Krems an der Donau (German pronunciation: [ˈkʁɛms ʔan deːɐ̯ ˈdoːnaʊ̯], lit.'Krems on the Danube') is a town with 25,271 inhabitants end 2022 in Austria, in the federal state of Lower Austria. It is the fifth-largest city of Lower Austria and is approximately 70 kilometres (43 miles) west of Vienna. Krems is a city with its own statute (or Statutarstadt), and therefore it is both a municipality and a district.

Krems an der Donau
View of Krems
View of Krems
Flag of Krems an der Donau
Coat of arms of Krems an der Donau
Krems an der Donau is located in Lower Austria
Krems an der Donau
Krems an der Donau
Location within Lower Austria
Krems an der Donau is located in Austria
Krems an der Donau
Krems an der Donau
Location within Austria
Coordinates: 48°25′N 15°37′E / 48.417°N 15.617°E / 48.417; 15.617
Country Austria
StateLower Austria
DistrictStatutory city
Town rights1305
Government
 • MayorReinhard Resch (SPÖ)
Area
 • Statutory city51.66 km2 (19.95 sq mi)
Elevation
203 m (666 ft)
Population
 (2018-01-01)[2]
 • Statutory city24,610
 • Density465/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
 • Urban
c. 50,000
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
3500, 3506 (Krems-Süd)
Area code02732, 02739 (Krems-Süd)
License plateKS
Websitewww.krems.at

Geography

edit

Krems is located at the confluence of the Krems and Danube Rivers at the eastern end of Wachau valley, in the southern Waldviertel.

Krems borders the following municipalities: Stratzing, Langenlois, Rohrendorf bei Krems, Gedersdorf, Traismauer, Nußdorf ob der Traisen, Paudorf, Furth bei Göttweig, Mautern an der Donau, Dürnstein, and Senftenberg.

History

edit
 
View of Krems in 1679
 
View of Krems in 1900
 
View of Krems in 2006
 
Danube in Krems with the harbour in background

Krems was first mentioned in 995 in a certificate of Otto III,[3] but settlement was apparent even before then. For example, a child's grave, over 27,000 years old, was found here. This is the oldest grave found in Austria.

During the 11th and 12th centuries, Chremis, as it was then called, was almost as large as Vienna.

At the end of the Thirty Years' War, Swedish troops captured Krems in 1645 during their invasion of Lower Austria. The city was recaptured by Imperial troops under Hans Christoph von Puchheim and Johann Wilhelm von Hunolstein on 5 May 1646.[4]

Krems is the primary producer of Marillenschnaps, an apricot brandy. It is also the hometown of Martin Johann Schmidt, called "Kremserschmidt", the leading painter, draughtsman and etcher of the Austrian late Baroque.

City division

edit
  • Innenstadt (Inner City)
  • Weinzierl
  • Mitterau
  • Stein
  • Egelsee
  • Rehberg
  • Am Steindl
  • Gneixendorf
  • Lerchenfeld
  • Krems-Süd (South Krems)

Population development

edit

The population (with principal residence status) in the agglomeration was about 50,000 at the end of 2010.

Climate

edit
Climate data for Krems
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.8
(62.2)
21.1
(70.0)
24.9
(76.8)
27.8
(82.0)
31.6
(88.9)
36.8
(98.2)
36.0
(96.8)
36.5
(97.7)
33.5
(92.3)
27.2
(81.0)
23.5
(74.3)
16.1
(61.0)
36.8
(98.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 3.1
(37.6)
5.1
(41.2)
10.2
(50.4)
15.3
(59.5)
20.6
(69.1)
23.3
(73.9)
25.8
(78.4)
25.5
(77.9)
20.4
(68.7)
14.5
(58.1)
7.5
(45.5)
3.7
(38.7)
14.6
(58.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) −0.6
(30.9)
0.8
(33.4)
4.9
(40.8)
9.3
(48.7)
14.6
(58.3)
17.6
(63.7)
19.5
(67.1)
18.9
(66.0)
14.3
(57.7)
8.9
(48.0)
3.7
(38.7)
0.7
(33.3)
9.4
(48.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −3.2
(26.2)
−2.5
(27.5)
0.8
(33.4)
4.5
(40.1)
9.0
(48.2)
12.0
(53.6)
13.8
(56.8)
13.4
(56.1)
9.7
(49.5)
4.9
(40.8)
0.8
(33.4)
−2.1
(28.2)
5.1
(41.2)
Record low °C (°F) −22.8
(−9.0)
−20.0
(−4.0)
−18.1
(−0.6)
−4.7
(23.5)
−0.2
(31.6)
1.3
(34.3)
5.7
(42.3)
4.8
(40.6)
0.6
(33.1)
−7.9
(17.8)
−16.3
(2.7)
−22.7
(−8.9)
−22.8
(−9.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 17.3
(0.68)
21.0
(0.83)
27.4
(1.08)
37.5
(1.48)
58.2
(2.29)
80.2
(3.16)
79.8
(3.14)
62.0
(2.44)
45.5
(1.79)
28.3
(1.11)
33.6
(1.32)
24.9
(0.98)
515.7
(20.3)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 8.3
(3.3)
7.5
(3.0)
6.2
(2.4)
0.2
(0.1)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
4.2
(1.7)
6.8
(2.7)
33.2
(13.1)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 5.0 5.1 5.8 6.5 9.0 9.9 9.6 8.4 6.9 5.0 7.2 6.0 84.4
Average snowy days (≥ 1.0 cm) 10.1 6.9 2.6 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.8 6.2 27.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours 55.3 88.8 127.4 171.5 219.6 214.2 238.5 234.9 157.3 120.9 53.9 41.9 1,724.2
Source: Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics[5]

