Kiel

For other uses, seeKiel (disambiguation).

Kiel(/kiːl/;German:[kiːl]) is the capital and most populous city in the northernGermanstate ofSchleswig-Holstein,with a population of 246,243 (2021).

Kiel
City
Top to bottom, left to right: aerial view includingKiel Fjordand harbor, city hall onRathausplatz,Maritime Museum,Laboe Naval Memorialandsubmarine U-995,City Hall Tower andOpera Houseas seen from theKleine Kiel
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Kiel
Kiel Kiel
Coordinates:54°19′24″N10°08′22″E
Country	Germany
State	Schleswig-Holstein
District	Urban district
Subdivisions	18 districts
Government
•Lord mayor	Ulf Kämpfer
• Governing parties	SPD/Greens/ South Schleswig Voter Federation
Area
•City	118.6 km2(45.8 sq mi)
Elevation	5 m (16 ft)
Population (2022-12-31)
•City	247,717
• Density	2,100/km2(5,400/sq mi)
•Metro	643,594
Time zone	UTC+01:00(CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00(CEST)
Postal codes	24103–24159
Dialling codes	0431
Vehicle registration	KI
Website	www.kiel.de

Kiel lies approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi) north ofHamburg,and about the same distance south of theDanish border.Due to its geographic location in the southeast of theJutlandpeninsula on the southwestern shore of theBaltic Sea,Kiel has become one of Germany's major maritime centres, known for a variety of internationalsailingevents, including the annualKiel Week,which is the biggest sailing event in the world. Kiel is also known for theKiel Mutiny,when sailors refused orders to prepare to engage the British Navy in the last weeks ofWorld War I,sparking theGerman Revolutionwhich led to the abdication of theKaiserand the formation of theWeimar Republic.The Olympic sailing competitions of the1936and the1972 Summer Olympicswere held in theBay of Kiel.

Kiel has also been one of the traditional homes of theGerman Navy'sBalticfleet, and continues to be a major high-techshipbuildingcentre. Located in Kiel is theGEOMAR – Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kielat theUniversity of Kiel.Kiel is an important sea transport hub, thanks to its location on theKiel Fjord(Kieler Förde) and the busiest artificial waterway in the world,Kiel Canal(Nord-Ostsee-Kanal). A number of passenger ferries toSweden,Norway,Lithuaniaand other countries operate from here. Moreover, todayPort of Kielis a popular destination forcruise shipstouring the Baltic Sea.

Kiel'srecorded historybegan in the 13th century. Before then, in the eighth century, it was a Danish village. Until 1864 it was administered byDenmarkinpersonal union.In 1866 the city was annexed byPrussiaand in 1871 it became part of Germany.

Kiel was one of the founding cities of the originalEuropean Green Capital Awardin 2006.In 2005 Kiel'sGDPper capita was€35,618, which is well aboveGermany's national average, and 159% of theEuropean Union's average.

History

Middle Ages

The city of Kiel was founded in 1233 asHolstenstadt tom Kyleby CountAdolf IV of Holstein,and grantedLübeck city rightsin 1242 by Adolf's eldest son,John Iof Schauenburg. As a part of Holstein, Kiel belonged to theHoly Roman Empireand was situated only a few kilometres south of theDanishborder.

Kiel in the 16th century

The capital of the county (later duchy) ofHolstein,Kiel was a member of theHanseatic Leaguefrom 1284 until it was expelled in 1518 for harbouringpirates.TheKieler Umschlag(trade fair), first held in 1431, became the central market for goods and money in thr Duchy of Holstein. It began to declinec. 1850and ceased in 1900.

Modern times

TheUniversity of Kielwas founded on 29 September 1665 byChristian Albert,Duke ofHolstein-Gottorp.A number of important scholars, includingTheodor Mommsen,Felix Jacoby,Hans GeigerandMax Planck,studied or taught there.

