Kiel

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

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Located on the Baltic Sea (Bay of Kiel) at the head of the Kieler F?rde (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-Universit?t) 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 L?beck or Schleswig.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sights in Kiel include:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• The Nikolaikirche (church of St Nicholas, 14th/15th century)
• Der Geistk?mpfer (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 M?ltenort 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 in Kiel.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kiel: History ►



 

Bundesland: Bundesland (plural Bundesl?nder), also known as Land (plural L?nder) is the German language name for the federal states of Austria and Germany....

Baltic Sea: The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainlands of Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, Central Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the ?resund, the Great Belt and the Little Belt. Kattegat then continues in the Skagerr...

Bay of Kiel: Bay of Kiel (German: Kieler Bucht; Polish: Zatoka Kilo?ska) is a basin in the south-western Baltic Sea, off the shores of German land Schleswig-Holstein and the islands of Denmark....




Kiel related Images and Photos (experimental)

The Deployment of Kiel's Royal Marines to Cameroon

The Naval Review in Kiel on the 3rd September 1890