Krefeld
A silk and velvet town
Krefeld with is textile history is lying to the left of the river Rhine. It is best known among architecture enthusiasts as the two silk-industry representatives Lange and Esters had their impressive villas built here by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The moated castle Linn, offering insights into life on the Lower Rhine in centuries of the past, adds another highlight.
Krefeld, once also called “Krähenfeld” (crow’s field) served as a place of refuge for many people prosecuted for their faith in the surrounding lands back in 1600. The “von der Leyens”, who brought an economic upswing to Krefeld as a textile centre, were one of the best-known families in the local Mennonite community. Although large parts of Krefeld were destroyed in World War II, the town continues to be an important site of industry and is part of Germany’s creative scene to this day with the design course at the Hochschule Niederrhein university.
Art in Krefeld
Krefeld has some art museums of international renown: The Kaiser Wilhelm Museum and the Haus Lange and Haus Esters museums are exhibiting changing selections of contemporary art from a comprehensive collection. The two Haus Lange and Haus Esters villas are some outstanding witnesses of the time of the Neues Bauen style in Germany, impressively reflecting the Bauhaus ideas.
The moated castle Linn
Anyone feeling like travelling back through time should take a trip to the historical quarter of Linn, where a moated castle more than nine centuries old, complete with a hunting lodge, an archaeological museum, and the Deutsches Textilmuseum can be found. Permanent and special exhibitions are supplemented by interactive events and presentations. You might, for example, take a trip through time to old recipe collections, baking tins, and kitchen equipment in the historical hunting lodge kitchen, followed by a walk through the park or the well-preserved old town of Linn with its little cafes and cosy restaurants. Speaking of the park: more than 300 exhibitors from across Germany and the adjacent countries are showing off their production of clothes, cultural heritage, and useful objects with historical methods here during the traditional Flachsmarkt event at Pentecost.
