Kiel

Coordinates	55°45′06″N37°37′04″N
Art	City
Image photo	KielerStadtzentrumLuftaufnahme.jpg
Wappen	Wappen Kiel.svg
Lat deg	54 |lat_min = 19 |lat_sec = 31
Lon deg	10 |lon_min = 8 |lon_sec = 26
Bundesland	Schleswig-Holstein
Kreis	urban
Höhe	5
Fläche	118.6
Einwohner	237579
Stand	2008-12-31
Plz	24103–24159
Plz-alt	2300
Vorwahl	0431
Kfz	KI
Gemeindeschlüssel	01 0 02 000
Nuts	DEFO2
Locode	DE KEL
Gliederung	18 districts
Adresse	Fleethörn 9 24103 Kiel
Website	www.kiel.de
Bürgermeister	Torsten Albig
Bürgermeistertitel	Oberbürgermeisterin
Partei	SPD
Ruling party1	SPD
Ruling party2	Green

Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of over 237,000 (2009).

Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the Baltic Sea, Kiel has become one of the major maritime centres of Germany. For instance, the city is known for a variety of international sailing events, including the annual Kiel Week, which is the biggest sailing event in the world. The Olympic sailing competitions of the 1936 and the 1972 Summer Olympics were held in Kiel.

Kiel has also been one of the traditional homes of the German Navy's Baltic fleet, and continues to be a major high-tech shipbuilding centre. Kiel is an important sea transport hub, thanks to its location at the Kiel Fjord (Kieler Förde) and the busiest artificial waterway in the world, Kiel Canal (Nord-Ostsee-Kanal). A number of passenger ferries to Sweden, Norway and other countries operate from here. Moreover, today Kiel harbour is an important port of call for cruise ships touring the Baltic Sea.

In 2005 Kiel's GDP per capita was €35,618, well above Germany's national average, and 159% of the European Union's average.

Within Germany and parts of Europe, the city is known for its leading handball team, THW Kiel. The city is home to the University of Kiel (established in 1665).

History

Middle Ages

Kiel Fjord was first settled by Normans or Vikings who would colonize the land along their raids, for many years staying in German villages. This is recorded by the geography and architecture of the fjord. Kiel was originally founded in 1233 as Holstenstadt tom Kyle by Count Adolf IV, and granted Lübeck city rights in 1242 by Adolf's eldest son, John I of Schauenburg.

Kiel, the capital of Holstein, was a member of the Hanseatic League from 1284 until it was expelled in 1518 for harbouring pirates. In 1431, the Kieler Umschlag (trade fair) 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, until recently when it has been restarted.

Modern Times

.]] The University of Kiel was founded on 29 September 1665, by Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. A number of important scholars, including Theodor Mommsen and Max Planck, studied or taught there.

From 1773 to 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. Thus Kiel belonged to Germany, but it was ruled by the Danish king. Even though the Empire was abolished in 1806, the Danish king continued to rule Kiel, only through his position as Duke of Holstein. When Schleswig and Holstein rebelled against Denmark in 1848 (the First Schleswig War), Kiel became the capital of Schleswig-Holstein until the Danish victory in 1852.

During the Second Schleswig War in 1864, Kiel and the rest of Schleswig and Holstein were conquered by a German Confederation 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 King William I based Prussia's Baltic Sea fleet out of Kiel instead of Danzig (Gdańsk).

When William I of Prussia became Emperor William I of the German Empire in 1871, he designated Kiel and Wilhelmshaven as Reichskrieghäfen, or "Imperial War Harbour". The prestigious Yacht Club of Kiel was established in 1887 with Prince Henry of Prussia as its patron. Emperor Wilhelm II became its commodore in 1891.

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 centre and other surroundings were levelled and redeveloped to provide for the growing city.

Kiel was the site of the sailors' mutiny which sparked the German Revolution in late 1918. Just before the end of World War I, the German fleet stationed at Kiel was ordered to be sent out on a last great battle with the Royal Navy. The sailors, who thought of this as a suicide mission which would have no effect on the outcome of the war, decided they had nothing to lose and refused to leave the safety of the port. The sailors' actions and the lack of response of the government to them, fuelled by an increasingly critical view of the Kaiser, sparked a revolution which caused the abolition of the monarchy and the creation of the Weimar Republic.

