Krems an der Donau

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

View of Krems from the Kreuzberg mountain

Coat of arms
Krems

Location of Krems in Austria

Coordinates: 48°25′N 15°37′E / 48.417°N 15.617°E
Country Austria Austria
State Lower Austria
District Statutory city (Austria)
Town rights 1305
Government
 • Mayor Reinhard Resch (SPÖ)
 • Vice-Mayor Wolfgang Derler (ÖVP)
Area
 • Statutory city (Austria) 51.61 km2 (19.93 sq mi)
Elevation 203 m (666 ft)
Population (2012)
 • Statutory city (Austria) 24,110[1]Increase
 • Density 467/km2 (1,210/sq mi)
 • Urban c. 50,000
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 3500
Area code 02732
License plate KS
Website www.krems.at

Krems an der Donau is a town of 24,110 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 miles) 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.

History

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,[2] 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.

City division

Population development

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

Climate

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)		 24.9
(76.8)		 27.8
(82)		 31.6
(88.9)		 36.8
(98.2)		 36.0
(96.8)		 36.5
(97.7)		 33.5
(92.3)		 27.2
(81)		 23.5
(74.3)		 16.1
(61)		 36.8
(98.2)
Average high °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)		 14.3
(57.7)		 8.9
(48)		 3.7
(38.7)		 0.7
(33.3)		 9.4
(48.9)
Average low °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)		 −20.0
(−4)		 −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)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 17.3
(0.681)		 21.0
(0.827)		 27.4
(1.079)		 37.5
(1.476)		 58.2
(2.291)		 80.2
(3.157)		 79.8
(3.142)		 62.0
(2.441)		 45.5
(1.791)		 28.3
(1.114)		 33.6
(1.323)		 24.9
(0.98)		 515.7
(20.302)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 8.3
(3.27)		 7.5
(2.95)		 6.2
(2.44)		 0.2
(0.08)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 4.2
(1.65)		 6.8
(2.68)		 33.2
(13.07)
Avg. 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
Avg. 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[3]

Main sights

Old Town of Krems
The Steiner Tor in Krems
Piarist Church
Dreifaltigkeitssäule
View of Stein, a quarter in the west end of the city

Old town

Outside the Old Town

Transport

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

Railroad

Air traffic

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.

Politics

Municipal council

The municipal council consists of 40 members and since the municipal elections in 2012 it consists of the following parties:

Municipal elections in Krems were held in October 2012.

City's senate

The city's senate consists of 11 members:

Public facilities

Educational facilities

Bundesrealgymnasium Krems Ringstraße
Danube University Krems

Leisure and sports sites

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

People

Wilhelm Miklas, 3rd President of Austria

Twin towns

Krems is twinned with the following cities:

References

  1. ↑ http://www.krems.gv.at/
  2. ↑ Wasserwerk.at
  3. ↑ "Klimadaten von Österreich 1971-2000 -Krems" (in German). Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics. Retrieved 2012-09-06.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Krems an der Donau.