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Krefeld (), also known as Crefeld until 1929, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its centre lying just a few kilometres to the west of the River Rhine; the borough of Uerdingen is situated directly on the Rhine. Krefeld is accessed by the autobahns A57 (Cologne–Nijmegen) and the A44 (Aachen–Düsseldorf–Dortmund–Kassel). Krefeld is also called the "Velvet and Silk City". Krefeld's residents speak ''Hochdeutsch'', the standard German taught to all people in Germany. However, the native dialect is a Low German variety, sometimes locally called ''Krefelder Plattdeutsch'', ''Krieewelsch Platt'', ''Plattdeutsch'', or sometimes simply ''Platt''. The Uerdingen line isogloss, separating general dialectical areas in Germany and neighbouring Germanic-speaking countries, runs through and is named after Krefeld's Uerdingen district, originally an independent municipality. ==History== The town originated in Roman times when the legions founded the military camp of Gelduba (today the borough of Gellep). Records first mention Krefeld itself in 1105 under the name of ''Krinvelde''. Uerdingen, originally an independent town east of Krefeld, founded in 1255, became in medieval times larger and more important than Krefeld. The growth of the town began in the 17th century, when Krefeld was one of few towns spared the horrors of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). In 1683 a group of thirteen families (Quakers and Mennonites) left Krefeld at the invitation of William Penn 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), thus beginning the Pennsylvania German ethnic identity. The town of Uerdingen experienced a less fortunate 17th century; troops from Hesse completely destroyed it in the Thirty Years' War and it almost ceased to exist. After the 1702 death of William III of Orange, 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). In 1872 Krefeld became an independent city within Rhenish Prussia. During part of 1918 the Belgian Army used it as a base during the occupation of the Rhineland after the First World War. In 1929 Krefeld and Uerdingen merged to form Krefeld-Uerdingen; in 1940 the name was shortened to simply ''Krefeld''. During World War II, on December 11, 1941, a detailed report on the transport of Jews from Krefeld and its surroundings to the Šķirotava Railway Station near Riga, later to become Jungfernhof concentration camp, listed 1007 Jews from Krefeld and Duisburg, deported 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 these Jews 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, ISBN 3-86539-059-5, 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 January 13, 1942)〕 On 21 June 1943 British bombs destroyed large parts of east of the city; a firestorm consumed most 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, among them the later U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. The town became part of the new state of North Rhine-Westphalia after World War II. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Krefeld」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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