Krefeld: Germany
Krefeld is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located southwest of the Ruhr area, just a few kilometres to the west of the River Rhine. (The borough of Uerdingen is situated directly on the Rhine.) Population: 238,100. The city was known as Crefeld until 1900. It is accessed by A57 (Cologne – Nimwegen) and the A44 (Aachen – Dusseldorf – Dortmund – Kassel)
The origins of the town were in Roman times, when the legions founded the military camp of Gelduba (today the borough of Gellep). Krefeld itself was first mentioned in 1105 under the name of Krinvelde. Uerdingen was originally an independent town east of Krefeld, founded in 1255. In medieval times it was larger and more important than Krefeld.
The growth of the town began in the 17th century, when Krefeld was one of few towns spared by the horrors of the Thirty Years’ War. The town was quickly overpopulated. In 1683 a large group of Krefelders left the town, crossed the Atlantic and founded the settlement of Germantown (now incorporated in Philadelphia).
The town of Uerdingen was less lucky; it was completely destroyed in the Thirty Years’ War by troops from Hesse and almost ceased to exist. Krefeld got ahead of Uerdingen; both towns merged in 1928.
Related Travel Information
Siegen: Germany
Siegen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Siegen-Wittgenstein. As of December 31, 2003 it has a population of 106,143.
Twinned cities:
Berlin-Spandau, Germany, since 1952
Rijnsburg, the Netherlands, since 1963
Leeds, since 1966
Ypres, Belgium, since 1967
Zakopane, Poland, since 1989
Plauen, Saxony, Germany, since 1990
Recklinghausen: Germany
Recklinghausen is a city in the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 123.562 inhabitants as of June 30, 2003 it is the capital of the district Recklinghausen.
Heilbronn: Germany
Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, near Stuttgart. This district-free city is completely surrounded by the district Heilbronn. It is located on the river Neckar . As of 2004, it has ~120,900 inhabitants.
Heilbronn was first mentioned as Helibrunna in 741. In 1281, it was declared city by Rudolph I.
Mülheim an der Ruhr: Germany
Mülheim an der Ruhr is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area between Duisburg and Essen, 20 km to the north-east of Düsseldorf. Geographical location 51°26? N 6°53? E.
Its population is 170.745 (status 12/31/2003). The city covers about 91.26 km² and is between 26.0 and 152.7 m above sea level.
Witten: Germany
Witten is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany in the southern Ruhr area in the Ruhr valley. It was first mentioned in historic sources in 1214, however the borough Herbede (which was incorporated into the city in 1975) even dates back to 851. The city was a mining town from 1578.
Witten is twinned with the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, UK