During World War II, Kiel remained one of the major naval bases and shipbuilding centres of the German Reich. There was also slave labour for the local industry. Because of its status as a naval port and as production site for submarines, Kiel was heavily bombed by the Allies during World War II. The bombing destroyed 80% of the remaining old town, 72% of the central residential areas, and 83% of the industrial areas. During the RAF bombing of 23/24 July 1944, Luftwaffe fighters tried to intercept the spoof (i.e. decoy) force instead of the main force attacking Kiel, and there was no water for 3 days; trains and buses did not run for 8 days and there was no gas available for cooking for 3 weeks. The town, its port, the canal and its scientists were seized by the British T-Force under Tony Hibbert just after the German surrender to the western Allies to stop them and access to Denmark falling into Soviet hands, despite it being beyond the stop-line set by the surrender.

Just like other heavily bombed German cities, the city was rebuilt after the war. In 1946, Kiel was named the seat of government for Schleswig-Holstein, and it officially became the state's capital in 1972.

Kiel is once again an important maritime centre of Germany, with high-tech shipbuilding, submarine construction, ferries to Scandinavia and Russia, as well as the largest sailing event in the world called the Kiel Week (Kieler Woche) in German and The Kiel Regatta in English. The Kieler Umschlag is another festival, which has been taking place since 1975. Kiel is also home to a large service sector and a number of research institutions including the University of Kiel, which is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious university in the state. Despite this, a huge amount of information about living in Kiel as a student/visitor is available at the site of"Coming to Kiel"

Main sights

(Opernhaus Kiel) and the City Hall (Kieler Rathaus).]] , which is the largest sailing event in the world.]] The oldest building in the city is the 13th century Nikolaikirche (St Nicholas' Church), which has a sculpture of Ernst Barlach in front of it called Der Geistkämpfer.

Kiel is Schleswig-Holstein's largest city, and therefore Kiel's shopping district is a major attraction, and will see further improvement and renovation efforts in the upcoming years. Kiel's Holstenstrasse (Holsten Street) is one of the longest shopping miles in Germany. The Rathaus (town hall), which was built in 1911, has an operating paternoster and the design of its tower was based on one in Venice. The square in front of it is bordered by a lake and the Opera House. There are also a number of lakes and parks in the city centre, e.g. Schrevenpark (Schreven Park). There are two botanical gardens, the Old Botanical Garden and New Botanical Garden.

As Kiel is situated near the sea, the beaches to the north of Kiel such as Kiel-Strande, Kiel-Schilksee, Möltenort and Laboe are also popular places to visit in spring and summer.

Kiel Week, more properly known in English as the Kiel Regatta, is the largest sailing event in the world and takes place in the last week in every June. Many thousands of boats and ships of all kinds and eras take part in the parade. Kiel Week is also a festival, Volksfest and fair as well as a maritime event.

There are a number of sports venues in Kiel, most notably the Sparkassen-Arena Sparkasse Arena (formerly known as Baltic Sea Hall or Ostseehalle), which is the home ground of one of the most successful team handball clubs in the world and multiple German champion, THW Kiel. There is currently no Bundesliga football club in Kiel, but Holstein Kiel plays at Holstein-Stadion. There are a number of yachting and sailing clubs in picturesque settings.

Kiel also features a number of museums, including zoological, geological, historical, fine art, industrial, and military museums. Notable is the Stadtmuseum (City Museum) in Warleberger Hof, which in addition to preserving architecture from the 16th Century and historic rooms with painted stucco ceilings, displays urban and cultural exhibits of the 19th and 20th Century. Particularly intriguing is the history of the carnival in Kiel. ! style="background: #D8E2EF; color:#000080;" |Nominal GDP per capita |- | align=left | Kiel | align=right |€35,618 | align=right |~$49,866 |- | align=left | | align=right |€24,250 | align=right |~$33,950 |- | align=left | | align=right |€27,219 | align=right |~$38,107 |- | align=left | | align=right |€22,400 | align=right |~$31,360 |}

Districts

The city districts of Düsternbrook, Schreventeich, Ravensberg, and Blücherplatz are popular places to live with many 19th century buildings, villas, and tree-lined streets. The government offices, ministries and parliament of the state of Schleswig-Holstein are also mainly based in these neighbourhoods, particularly Düsternbrook. In contrast to the heavy bombing destruction of the central parts of the city during World War II, most of the residential areas have not been severely damaged. Hence, Kiel's more modern-style inner city and Kiel's more historic/elaborate residential areas stand in architectural contrast to one another.

