Trips: Kiel

Kiel, Germany, is a port city on both sides of the Kiel Fjord, an inlet of the western Baltic Sea, and lies at the eastern end of the Kiel Canal. The city was founded in 1242. In 1773 Kiel became part of Denmark, which ceded Norway to Sweden by the Treaty of Kiel in 1814. The city passed to Prussia in 1866 along with the rest of Schleswig-Holstein and became the capital of that province in 1917. After 1871 it also became an important naval base; it was the site of the German naval mutiny (1918) and a target of Allied bombing during World War II.

The city has a magnificent commercial harbour and yachting facilities. Ferryboats ply between Kiel’s eastern and western shores and serve adjacent fishing villages and resorts. Shipbuilding and engineering are the city’s main industries. Other industries produce ship motors, locomotives, electrical equipment, precision instruments, and foodstuffs.

Kiel was largely destroyed in World War II but has since been rebuilt with extensive green spaces.