The History of Krems an der Donau
The earliest mention of Krems an der Donau is in a certificate written by the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III in 995 in which he acknowledges his eastern holdings. But it is clear from more recent excavations that a settlement has existed there for even longer than that. Krems (and its sister-city Stein) is the oldest city in Austria. “Krems an der Donau is the eastern gateway to the Wachau Valley, one of Europe's loveliest river landscapes. …In 1975 Krems was singled out as a "Model City for Historical Preservation" and in 2000 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.” (Krems.gv.at, 2017) With all the historical sites available, today Krems thrives on tourism.
However its history was not always the brightest. The same as many cities throughout Europe, Krems’ history is stained with anti-Semitism and they too were hit hard in WWII.
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