Main sights

edit
 
Old Town of Krems
 
The Steiner Tor in Krems
 
Piarist Church
 
Dreifaltigkeitssäule
 
View of Stein an der Donau, a quarter in the west end of the city
 
View of Stein (from the left to the right: Frauenbergkirche, Pfarrkirche Hl. Nikolaus, Minoritenkirche)

Old town

edit
  • Bürgerspitalkirche
  • Dominikanerkirche
  • Dreifaltigkeitssäule
  • Göglhaus
  • Gozzoburg
  • Großes Sgraffitohaus
  • Pfarrkirche St. Veit
  • Piaristenkirche
  • Pulverturm
  • Rathaus
  • Simandlbrunnen
  • Steiner Tor: The gate, erected in 1480, is the second remaining medieval gate

Outside the Old Town

edit
  • Frauenbergkirche
  • Göttweigerhofkapelle
  • Großer Passauerhof
  • Karikaturmuseum Krems
  • Kloster Und
  • Kremser Tor
  • Kunsthalle Krems
  • Forum Frohner
  • Landesgalerie Niederösterreich[6]
  • Linzer Tor
  • Mauthaus
  • Minoritenkirche
  • Pfarrkirche Hl. Nikolaus
  • Salzstadl
  • University Krems

Transport

edit
 
Krems Central Station
 
Motorway to Vienna in the industrial area of Krems

The city's main railway station is a junction of the Franz-Josefs Railway to Vienna, the Kremser Railway to St. Pölten, the Donauufer Railway to Spitz and the regional railway to Horn. It is at the intersection of the Stockerauer Speedway S5 and the Kremser Speedway S33, and is traversed by the Danube Road B3, the Retzer Road B35, the Kremser Road B37 and the Langenloiser Road B218. Krems is a junction of the Wieselbus bus lines, which provides radial connections between Sankt Pölten and the different regions of Lower Austria.

Main Roads

  • Stockerauer Schnellstraße (S5) from Krems to Vienna
  • Kremser Schnellstraße (S33) from Krems to St. Pölten
  • Donau Straße (B3) from Krems to Linz
  • Aggsteiner Straße (B33) from Krems to Melk
  • Retzer Straße (B35) from Krems to Retz
  • Kremser Straße (B37) from Krems to Rastenfeld
  • Langenloiser Straße (B218) from Krems to Langenlois

Railroad

Air traffic

In the city

edit

A network of four bus lines operates at regular intervals within the city. Every summer, a tourist train connects the ancient parts of the city with museums, the central railway station and the passenger ship terminal of Krems.

Politics

edit

Municipal council

edit

The municipal council consists of 40 members and since the municipal elections in 2017 it consists of the following parties:

Municipal elections in Krems were held, at the same time as the Austrian legislative election, 2017 on 15 October 2017.

City's senate

edit

The city's senate consists of 10 members:

  • SPÖ: 5 members
  • ÖVP: 4 members
  • FPÖ: 1 members

Public facilities

edit

Educational facilities

edit
 
Bundesrealgymnasium Krems Ringstraße
 
University for Continuing Education Krems

Prison

edit

Leisure and sports sites

edit

Swimming is available at Kremser Strandbad (indoor swimming pool) and outdoor.


 
Margaret of Austria, ca.1490
 
Franz Schneider, 1854
 
Wilhelm Miklas, 3rd President of Austria

Notable people

edit

Sport

edit

Twin towns

edit

Krems is twinned with the following cities:

References

edit
  1. ^ "Dauersiedlungsraum der Gemeinden Politischen Bezirke und Bundesländer - Gebietsstand 1.1.2018". Statistics Austria. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Einwohnerzahl 1.1.2018 nach Gemeinden mit Status, Gebietsstand 1.1.2018". Statistics Austria. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Krems an der Donau - Wasserwerk".
  4. ^ Braumüller, Wilhelm, ed. (1849). Quellen und Forschungen zur vaterländischen Geschichte, Literatur und Kunst (in German). Wien.
  5. ^ "Klimadaten von Österreich 1971-2000 -Krems" (in German). Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  6. ^ "Gallery of Lower Austria". www.lgnoe.at. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  7. ^ Wolfsgruber, Cölestin (1911). "Vinzenz Eduard Milde" . Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10.
edit