo

Visual artists

Albert Oehlen Albert Oehlen (born 17 September 1954) is a German painter, installation artist and musician. He lives and works in Bühler, Switzerland and Segovia, Spain.

(born 1954)artist * Charles J. Kleingrothe (1864–1925)photographer * Heinrich Campendonk (1889–1957)German-Dutch painter and graphic designer * Johan Thorn Prikker (1868–1932)Dutch artist *

Johannes Itten Johannes Itten (11 November 1888 – 25 March 1967) was a Swiss expressionist painter, designer, teacher, writer and theorist associated with the Bauhaus (''Staatliches Bauhaus'') school. Together with German-American painter Lyonel Feining ...

(1888–1967)Swiss expressionist painter, designer, teacher, writer and theorist *

Joseph Beuys Joseph Heinrich Beuys ( ; ; 12 May 1921 – 23 January 1986) was a German artist, teacher, performance artist, and Aesthetics, art theorist whose work reflected concepts of humanism and sociology. With Heinrich Böll, , Caroline Tisdall, Rober ...

(1921–1986)artist * Markus Oehlen (born 1956)artist *

Theo Akkermann Theo Akkermann (1 November 19071 August 1982) was a German sculptor who focused on public sculptures in churches and cemeteries. He held teaching positions at the University of Pretoria and in Ghent, Belgium. Life Akkermann and his baby sister ...

(1907–1982)sculptor

Sportspeople

Jochen Neerpasch Jochen Neerpasch (born 23 March 1939) is a German former racecar driver and motorsports manager. Career His racing career began in the 1960s, first on Borgward touring car, then with the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans as a first major event. Racing ...

(born 1939)racing driver *

Friedhelm Funkel Friedhelm Funkel (born 10 December 1953) is a German football manager and former player. He was most recently the head coach Bundesliga club of 1. FC Köln. Coaching career MSV Duisburg Funkel was manager of MSV Duisburg between 13 May 1996 and ...

(born 1953)football manager and player *

Juliane Schenk Juliane Schenk (born 26 November 1982) is a German badminton player. In March 2014 she retired from international play. Career In 2001, she won the European Junior Championships in women's singles. 2003 saw her win the women's doubles with N ...

(born 1982)German

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

player * Martin Hyun (born 1979)German-American ice hockey player and author * Philip Hindes (born 1992)British sprint cyclist *

Werner Rittberger Werner Rittberger (born 13 July 1891 in Potsdam; died 12 August 1975 in Krefeld) was a German figure skater. Rittberger invented the loop jump in 1910. German (and most other European) figure skaters call this jump the “Rittberger”. Rittber ...

(1891–1975)figure skater *

Marc Schaub Marc Schaub (born April 12, 1992) is a German professional ice hockey player.https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/42699/marc-schaub He is currently playing for Krefeld Pinguine in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga The Deutsche Eishockey Liga (for ...

(born 1992)professional ice hockey player *

Nicole Anyomi Etonam-Nicole Anyomi (born 10 February 2000) is a German professional footballer who plays as a forward for Frauen-Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt and the Germany national team. Club career Anyomi started her career in the youth team at ...

(born 2000)football player

Businessmen

* Ben Neumann (1966–2020)American entrepreneur and film producer * Edmund ter Meer (1859–1931)chemist and industrialist *

(1912–2002)aerospace engineer, an

pioneer and former Senior Vice President * Fritz ter Meer (1884–1967)chemist and industrialist *

Thierry Hermès Thierry Hermès (; 10 January 1801 – 10 January 1878) was a French leather-harness maker and fashion designer. He is the founder of Hermès. Early life and education Thierry Hermès was born in 1801 in the city of Krefeld, Germany, Krefeld in ...

(1801–1878)French businessman and founder of

Hermès Hermès International S.A. ( , ) is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house established in 1837. It specializes in leather goods, silk goods, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewelry, watches and ready-to-wear. Since the ...

Military personnel

* Emil Schäfer (1891–1917)World War I aviator * Heinz Harmel (1906–2000)SS commander, Knight's Cross Holder *

Werner Voss Werner Voss (; 13 April 1897 – 23 September 1917) was a World War I German flying ace credited with 48 aerial victories. A Dyer (occupation), dyer's son from Krefeld, he was a patriotic young man while still in school. He began his milita ...

(1897–1917)World War I aviator

Politicians

* Jürgen Lenders (born 1966), politician (FDP)

Mennonites

(1585-1642), born in Aldekerk; Mennonite community leader from Krefeld, in 1632 delegate to sign the

Dordrecht Confession of Faith The Dordrecht Confession of Faith is a statement of religious beliefs adopted by Dutch Mennonite leaders at a meeting in Dordrecht, the Netherlands, on 21 April 1632. Its 18 articles emphasize belief in salvation through Jesus Christ, baptism, no ...

Abraham op den Graeff Abraham Isaacs op den Graeff, also ''Op den Graff'', ''Opdengraef'' as well as ''Op den Gräff'' (c. 1649 – c. 1731) was one of the so-called Original 13, the first closed group of German emigrants to North America, and an original founder of ...

(1646-1731), grandchild of the previous one, born in Krefeld; original founder of Germantown, Pennsylvania, member of the

Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn, who received the land through a grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania was derived from ...

and in 1688 signer of the first organized religious protest against slavery in colonial America

References

External links

*
Krefeld-Linner Flachsmarkt

Krefeld Ice hockey team

KFC Uerdingen

Stadttheater Krefeld
{{Authority control Cities in North Rhine-Westphalia Urban districts of North Rhine-Westphalia Populated places on the Rhine Holocaust locations in Germany Düsseldorf (region)