Schleswig-Holstein with Kiel Fjord at the Baltic Coast

From 1773 to 1864, the town belonged to the king ofDenmark.However, because the king ruled Holstein as a fief of theHoly Roman Empireonly through apersonal 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, which became a member of theGerman Confederationin 1815. WhenSchleswigand Holstein rebelled against Denmark in 1848 (theFirst Schleswig War), Kiel became the capital of Schleswig-Holstein until the Danish victory in 1850.

During theSecond Schleswig Warin 1864, Kiel and the rest of the duchies ofSchleswigandHolsteinwere conquered by aGerman Confederationalliance of theAustrian Empireand theKingdom of Prussia.After the war, Kiel was briefly administered by both the Austrians and the Prussians, but theAustro-Prussian Warin 1866 led to the formation of theProvince of Schleswig-Holsteinand the annexation of Kiel by Prussia in 1867. On 24 March 1865 KingWilliam Ibased Prussia's Baltic Sea fleet in Kiel instead ofDanzig (Gdańsk).TheImperial shipyard Kielwas established in 1867 in the town.

When William I of Prussia became EmperorWilliam Iof theGerman Empirein 1871, he designated Kiel andWilhelmshavenasReichskriegshäfen( "Imperial War Harbours" ). The prestigiousKiel Yacht Clubwas established in 1887 withPrince Henry of Prussiaas its patron. Emperor Wilhelm II became itscommodorein 1891.

Because of its new role as Germany's main naval base, Kiel very 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. TheKiel tramway network,opened in 1881, had been enlarged to 10 lines, with a total route length of 40 km (25 mi), before the end of theFirst World War.

Kiel was the site of thesailors' mutinywhich led to theGerman Revolutionin late 1918. Just before the end of the First World War, the German fleet stationed at Kiel was ordered to sail out for a last great battle with theRoyal Navy.The sailors, who thought of it as a suicide mission which would have no effect on the outcome of the war, decided they had nothing to lose and refused to obey orders. They took over Kiel and then spread out to other north German ports, sparking the revolution which led to the abolition of the monarchy and the creation of theWeimar Republic.

Double-postcard panorama of Kiel from across the Kiel Fjord, 1902

TheGerman cruiserAdmiral Scheercapsized in the docks at Kiel after being hit in an RAF raid on the night of 9/10 April 1945.

Kiel Harbour, an Admiralty chart of 1971

During theSecond World War,Kiel remained one of the major naval bases and shipbuilding centres of the German Reich. There was also aslavelabour campfor the local industry.Owing to its status as a naval port and as production site for submarines, Kiel was heavily bombed by theAlliesduring this period. The bombing destroyed more than 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 three days; trains and buses did not run for eight days and there was no gas available for cooking for three weeks.

There were several bombing raids of the port area during the period 20 February – 20 April 1945 which successfully eliminated manyU-boats,and the few large warships (cruisersHipper,Scheer,andKöln) still afloat at that time. Although the town was beyond the stop-line set for the western Allies in theGerman surrender at Lüneburg Heath,it and its port, its scientists, and the canal were seized by a BritishT-Forceled by MajorTony Hibberton 5 May 1945.This forestalled capture of the town by the Soviets, whom the western Allies expected to advance from Germany toDenmarkin violation of theYalta agreement.

Like other heavily bombed German cities, the city was rebuilt after the war. In 1946, Kiel was named the seat of government forSchleswig-Holstein,and it officially became the state's capital in 1952. Today, Kiel is once again an important maritime centre of Germany, with high-tech shipbuilding,submarineconstruction and one of the three leading institutions in the field of marine sciences in Europe, the IFM-GEOMAR. Regular ferries to Scandinavia and Lithuania, as well as the largest sailing event in the world called theKiel Week(Kieler Woche) in German and The Kiel Regatta in English. TheKieler Umschlagis another festival, which has been taking place again since 1975. Kiel is also home to a large service sector and a number of research institutions including theUniversity of Kiel,which is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious university in the state.

