Krefeld

Krefeld is a large city in Germany in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The city on the Rhine has about 230,000 inhabitants. It used to be called Krefeld-Uerdingen am Rhein because it was a merger of these two cities. Since 1940, however, it has only been called Krefeld. Whether the name derives from a crow field is not known exactly.

Krefeld was only a small village for a long time. In 1323 it was elevated to the status of a city when the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles the Fourth, allowed the people of Krefeld to trade. In the age of industrialization, Krefeld then grew into a large city. The textile industry was important at that time. The master builder Adolph von Vagedes built many buildings during this time, which contributed to the beautification of the city.

Today's Krefeld looks rather modern. This is mainly due to the fact that the city was heavily destroyed during the Second World War. Krefeld offers a lot of cultural activities. Well known are the Krefelder Jazzkeller and the Kulturfabrik. The Kulturfabrik, or KuFa for short, hosts many concerts every year, as well as cabarets and performances by comedians.

Krefeld does not have a famous soccer club like other big cities in the neighborhood. KFC Uerdingen from the Uerdingen district currently plays only in the third league. But it is successful in ice hockey: the Krefeld Penguins play in the German Ice Hockey League.