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Krefeld ( , ; ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the
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 (1618–1648). The town of Uerdingen, incorporated into Krefeld in the 20th century, had been destroyed at the hands of troops from Hesse during the Thirty Years' War, and almost ceased to exist. After the death of William III of Orange in 1702, Krefeld passed to the
Yad Vashem website. Town citizen Isaac Meyer Fuld, a member of the family of
(Hebrew Translation of German document by Yad Vashem), 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 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
* Linn Castle (German)
* Botanischer Garten Krefeld, a municipal botanical garden
* Krefeld Zoo
* Lange and Esters Houses, neighbouring houses by early Mies van der Rohe, 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 Uerdingen, Linn and Hüls
* Krefeld-Uerdingen Bridge, the only bridge to cross the
There are a number of districts in Krefeld. Each has a municipal representative, with representatives chosen by local elections. The districts are:
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) * 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) 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
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, Social Democratic Party (SPD)
, 23,599
, 28.6
, 6.1
, 17
, 3
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens (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,
State Returning Officer
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
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)
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 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 autobahns 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) 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 ...
–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 ...
– Dortmund– Kassel).
Krefeld's residents now speak ', or standard German, but the native dialect is a Low Franconian variety, sometimes locally called ', ', or sometimes simply '. The Uerdingen line 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. After her death in 1600, John William of Cleves 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 and theDutch 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 (1588–1672).Ada PeeleEen 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 (1618–1648). The town of Uerdingen, incorporated into Krefeld in the 20th century, had been destroyed at the hands of troops from Hesse during the Thirty Years' War, and almost ceased to exist. After the death of William III of Orange 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 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 in 1815 (after 1822 the Rhine Province).
The population was 16,325 in 1825 but had grown to 30,000 by the 1840s.
In 1872 Krefeld became an independent city 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 used it as a base during the occupation of the Rhineland. In 1929 Krefeld and Uerdingen merged to form Krefeld-Uerdingen; in 1940 the name was shortened to simply ''Krefeld''.
The Mennonites of Krefeld
From 1607Mennonites
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, 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 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. 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 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 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, asynagogue
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 KrefeldYad Vashem 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 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 the November pogroms, a synagogue on Marktstraße, as well as synagogues in Linn, Uerdingen and Hüls were destroyed, in addition to attacks on Jewish shops and homes. 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 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, duringWorld 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. 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 Yad Vashem), 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 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 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 ...
after World War II.
Points of interest
* Linn Castle (German)
* Botanischer Garten Krefeld, a municipal botanical garden
* Krefeld Zoo
* Lange and Esters Houses, neighbouring houses by early Mies van der Rohe, 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 Uerdingen, Linn and Hüls
* Krefeld-Uerdingen Bridge, the only bridge to cross the 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 ...
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: Linn ( Stadtrecht since 1314) * 1907: Bockum, Verberg und Oppum (all mayoralty Bockum) * 1929: ** Krefeld became an independent city ** Uerdingen,Krefeld
Krefeld ( , ; ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the World War II, Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is located northwest of Düs ...
(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 arePolitics
Mayor
The current mayor of Krefeld is Frank Meyer of the Social Democratic Party (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, Social Democratic Party , 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 , 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
, 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, SourceState 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) * 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) 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, Social Democratic Party (SPD)
, 23,599
, 28.6
, 6.1
, 17
, 3
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens (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, 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 ...
(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, 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 ...
(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, German Communist Party (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, SourceState Returning Officer
Transport
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
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 ...
-based Rheinbahn operates a Stadtbahn 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 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. The Nirosta steelworks, once owned by ThyssenKrupp, was sold in 2012 to Outokumpu.International relations
Since 1964, the city has hosted an "honors program in foreign language (German) studies" for high school students fromIndiana
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 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)
* 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 ...
, England, United Kingdom (1969)
* Dunkirk, 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, Russia (1993) - put on hold since 2022 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine
* 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, Ukraine (2023)
Notable people
Scientists and academics
* Charlotte Auerbach (1899–1994)genetic scientist * Edmund ter Meer (1859–1931)chemist and industrialist * Felix Kracht (1912–2002)aerospace engineer, an Airbus pioneer and former Senior Vice President * Fritz ter Meer (1884–1967)chemist and industrialist * Leopold Löwenheim (1878–1957)logician * Herta Wescher (1899–1971), art historian and art critic * Max Zorn (1906–1993)mathematician * Rudi Dornbusch (1942–2002)economist * Kate Wallach (1905-1979)Writers, poets and journalists
* Bernhard Hennen (born 1966)writer of fantasy literature * Bodo Hauser (1946–2004)journalist and writer * Erol Yesilkaya (born 1976)Turkish-German screenwriter * Johannes Floehr (born 1991)author and comedian * Kurt Feltz (1910–1982)poet * Margarethe Schreinemakers (born 1958)television presenter and journalistMusicians
* Albert Dohmen (born 1956)opera singer * Andrea Berg (born 1966)singer * Blind Guardian (1984-)Power Metal band * Engin Nurşani (1984–2020)folk musician * Heinrich Band (1821–1860)inventor of the bandoneón * Maria Madlen Madsen (1905–1990)opera singer * Ralf Hütter (born 1946)leader of electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk * Saki Kaskas (1971–2016)Greek-Canadian video game music composer * Claus Terhoeven (born 1972)member of trance music duo Cosmic Gate * Stefan Bossems (born 1967)member of trance music duo Cosmic GateVisual artists
* Albert Oehlen (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 (1888–1967)Swiss expressionist painter, designer, teacher, writer and theorist * Joseph Beuys (1921–1986)artist * Markus Oehlen (born 1956)artist * Theo Akkermann (1907–1982)sculptorSportspeople
* Jochen Neerpasch (born 1939)racing driver * Friedhelm Funkel (born 1953)football manager and player * Juliane Schenk (born 1982)German badminton player * Martin Hyun (born 1979)German-American ice hockey player and author * Philip Hindes (born 1992)British sprint cyclist * Werner Rittberger (1891–1975)figure skater * Marc Schaub (born 1992)professional ice hockey player * Nicole Anyomi (born 2000)football playerBusinessmen
* Ben Neumann (1966–2020)American entrepreneur and film producer * Edmund ter Meer (1859–1931)chemist and industrialist * Felix Kracht (1912–2002)aerospace engineer, an Airbus pioneer and former Senior Vice President * Fritz ter Meer (1884–1967)chemist and industrialist * Thierry Hermès (1801–1878)French businessman and founder of HermèsMilitary personnel
* Emil Schäfer (1891–1917)World War I aviator * Heinz Harmel (1906–2000)SS commander, Knight's Cross Holder * Werner Voss (1897–1917)World War I aviatorPoliticians
* Jürgen Lenders (born 1966), politician (FDP)Mennonites
* Herman op den Graeff (1585-1642), born in Aldekerk; Mennonite community leader from Krefeld, in 1632 delegate to sign the Dordrecht Confession of Faith * Abraham op den Graeff (1646-1731), grandchild of the previous one, born in Krefeld; original founder of Germantown, Pennsylvania, member of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly and in 1688 signer of the first organized religious protest against slavery in colonial AmericaReferences
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)