Krefeld offers several starting points for planning a trip: its textile history, art from the 20th and 21st centuries, the zoo and green spaces. If you are looking for accommodation in Krefeld, you can first consider which of these themes you want to shape your stay. For specific visits, factors such as event dates, temporary exhibitions or travel arrangements may then come into play.
Krefeld Zoo: Wildlife Watching and Environmental Education
Krefeld Zoo covers 14 hectares and is the largest zoo on the Lower Rhine. At GorillaGarten, you can observe the largest living primates in a spacious open-air enclosure. In the research lab and in educational programs at the BNE Regional Centre’s Forscherhaus, children and young people can discover the connection between local environmental and nature conservation and global efforts to protect biodiversity.
Around the Grotenburgschlösschen, there are places to eat and drink, including a terrace and a restaurant. As individual offerings may change, check what is currently available before your visit if needed. Tram services provide connections to the zoo: from Krefeld Central Station, lines 042 and 043 go to the Grotenburg/Zoo stop, and from Uerdingen station, line 043 does. Check the connection before travelling.
Textile History and Art in Krefeld
Krefeld has a long textile industry tradition, which is why it is known as the “City of Silk.” The German Textile Museum preserves 30,000 textiles, including late antique tunics, gossamer-thin christening dresses and exquisite evening wear. It has no permanent exhibition: selected textiles are regularly presented in themed exhibitions, for example on “German Couture,” “Traditional Costume or Fashion” and liturgical textiles. The contemporary textile art series “Asia Europe – Fiber Art” is also among the rotating exhibitions.
The House of Silk Culture in Krefeld tells another chapter in the city’s textile history. This industrial heritage site with a rich history preserves an original Jacquard hand-weaving room, complete with eight historic 19th-century looms. The house offers guided tours, workshops and special exhibitions for all age groups. As the program and exhibitions change, it is worth checking the current schedule before planning a visit.
The Krefeld Art Museums comprise Haus Lange, Haus Esters and the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum. Their focus is on fine and applied art from the 20th and 21st centuries. Together with the Textile Museum and the House of Silk Culture, they offer a range of different ways to explore Krefeld’s art and textile history; the current exhibitions are key to planning a specific visit.
Flax Market and Green Spaces
At the Flax Market around Linn Castle, more than 300 exhibitors from Germany and nearby countries demonstrate over Pentecost how clothing, cultural goods and everyday objects are made using traditional methods. With guidance from professionals, visitors can try a selected traditional craft activity themselves. If you plan to visit the market, check the specific event dates before travelling.
Krefeld’s green spaces also offer a variety of experiences. Krefeld Botanical Garden is located on the edge of Schönwasserpark in the district of Oppum. Covering 3.6 hectares, it is home to around 5,000 plant species from around the world. Stadtwald is open year-round. The grounds of the Krefeld Environmental Centre include a kitchen garden, orchards, a grain plot, beehives, a nature pond and woodland; in general, the grounds are open to everyone. The Environmental Centre offers age-appropriate programs for school classes and kindergarten groups.
A market visit tied to specific dates, changing museum exhibitions and the tram connection to the zoo each raise different planning questions: for the Flax Market, it is the Pentecost dates; for the museums, the current program; and for the zoo, the connection to the Grotenburg/Zoo stop.
Discover more destinations: Bockum
Back to the main travel overview: Krefeld.
