Krems an der Donau

This article is about the city. For the river, see Krems (Lower Austria).

Krems
Krems
Country	Austria
State	Lower Austria
District	Statutory City
Mayor	Inge Rinke (ÖVP)
Area	51.61 km2 (20 sq mi)
Elevation	203 m  (666 ft)
Population	24,014 (1 January 2011)
- Density	465 /km2 (1,205 /sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	KS
Postal code	3500
Area code	02732
Website	www.krems.at

Krems is a town of 24014 inhabitants in Austria, in the federal state of Lower Austria. It is the fifth-largest city of Lower Austria and is approximately 70 kilometres (43 mi) west of Vienna. Krems is a city with its own statute (or Statutarstadt), and therefore it is both a municipality and a district.

Geography

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.

City division

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

Transport

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.

In the city

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.

Climate

View of Krems in 1679

View of Krems in 1900

Old Town of Krems

The Steiner Tor in Krems

Piarist Church

Campus Krems

Krems Central Station

Motorway to Vienna with harbour in background

Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     36   1 −4     38   3 −3     41   8 1     53   15 6     72   19 10     89   23 14     88   26 15     76   25 15     52   20 11     39   14 7     50   7 3     41   3 −1 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm Source: [1]
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.4   34 25     1.5   37 27     1.6   46 34     2.1   59 43     2.8   66 50     3.5   73 57     3.5   79 59     3   77 59     2   68 52     1.5   57 45     2   45 37     1.6   37 30 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

History

Krems was first mentioned in 995 in a certificate of Otto III, 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.

Krems is the primary producer of Marillenschnaps, an apricot brandy.

Krems is the hometown of Martin Johann Schmidt, called "Kremserschmidt", the leading painter, draughtsman and etcher of the Austrian late Baroque.

Population trend

Main sights

Remains of the town wall are popular, but the biggest attraction in Krems is the town's late-Gothic Piarist church. The Steiner Tor, erected in 1480, is the only remaining medieval gate.

Politics

Municipal council

The municipal council consists of 40 members and since the municipal elections in 2007 it consists of the following parties:

• 20 Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) – the mayor and the first vice mayor
• 16 Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) – the second vice mayor
• 2 Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ)
• 1 Austrian Green Party
• 1 KLS

Municipal elections in Krems were held in October 2007.

City's senate

The city's senate consists of 11 members:

• ÖVP: 7 members
• SPÖ: 4 members

Public facilities

Educational facilities

• Bundesgymnasium Rechte Kremszeile
• Bundesgymnasium Piaristen
• Bundesrealgymnasium Krems Ringstraße
• Oberstufenrealgymnasium Englische Fräulein
• Bundesreal- and Bundesoberstufenrealgymnasium (BORG) Krems Heinemannstraße
• HTBL Krems
• HLF Krems
• HLA/HLW Krems
• BHAK/BHAS Krems

• Danube University Krems
• Danube Private University
• School of education
• IMC Fachhochschule Krems(university of applied sciences)
• [Folk high school]

Leisure and sports sites

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

• Football Club - Kremser SC
• Team handball - Union Handballklub Krems
• Ice Hockey - KEV Eagles
• Rugby Club Krems
• Miniature golf
• Union Badminton Krems
• Skatepark

People

• Wilhelm Miklas 3rd President of Austria
• (Maria) Anna Liszt (née Lager)
• Josef Maria Eder
• Gregor Hradetzky
• Ludwig Ritter von Köchel
• Ulrike Lunacek
• Peter B. Neubauer
• Martin Johann Schmidt
• Marko Stanković

Twin towns

Krems is twinned with the following cities:

• Ribe, Denmark, since 1971
• Böblingen, Germany, since 1971
• Beaune, France, since 1973
• Passau, Germany, since 1974
• Kroměříž, Czech Republic, since 1994
• Grapevine, USA, since 1999

External links

• Pictures of Krems and information in English language