Geography

Climate

Kiel has anoceanic climate(Cfbin theKöppen climate classification).

Climate data for Kiel (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1940–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	14.6 (58.3)	17.7 (63.9)	21.9 (71.4)	29.3 (84.7)	33.5 (92.3)	34.4 (93.9)	36.5 (97.7)	35.1 (95.2)	30.1 (86.2)	25.2 (77.4)	19.5 (67.1)	14.8 (58.6)	36.5 (97.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	4.0 (39.2)	4.6 (40.3)	8.0 (46.4)	12.7 (54.9)	16.5 (61.7)	19.8 (67.6)	22.2 (72.0)	22.1 (71.8)	18.2 (64.8)	13.1 (55.6)	8.0 (46.4)	5.0 (41.0)	12.8 (55.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)	2.0 (35.6)	2.3 (36.1)	4.4 (39.9)	8.1 (46.6)	12.0 (53.6)	15.3 (59.5)	17.7 (63.9)	17.6 (63.7)	14.2 (57.6)	10.0 (50.0)	5.8 (42.4)	3.0 (37.4)	9.3 (48.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−0.4 (31.3)	−0.4 (31.3)	1.4 (34.5)	3.9 (39.0)	7.2 (45.0)	10.5 (50.9)	13.0 (55.4)	13.1 (55.6)	10.6 (51.1)	6.9 (44.4)	3.4 (38.1)	0.9 (33.6)	5.8 (42.4)
Record low °C (°F)	−20.8 (−5.4)	−24.8 (−12.6)	−14.5 (5.9)	−6.9 (19.6)	−3.0 (26.6)	1.6 (34.9)	4.3 (39.7)	4.7 (40.5)	0.6 (33.1)	−6.2 (20.8)	−12.0 (10.4)	−15.1 (4.8)	−24.8 (−12.6)
Averageprecipitationmm (inches)	66.8 (2.63)	49.7 (1.96)	49.9 (1.96)	39.7 (1.56)	51.4 (2.02)	65.1 (2.56)	83.8 (3.30)	77.3 (3.04)	65.6 (2.58)	72.1 (2.84)	63.7 (2.51)	70.5 (2.78)	754.2 (29.69)
Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm)	18.6	16.8	15.3	13.2	13.4	14.0	15.3	15.6	15.4	17.1	18.4	19.3	190.7
Average snowy days(≥ 1.0 cm)	5.0	6.4	1.6	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.6	2.8	16.5
Averagerelative humidity(%)	86.7	84.1	80.3	74.8	73.4	73.9	73.8	75.5	79.4	82.5	86.5	88.0	79.9
Mean monthlysunshine hours	40.2	60.5	115.4	190.3	243.7	228.3	242.2	216.7	155.1	106.2	50.3	31.4	1,673.2
Source 1:World Meteorological Organization
Source 2: DWD (extremes)

Districts

Image showing the population density of Kiel by district. Data from 2010.

Kiel has about 40 districts, but there is no standard division. The districts are traditionally grouped into 30 boroughs (Stadtteile)[1].Another, more recent structure summarizes the districts in 18 political districts (Ortsteile)[2].The city has 25 electoral districts.

The biggest districts, by population, are Gaarden (23,000), Mettenhof (20,000) and Elmschenhagen (17,000). Gaarden, located at the southern end of the fjord, is a traditional working-class district that used to be home to mainly shipyard workers. Mettenhof is a large housing estate (satellite town) that was built in the 1960s and 1970s on the western outskirts of the city. The city districts of Düsternbrook, Schreventeich, Ravensberg and Blücherplatz, north of the city centre, are popular places to live with many 19th century buildings, villas and tree-lined streets. The government offices, ministries and parliament of the state ofSchleswig-Holsteinare also mainly based in these neighbourhoods, particularly Düsternbrook. In contrast to the heavy bomb damage inflicted on the central parts of the city during theSecond World War,most of the residential areas were not 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 to the place. These plans, most notably the "Kleiner Kiel Kanal", a restoration of a historic canal that was filled in to make place for road infrastructure, are to be implemented in the next few years.

