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 center lying just a few kilometers to the west of the river Rhine; 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–Nijmegen) and A44 (Aachen–Düsseldorf–Dortmund–Kassel).
The city's origins lie in a medieval settlement first documented in the 12th century. After passing to the County of Moers, Krefeld came under the rule of the House of Orange-Nassau in the early modern period, when policies of religious toleration encouraged the settlement of Mennonites, whose commercial networks contributed significantly to its economic growth. The city became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1702 and expanded rapidly during the Industrial Revolution. In 1929 it was enlarged through the incorporation of neighbouring municipalities, including Uerdingen, forming the modern city.
Krefeld is known for its extensive parks and tree-lined avenues, as well as for cultural institutions including the Kunstmuseen Krefeld. Notable sights include the medieval and the adjoining historic old town of Linn. The city is also associated with modern architecture, particularly Haus Lange and Haus Esters, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
History Early history
The territory of modern Krefeld includes settlements with distinct histories. At Gelduba (modern-day Gellep), beside the Rhine, a Roman fort existed from about AD 70 into the fifth century. Archaeological finds also document subsequent Frankish occupation.
Records first mention Krefeld in 1105 under the name of Krinvelde.
Medieval Krefeld belonged to the counts of Moers. It received market rights in 1361 and town privileges in 1373, with the approval of Emperor Charles IV.
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 the Dutch Republic during the Dutch Golden Age (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 (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.
Krefeld's economic development in the Early Modern Period was closely associated with religious migration. Refugees from Jülich and Berg contributed to the growth of linen manufacture during the seventeenth century.
After the death of William III of Orange in 1702, 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).
The population of the settlement 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 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 1607 Mennonites 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.Taufgesinnte und großes Kapital: die niederrheinisch-bergischen Mennoniten und der Aufstieg des Krefelder Seidengewerbes, Mitte des 17. Jahrhunderts-1815. Page 105. Von Peter Kriedte (2007) They sought refuge in the lands of the more tolerant House of Orange-Nassau, 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 and Altona, Hamburg.C. Henry Smith, Smith's Story of the Mennonites, p. 139 (1981, 5th ed. Faith and Life Press) 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 in order to enjoy religious freedom. They crossed the Atlantic on the ship Concord,Germantown Historical Society: Founders of Germantown; Jones, Iris Carter: Krefeld Immigrants and founded the settlement of Germantown (now incorporated in Philadelphia), invited by William Penn, and thus beginning the Pennsylvania Dutch ethnic identity.C. Henry Smith, Smith's Story of the Mennonites, p. 360 The most important Mennonite family of Krefeld were the silk 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 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.Jews of Krefeld Yad Vashem website. Town citizen Isaac Meyer Fuld, a member of the family of Heinrich Heine, 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.New synagogue opens in Krefeld (English, Deutsche Welle website)
World War II
On 11 December 1941, during World War II, a detailed report on the transport of Jews from Krefeld and its surroundings listed 1007 Jews from Krefeld and Duisburg that were deported to the Šķirotava Railway Station near Riga, 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, then a private, in charge of the city administration.Walter Isaacson, Kissinger: A Biography, p.48.
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 after World War II.
Geography Krefeld is located in the Lower Rhine region of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. The city lies on the western bank of the Rhine, opposite the city of Duisburg, and is part of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.
Krefeld shares borders with several municipalities, including Duisburg, Meerbusch, Willich, Tönisvorst, Kempen, and Moers.
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 postal code: 47809 170 Fischeln postal code: 47807 180 Uerdingen, pop: about 18,507, elevation: 31 m, postal code: 47829 190 Hüls
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 (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)
Culture Local dialect 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, 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.
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