Kiel

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

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Kiel 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).

Related Topics:
Germany - Bundesland - Schleswig-Holstein

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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.

Related Topics:
Baltic Sea - Bay of Kiel - Naval - 1860s - Kiel Canal - University - Christian-Albrechts-Universität

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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.

Related Topics:
Second World War - Lübeck - Schleswig

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Sights in Kiel include:

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• The Nikolaikirche (church of St Nicholas, 14th/15th century)
• Der Geistkämpfer (The Ghost 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 Möltenort and Laboe. Laboe has an impressive Marine Memorial, as well as the WWII-era submarine U-995, a popular tourist site since 1972.

Related Topics:
Möltenort - Laboe - Marine Memorial - U-995 - 1972

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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 in Kiel.

Related Topics:
Sailing - Regatta - 1882 - 1915 - 1919 - 1940 - 1946 - 1936 - 1972 - Olympic Games - Berlin - Munich - Yachting

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Kiel: History ►