Main sights

Geistkämpferin front of theNikolaikirche,byErnst Barlach

The oldest building in the city is the 13th centuryChurch of St. Nicholas,which has a sculpture byErnst Barlachin front of it calledGeistkämpfer.

Kiel isSchleswig-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 streets in Germany. TheRathaus(Town Hall), which was built in 1911, has an operatingpaternoster liftand the design of its tower was based on one inVenice.The square in front of it is bordered by a lake and theOpernhaus Kiel(Kiel Opera House). There are also a number of lakes and parks in the city centre, such as Schrevenpark. There are twobotanical gardens,theOld Botanical Gardenand theBotanischer Garten der Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel(or New Botanical Garden).

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

Kiel Week,also known in English as the Kiel Regatta, is the largest sailing event in the world and takes place every year in the last full week in June. Many thousands of boats and ships of all kinds and eras take part in the parade. Kiel Week is also a festival,Volksfestand fair as well as a maritime event. 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 Stadt- und Schifffahrtsmuseum Warleberger Hof (City and Maritime Museum), which belongs to the associationMuseen am Meer.In addition to preserving architecture from the 16th century and historic rooms with painted stucco ceilings, it displays urban and cultural exhibits of the 19th and 20th centuries.Particularly intriguing is the history of the carnival in Kiel.

TheSchifffahrtsmuseumis in the former fish market building in the harbour.

Laboe is home to theLaboe Naval Memorialand theSecond World WarsubmarineU-995,which are both popular tourist sites.

• 
  Holstenstraße Kiel 1917, byWilly Lucas
• 
  Historic ships atKiel Week
• 
  Old Botanical Garden, Kiel
• 
  U995 Laboe
• 
  Warleberger Hof

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1300	1,000	—
1450	2,000	+100.0%
1682	3,310	+65.5%
1750	4,500	+36.0%
1871	31,764	+605.9%
1900	107,977	+239.9%
1919	205,330	+90.2%
1925	213,587	+4.0%
1933	218,335	+2.2%
1939	273,735	+25.4%
1951	259,629	−5.2%
1956	256,727	−1.1%
1961	273,284	+6.4%
1966	270,309	−1.1%
1971	269,437	−0.3%
1976	259,403	−3.7%
1981	249,786	−3.7%
1986	243,626	−2.5%
1990	245,567	+0.8%
2001	232,242	−5.4%
2011	235,782	+1.5%
2022	249,132	+5.7%
Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions. Source:

Kiel has a population of 247,000. In 1946, when Kiel became the capital ofSchleswig-Holsteinstate, it had about population of 214,000. Kiel is not only the largest German city located on the sea, but the only state capital located on the sea. In the 1950s Kiel, with its marine port, attracted members of the navy. Kiel had its highest peak of population in 1973 at 273,000. The population declined since then. Many people moved away from this city and Kiel became very poor and had a big problems with unemployed people at that time. Kiel is now a city with universities and active marine stations which attracts many young students and marines to Kiel.

Rank	Nationality	Population (31 Dec. 2022)
1	Syria	4,810
2	Turkey	4,430
3	Ukraine	3,558
4	Iraq	2,240
5	Poland	2,095
6	Bulgaria	1,355
7	Thailand	1,287
8	Croatia	1,015
9	Russia	835
10	Iran	693

Politics

Mayor

The current mayor of Kiel isUlf Kämpferof theSocial Democratic Party(SPD). The most recent mayoral election was held on 29 October 2019, and the results were as follows:

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Ulf Kämpfer	Social Democratic Party	48,033	65.8
	Andreas Ellendt	Christian Democratic Union	14,776	20.3
	Björn Thoroe	The Left	6,643	9.1
	Florian Wrobel	Die PARTEI	3,513	4.8
Valid votes			72,965	99.3
Invalid votes			500	0.7
Total			73,465	100.0
Electorate/voter turnout			193,653	37.9
Source:City of Kiel

City council

Results of the 2018 city council election.

