"Opera in Krefeld" Top 5 Page for this destination Krefeld by Nemorino

Krefeld Travel Guide: 29 reviews and 135 photos

Since Krefeld is an impoverished, de-industrialized city of only 235,000 people, it does not seem like a likely place for an opera company. But somehow, together with the nearby city of Mönchengladbach, Krefeld does manage to put on some excellent opera performances in addition to musicals, drama and ballet.

In the Krefeld City Theater

The opera I saw in Krefeld was Norma by Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835), with Barbara Dobrzanska in the title role. This is a challenging opera for such a small theater, but I thought they did it very well.

So don’t be put off by the outward appearance of the Krefeld Theater, but go inside and see an opera!

Thus far I have seen performances in fifty-six German opera houses, of which Krefeld was the fifty-fifth. I have listed all of these in an album called Opera Houses in Germany on my VirtualTourist homepage aka profile page.

There are still thirty-two German opera houses that I haven’t been to yet, but I hope to get around to them in the next few years – before their funding dries up.

Wilhelm II in Krefeld

For some sort of obscure dynastic reasons, Krefeld came under the rule of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1702 and remained Prussian until the founding of the German Empire, when the Prussian king also became the German emperor.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Krefeld was quite prosperous because of the textile industry, particularly the weaving of velvet and silk cloth. To this day the local papers sometimes refer to Krefeld as “the Silk City”, which is rather mystifying to outsiders.

Update: In October 2012 I posted a note about this Krefeld page in the Miscellaneous Forum here on VirtualTourist:

A weird statistic
Posted: Thu October 18, 2012 12:25 AM CEST
I have just had a look at my stats page and discovered that my most popular VT page, with 59.222 views, is -- Krefeld! (Ahead of Frankfurt and Paris!)

My Krefeld page is quite small (10 tips) and recent (posted last spring) and has only received nine comments so far from VT members.

The only reason I even went to Krefeld was to go to the opera, which was fine, but otherwise it’s just an ordinary impoverished, de-industrialized city, so I can’t imagine where all those views came from. I don’t think there are that many people in the whole world who are even the slightest bit interested in Krefeld.

Have you looked at your stats page lately? Any surprises?

(26 replies at http://forum.virtualtourist.com/discussion-603123-1-1-Travel-0-0-World-discussion.html)

Update March 2013: Paris has finally overtaken Krefeld as my most popular VT page. As of March 24, 2013, my Paris page had 60,472 views. Krefeld was second with a mere 60,287.

Last visit to Krefeld: Apr 2012
Intro Updated Mar 24, 2013
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Reviews (10)

Krefeld City Theater Things to Do (2)

The current theater building in Krefeld dates from 1963 and looks a bit scruffy from the outside, but the inside is... more travel advice

1. Today: Norma, opera by Vincenzo Bellini - Krefeld

Bellini’s Norma in Krefeld Things to Do (2)

The opera I saw in Krefeld was Norma by Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835). As I explained in one of my Berlin tips, this is... more travel advice

Kaiser Wilhelm Museum Off The Beaten Path (4)

Unlike the rest of Krefeld, this imposing museum from the year 1897 managed survive the bombings in the Second World War... more travel advice

Krefeld City Hall Off The Beaten Path (4)

Aside from city offices, the City Hall (Rathaus) also houses a tourist information office, on the ground floor to the... more travel advice

Hotels (1)
Hotel Etap
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Comments (10)

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Regina1965 Jan 11, 2013 at 3:39 PM

Reading your tips led me to the forum thread you posted, interesting, as I never go to the misceallenouse forums. You are a good representative of Krefeld :)
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  Regina1965 Jan 11, 2013 at 3:41 PM
  
  I meant to write miscellaneous ;)
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evaanna Aug 4, 2012 at 7:50 AM

Another most informative page of yours. It would have been nice to see Krefeld as it looked before the war - the little house looks really interesting. Thank you for the link to the trailer of 'Norma' - it does work and I really appreciated it.
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yumyum Jul 29, 2012 at 1:41 AM

When a teenager I was in Krefeld with my dad to look at trams. Didn't get a lasting impression though. So, thanks for your glimpse.
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toonsarah Jul 23, 2012 at 7:45 AM

I like that little brick building but it seems kind of lonely despite (or perhaps because of?) being squashed so close to its neighbours!
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Kuznetsov_Sergey Jun 21, 2012 at 8:24 AM

Pity that a little brick building on your photo is one of the few in Krefeld that have survived the bombings of the Second World War. The monument of Wilhelm II Hohenzollern looks very imposing. I passed by Krefeld many times but never had an opportunity to come in… Now I know what I have missed.
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lmkluque Jun 20, 2012 at 7:11 AM

Two things, doesn't the name change of a hotel mean that it has been sold to another company? How do they do subtitles for a live stage performance?
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bugulma May 20, 2012 at 1:57 AM

such little town has own opera! and it seems useful to offer electronic check in system in the hotel
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HORSCHECK May 12, 2012 at 1:36 PM

Interesting little page about Krefeld here. I much better know the nearby town of Mönchengladbach; still Krefeld seems to be well worth a visit. I didn't know that the Etap Hotels will be renamed to Ibis Budget Hotels.
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ettiewyn May 12, 2012 at 10:55 AM

I just discovered that you have a new Krefeld page as well. I have been there a couple of years ago to attend a concert and I remember the train station very well. I took a regional train from Cologne to Krefeld, too. How sad that the museum is closed!
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wise23girl May 12, 2012 at 4:33 AM

Good day Don...Some more 'good stuff'.....I see you never forget the bicycles.
Marg