Krefeld celebrates 100 years of the Becker Klausmann car dealership with a Fiat premiere!

Krefeld celebrates 100 years of the Becker Klausmann car dealership with a Fiat premiere!

On June 14, 2025, a new premium model from Fiat was presented at the Becker Klausmann car dealership in Krefeld. It is not only the market launch of another vehicle, but also an important event for the traditional family company, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The car dealership is run by Jan Klausmann in the fourth generation and has established itself as an integral part of the automotive industry. In addition to Fiat, the locations in Krefeld am Glockenspitz and Kempen also offer the BMW and Mini brands.

But Krefeld is not only known for its car culture, but also has a rich history in photography. Karl Heinz Lengwenings, an important press photographer and photojournalist, was born here on February 10, 1927 and has significantly shaped the image of the city with his impressive photos. He documented for the Neue Rhein/Neue Ruhr Zeitung (NRZ) from 1954 to 1965 and then moved to the Westdeutsche Zeitung. He headed the cityscape office in Krefeld until his retirement in 1989.

Culture and history in Krefeld

Krefeld, often referred to as the velvet and silk city, has a long and eventful history. The city was a key center for silk fabric production in the 18th and 19th centuries. This tradition helped Krefeld to achieve the prosperity that the city enjoyed until the structural changes in the second half of the 20th century. With around 228,500 inhabitants, Krefeld ranks 14th among the major cities in North Rhine-Westphalia. Important sights, including the Krefeld art museums and the historic Uerdingen district, attract visitors to the region.

Krefeld's economy has changed since then and is now heavily influenced by the chemical industry, mechanical and plant engineering and the metal industry. The logistics sector also benefits from the city's convenient location. Krefeld also has a vibrant cultural scene that offers numerous events and activities for both locals and visitors.

Bright spots through photography

Karl Heinz Lengwening's life's work will not be forgotten in Krefeld. His photographic archive, which includes several hundred thousand black and white negatives, documents many important social, cultural and sporting events. He also paid particular attention to the importance of personalities who visited Krefeld, such as Willy Brandt and Udo Jürgens. After his retirement, he continued his work, helping to capture the city's history through his lens.

The Becker Klausmann car dealership and the Lengwenings legacy impressively show how deeply Krefeld is rooted in the past and yet continues to provide new impulses. A city that doesn't forget where it comes from and at the same time looks curiously into the future.

Further information about current events in Krefeld and the history of the city can be found at LocalClick, Wikipedia about Karl Heinz Lengwenings and Wikipedia about Krefeld.