The Kiel city council governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 6 May 2018, and the results were as follows:

Party		Votes	%	+/-	Seats	+/-
	Social Democratic Party(SPD)	26,617	29.9	5.8	18	1
	Christian Democratic Union(CDU)	20,987	23.5	6.2	14	1
	Alliance 90/The Greens(Grüne)	18,215	20.4	2.8	12	3
	The Left(Die Linke)	6,437	7.2	3.8	4	2
	Free Democratic Party(FDP)	5,764	6.5	2.6	4	2
	Alternative for Germany(AfD)	5,293	5.9	New	3	New
	South Schleswig Voters' Association(SSW)	2,521	2.8	0.6	2	±0
	Die PARTEI	2,278	2.6	New	2	New
	Pirate Party Germany(Piraten)	1,011	1.1	1.9	1	1
	Independent	36	0.0	New	0	New
Valid votes		89,159	99.1
Invalid votes		766	0.9
Total		89,925	100.0		59	6
Electorate/voter turnout		196,334	45.8	8.7
Source:City of Kiel

Culture

Sports

There are a number of sports venues in Kiel, most notably theWunderino Arena(formerly known as Baltic Sea Hall orOstseehalle), which is the home ground of one of the most successfulteam handballclubs in the world and multiple German champion,THW Kiel.Holstein Kiel,anassociation footballclub, which plays atHolstein-Stadion,will play in theBundesligain the 2024-2025 season for the first time in club's history.

Education and scientific research

TheUniversity of Kiel(German: Christian-Albrechts-Universität) was founded by DukeChristian Albrechtin 1665. It is the only full university of Schleswig-Holstein, with about 27.000 students. Partly linked to the University Kiel are other independent research facilities such as theGerman National Library of Economics– Leibniz Informationcenter for Economy, theKiel Institute for the World Economy,theGEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kieland the research institute of theBundeswehrfor water sound and geophysics. Besides these there are other educational institutions such as theFachhochschule Kiel(founded in 1969) and the Muthesius School of Arts (founded in 1907). The projects Murmann School of Global Management and Economics and Multimedia Campus Kiel were ultimately unsuccessful.The Wirtschaftsakademie Schleswig-Holstein offers besides advanced training at the Berufsakademie dual study courses for economists, business information specialists and industrial engineers.

Noteworthy as departmental research institute is the federal institute for dairy research which was merged into the Max-Rubner-Institut together with other institutions in 2004. The state capital Kiel is a corporative sponsoring member of theMax Planck Society.

TheARGE-SH,the oldest research institution of the republic of Germany, has its headquarters in Kiel.

There are twelvegymnasiumsin Kiel, of which the Kieler Gelehrtenschule, founded in 1320 as a humanistic gymnasium, is the oldest. Other secondary schools include the Gymnasium Elmschenhagen and the Max-Planck-Schule with a focus on natural sciences. There are many comprehensive schools – partially with secondary schools – all over the city area, as well as private schools.

Economy and infrastructure

TheHolstenstraßeis one of the longest shopping streets in Germany — Kiel is the largest city in the state ofSchleswig-Holstein.

Kiel's economy is dominated by the service sector, transport and maritime industries. Kiel is also one of the major ports of theGerman Navy,and a leading centre of German high-tech military and civil shipbuilding. Kiel is the home ofHowaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft,ashipyardfounded in 1838 famed for its construction ofsubmarines.HDW built the first German submarineBrandtaucherin 1850, and is today a subsidiary ofThyssenKrupp Marine Systems,the leading German group of shipyards.