There are plans for large-scale improvement and building efforts for the inner city, providing better pavements, better access to and view of the waterfront and a generally more attractive feel. However, these plans have yet to be implemented in coming years.

Transport

ferry.]] Kiel is situated near an important pan-European motorway, the A 7, which connects northern Europe with central and southern Europe.

Kiel has a central station with trains to Hamburg, Lübeck, Flensburg and to Husum.

Kiel is a significant port for passenger and cargo shipping from Germany to Scandinavia, the Baltic States, and Russia. Passenger ferries operate from and to Gothenburg in Sweden (Stena Line, 13½ hours, daily), Oslo in Norway (Color Line, 19½ hours, daily), and Klaipėda in Lithuania (DFDS Lisco, 21 hours, 6 times per week). Cargo ferries operate from and to Saint Petersburg in Russia (DFDS Lisco, twice a week), and Kaliningrad in Russia (NSA, once a week).

The nearest international airport is Hamburg Airport, which is situated approximately to the south of Kiel.

Notable people

(1728–1762)]] (1858–1947), physicist]] (1912–2007), physicist and philosopher]]

Tomma Abts (b. 1967), painter and Turner Prize winner

Eric Braeden (b. 1941), actor

Alfred Brinckmann (1891–1967), chessmaster

Ernst Busch (1900–1980), actor, writer & collector of songs

Britta Carlson (b. 1978), footballer

Francisco Copado (b. 1974), footballer

Heinrich Dahlinger (1922–2008), Fieldhandball player

Bruno Diekmann (1897–1982), politician

Cora E. (Sylvia Macco) (b. 1968), musician

Thilo Martinho (Thilo Herrmann) (b. 1960), musician

Michael F. Feldkamp (b. 1962), historian

Heinrich Heesch (1906–1995), mathematician

Rudolf Hell (1901–2002), inventor

Heike Henkel (b. 1964), athlete

Johannes Wolfgang Willy Friedlieb Heuer (1910–1993), businessman

August Howaldt, founder of Howaldtswerke

Sigrid Hunke (1913–1999), author

Otto Kretschmer, U-boat commander

Oswalt Kolle (1928–2010), author

Andreas Köpke (b. 1962), footballer

August Leskien (1840–1916), linguist

Henri Lehmann (1814–1882), painter

Helmut Lemke (1907–1990), politician

Marina Lewycka (b. 1946), author

Detlev von Liliencron (1844–1909), poetrist

Carl Loewe (1796–1869), composer

Judith Malina (b. 1926) in Kiel, co-director and founder of the Living Theatre in the United States, American actress

Hermann Michel (b. 1912), SS officer

Peter III of Russia (1728–1762)

Max Planck (1858–1947), physicist

Heinz Reincke (b. 1925), actor

Karl Leonhard Reinhold, philosopher

Sidney Sam (b. 1988), footballer

Harro Schulze-Boysen (1909–1942), Resistance fighter

Ernst von Salomon (1902–1972), writer

Ulrich Schnauss (b. 1977), musician

Manfred Stahnke (b. 1951), composer

Ernst Steinitz (1871–1928), mathematician

Gerhard Stoltenberg (1928–2001) politician

Johannes Nikolaus Tetens, philosopher

Ferdinand Tönnies (1855–1936), sociologist, philosopher

Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker (1912–2007), physicist, philosopher

Feridun Zaimoglu (b. 1964), author and playwright

Heiner Zieschang (1936–2004), mathematician

Carl Zuckmayer (1896–1977), writer and playwright

Sister towns

Kiel is twinned with: Brest, France (1964) Coventry, United Kingdom (1967) Vaasa, Finland (1967) Gdynia, Poland (1985) Tallinn, Estonia (1986 — at that time in the ) Stralsund, Germany (1987 — at that time in ) Kaliningrad, Russia (1992) Sovetsk, Russia (1992)

See also

Kiel, Wisconsin

References

External links

Category:1233 establishments Category:Cities in Schleswig-Holstein Category:Populated coastal places in Germany Category:German state capitals Category:Hanseatic League Category:Port cities and towns in Germany Category:Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea