Kiel

Categories: Cities in Germany | German state capitals | Kiel | Coastal cities

This article is about the city in Germany. There is also Kiel, Wisconsin in the United States of America.

Kiel
Image:Kiel.png	Image:Kiel-Position.png

Federal state	Schleswig-Holstein
Administrative region
District	none
Population	229,715 (2005)
Area	118.4 km²
Population density	1,940/km²
Elevation	0-74 m
Coordinates	54°20′ N 10°8′ E
Postal code	24000-24159
Area code	0431
Licence plate code	KI
Mayor	Angelika Volquartz (CDU)
Website	kiel.de

Kiel ["keel", hear it ▶(?)] is a city in northern Germany and the capital of the Bundesland Schleswig-Holstein. It has a population of 233,795, (113,274 males, 120,521 females).

Located on the Baltic Sea (Bay of Kiel) at the head of the Kieler Förde (Kiel fjord), the city has been one the country's main naval bases since the 1860s. Kiel is a center for German shipbuilders and the eastern terminus of the Kiel Canal. An important university (Christian-Albrechts-Universität) is located in Kiel.

Kiel was largely destroyed in the Second World War. It was rebuilt after the war, but the city-planners failed to revive the former townscape; Kiel was (unfortunately) less meticulously restored than other towns in Schleswig-Holstein like Lübeck or Schleswig.

Sights in Kiel include:

The Nikolaikirche (church of St Nicholas, 14th/15th century)
Der Geistkämpfer (The Spirit Fighter), a sculpture by Ernst Barlach in front of the Nikolaikirche
The ruins of the Schloss (a 16th century castle not rebuilt after WWII)
The Rathaus (town hall, 1911)
a WWII-era air raid bunker (not open for tourism)

In the vicinity of Kiel are beautiful seaside resorts such as Strande, Schilksee, Möltenort and Laboe. Laboe has an impressive Marine Memorial, as well as the WWII-era submarine U-995, a popular tourist site since 1972.

Kiel is famous for its sailing events, including the Kieler Woche (Kiel Week), one of the biggest sailing events of the world. It is a week-long series of sailing regattas with a cultural framework and has been held annually each summer since 1882 (with the exceptions of 1915-1919 and 1940-1946). In 1936 and 1972, when the Olympic Games were held in Berlin and Munich respectively, the Olympic yachting competitions were held near Kiel in Schilksee.

Image:KielerStadtzentrumLuftaufnahme.jpg

Aerial view of the old city center

1 History
2 Important personalities
3 Twin towns
4 Economy
5 External links

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History

Kiel was originally founded in 1233 as tom Kyle by Count Adolf IV of Schauenburg, and granted town rights (Lübisches Stadtrecht) in 1242 by Adolf's eldest son, Johann I. Kiel was a member of the Hanseatic League from 1284 until it was evicted in 1518 for harbouring pirates. In 1431, the Kieler Umschlag was first held, which became the central market for goods and money in Schleswig-Holstein until it began to lose significance from 1850 on, being held for the last time in 1900. Kiel's university, the Christian-Albrechts-Universität, was founded on September 29 1665 by Christian Albrecht, duke of Gottorf. A number of important scholars, including Theodor Mommsen and Max Planck, studied or taught there.

From 1773-1864, the town belonged to the King of Denmark. However, because the king ruled Holstein as a fief of the Holy Roman Empire only through a personal union, the town was not incorporated as part of Denmark proper. Even though the Empire was abolished in 1805, the Danish king continued to rule Kiel only through his position as Duke of Holstein.

Image:KielerInnenFoerdeLuftaufnahme.jpg

Port facilities

During the Second War of Schleswig in 1864, Kiel and the rest of Schleswig and Holstein were conquered by an alliance of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. After the war Kiel was briefly administered by both the Austrians and the Prussians, but the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 led to the annexation of Kiel by Prussia in 1867. On 24 March, 1865 the Prussian king William I based Prussia's Baltic Sea fleet out of Kiel instead of Danzig (Gdańsk). When King William I of Prussia became Kaiser William I of the German Empire in 1871, he designated Kiel and Wilhelmshaven as Reichskrieghafen, or "Imperial War Harbours."

Because of its new role as Germany's main naval base, Kiel quickly increased in size in the following years, from 18,770 in 1864 to about 200,000 in 1910. Much of the old town center and other surroundings were leveled and redeveloped to provide for the growing city. Kiel was the site of the sailors' mutiny which sparked the German Revolution in late 1918.

Because of its status as a naval port, Kiel was heavily bombed by the Allies during World War II; it is estimated that 80% of the remaining old town, 72% of the residential areas, and 83% of the industrial areas were destroyed.

Image:Kiel Landtag Plenarsaal.JPG

Schleswig-Holstein Parliament, November 2004

In 1946, Kiel was named the seat of government for Schleswig-Holstein, and it officially became the state's capital in 1972. The Kieler Umschlag has been held again yearly since 1975. It is now a festival with music and food stalls, historical costumes, special bread, and a wedding, the Umschlagshochzeit, for which every young bride and groom can apply. But above all, Kiel is most famous for its Kieler Woche sailing festival held annually in June.

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Important personalities

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Buildings and Constructions

Fernmeldeturm Kiel

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Famous residents

Eric Braeden (actor, emigrated to the United States at age 19)
Georg Landsberg (mathematician)
Carl Loewe (composer)
Peter III of Russia (tsar of Russia)
Max Planck (physicist)
Ernst Steinitz (mathematician)
Carl Zuckmayer (writer and playwright)

Image:Fähre vor laboe-strand.JPG

Laboe beach scene

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Important historic mayors and lord mayors of Kiel

1688 - 1720: Asmus Bremer
1730 - 1732: Ernst Joachim von Westphalen
1920 - 1933: Emil Lueken (removed from office by the Nazis)

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Lord mayors after World War II

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Twin towns

Brest, France (1964)
Coventry, UK (1967)
Vaasa, Finland (1967)
Gdynia, Poland (1985)
Tallinn, Estonia (1986 at that time in the Soviet Union)
Stralsund, Germany (1987 at that time in the German Democratic Republic)
Kaliningrad, Russia (1992)
Sovetsk, Russia (1992)

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Economy

Kiel is the home of HDW Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft GmbH, a shipyard founded in 1838 famed for its construction of submarines. HDW built the first German submarine Brandtaucher in 1850, and is today a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, the leading German group of shipyards.

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