Statistics

In 2005, the GDP per person was €35,618, which is well above the national average ofGermanyand 159% of theEuropean Unionaverage.

2005 EUROSTAT	Nominal GDP per capita
Kiel	€35,618
Schleswig-Holstein	€24,250
Germany	€27,219
EU28	€22,400

Notable companies

Some of the most notable companies having branches or their headquarters in Kiel are:

Ferry operators

• DFDS Seaways
• Stena Line
• Color Line

Military contractors

• Raytheon
• Rheinmetall
• ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems(through their subsidiaryHowaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft)

Engineering and industrial machinery

• Heidelberger Druckmaschinen
• Voith
• Vossloh
• Caterpillar Inc.(through their subsidiaryMaK)

Others

• LaserSoft Imaging
• Schenker AG
• HSH Nordbank

Kiel is also home to several insurances and banks, most notably theHSH Nordbank,Provinzial NordWest,Förde Sparkasse,Kieler Volksbank eGandEvangelischen Bank eG.

There is also an active startup scene in Kiel with startup accelerator StarterKitchen and startups likeSciEngines GmbH,Real-Eyes, myBoo, SealMedia, Cliplister, Druckpreis.DE, promotionbasis.de, Yoosello, GetAnEdge, Flowy Apps, fraguru, lokalportal, PianoMotion and ubique art.

Kiel is home to several media companies, including a branch of theNorddeutscher Rundfunkproducing one radio channel and several local programmes in Kiel, a station of theBritish Forces Broadcasting Service,the daily newspaperKieler Nachrichtenand several smaller local radio channels and magazines.

Transport

traffic map

Kiel is situated near an important pan-European motorway, theA7,which connects northern Europe with central and southern Europe.

The central railway station,Kiel Hauptbahnhof,has hourly trains toHamburg,Lübeck,Flensburg,andHusum.TheIntercity Express(ICE) connects Kiel withBerlin,Frankfurt,CologneandMunich.There are 8 regional railway stations within the city proper,which are connected with each other, the main railway station Kiel Hbf and other stations by regional trains, which can be used within the boundaries of the city with a normal bus ticket.

The city's bus service is provided by local company KVG. Autokraft and Verkehrsbetriebe Kreis Plön providing regional bus service, and the Schlepp- und Fährgesellschaft Kiel provides public transport on the fjord with ferries.

ThePort of Kielis a significant port for passenger and cargo shipping from Germany toScandinavia,theBaltic StatesandRussia.Passenger ferries operate to and fromGothenburginSweden(Stena Line,131⁄2hours, daily),OsloinNorway(Color Line,191⁄2hours, daily), andKlaipėdainLithuania(DFDS Lisco,21 hours, 6 times per week). Cargo ferries operate from and toSaint PetersburginRussia(DFDS Lisco,twice a week), andKaliningradinRussia(NSA, once a week).

The nearest international airport isHamburg Airport,which is situated approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi) to the south of Kiel. There is a shuttle bus service (KIELIUS) operating between Hamburg Airport and Kiel central railway station. There is also an airport at Lübeck.

Notable people

Main article:List of people from Kiel

Twin towns – sister cities

See also:List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Kiel istwinnedwith:

• Aarhus,Denmark (2019)
• Antakya,Turkey (2012)
• Brest,France (1964)
• Coventry,United Kingdom (1947)
• Gdynia,Poland (1985)
• Kaliningrad,Russia (1992)
• Kherson,Ukraine (2024)
• Moshi Rural District,Tanzania (2009)
• Samsun,Turkey (2010)
• San Francisco,USA (2017)
• Sovetsk,Russia (1992)
• Stralsund,Germany (1987)
• Tallinn,Estonia (1986)
• Vaasa,Finland (1967)

See also

• Kiel, Wisconsin
• Steenbek-Projensdorf

External links

• Official website
• Official tourism

• Official website of the association museen am meer