Kiel#Middle Ages

{{Moresources|section|date=August 2022}}

The city of Kiel was founded in 1233 as Holstenstadt tom Kyle by Count Adolf IV of Holstein, and granted Lübeck city rights in 1242 by Adolf's eldest son, John I of Schauenburg. As a part of Holstein, Kiel belonged to the Holy Roman Empire and was situated only a few kilometres south of the Danish border.{{cite web

| title=A brief history of Kiel

| work=Kiel – a portrait of the city

| publisher=City of Kiel

| url=http://www.kiel.de/Aemter_01_bis_20/05/City_history/1history.htm

| access-date=2007-07-01

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820070919/http://www.kiel.de/Aemter_01_bis_20/05/City_history/1history.htm

| archive-date=2010-08-20

| url-status=dead

}}

File:Kiel Braun-Hogenberg.jpg

The capital of the county (later duchy) of Holstein, Kiel was a member of the Hanseatic League from 1284 until it was expelled in 1518 for harbouring pirates. The Kieler Umschlag (trade fair), first held in 1431, became the central market for goods and money in the Duchy of Holstein. It began to decline {{Circa|1850}} and ceased in 1900.

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, Felix Jacoby, Hans Geiger and Max Planck, studied or taught there.

File:SatSchleswigHolstein Hamburg.jpg

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. 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 the German Confederation in 1815. 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 1850.{{Cite web |last=Hook |first=Alison |title=Kiel, Germany – Coventry's twin towns and cities |url=https://www.coventry.gov.uk/directory-record/49243/kiel-germany |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=Coventry City Council |language=en}}

During the Second Schleswig War in 1864, Kiel and the rest of the duchies 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 formation of the Province of Schleswig-Holstein and the annexation of Kiel by Prussia in 1867. On 24 March 1865 King William I based Prussia's Baltic Sea fleet in Kiel instead of Danzig (Gdańsk). The Imperial shipyard Kiel was established in 1867 in the town.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

When William I of Prussia became Emperor William I of the German Empire in 1871, he designated Kiel and Wilhelmshaven as Reichskriegshäfen ("Imperial War Harbours"). The Kiel Yacht Club was established in 1887 with Prince Henry of Prussia as its patron. Emperor Wilhelm II became its commodore in 1891.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

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. The Kiel tramway network, opened in 1881, had been enlarged to 10 lines, with a total route length of {{convert|40|km|abbr=on}}, before the end of the First World War.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

Kiel was the site of the sailors' mutiny which led to the German Revolution in 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 the Royal 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 the Weimar Republic.{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Mark |date=19 May 2016 |editor-last=Daniel |editor-first=Ute |editor2-last=Gatrell |editor2-first=Peter |editor3-last=Janz |editor3-first=Oliver |editor4-last=Jones |editor4-first=Heather |editor5-last=Keene |editor5-first=Jennifer |editor6-last=Kramer |editor6-first=Alan |editor7-last=Nasson |editor7-first=Bill |title=Kiel Mutiny |url=https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/kiel_mutiny |access-date=26 April 2024 |website=1914–1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War |publisher=Freie Universität Berlin}}

{{wide image|Postcard Panorama of Kiel (1902).jpg|1600px|Double-postcard panorama of Kiel from across the Kiel Fjord, 1902}}

File:Kiel, Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945 CL2772.jpg capsized in the docks at Kiel after being hit in an RAF raid on the night of 9/10 April 1945.]]

File:Admiralty Chart No 696 Kieler Hafen, Published 1971.jpg

During the Second World War, Kiel remained one of the major naval bases and shipbuilding centres of the German Reich. There was also a slave labour camp for the local industry.{{cite web|author=Victor, Edward|title=Alphabetical List of Camps, Subcamps and Other Camps|url=http://www.edwardvictor.com/Holocaust/List%20of%20Camps.htm|access-date=2008-07-25|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101216205741/http://edwardvictor.com/Holocaust/List%20of%20Camps.htm|archive-date=2010-12-16}} Owing to its status as a naval port and production site for submarines, Kiel was heavily bombed by the Allies during 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.kiel.de/Aemter_01_bis_20/05/City_history/2history.htm|title=The Navy changed the face of Kiel|publisher=City of Kiel|work=Kiel — a portrait of the city|access-date=2008-07-25}} 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,{{cite book |last=Jones |first=R. V. |author-link=Reginald Victor Jones |year=1978 |title=Most Secret War: British Scientific Intelligence 1939–1945 |location=London |publisher=Hamish Hamilton |isbn=0-241-89746-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/mostsecretwar0000jone/page/466 466] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/mostsecretwar0000jone/page/466 }} 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.[http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/jul44.html Campaign Diary: July 44] {{webarchive|url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20070706011932/http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/jul44.html |date=2007-07-06 }}, [http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/diary.html Royal Air Force Bomber Command 60th Anniversary site] {{webarchive|url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20070706011932/http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/diary.html |date=2007-07-06 }}. Accessed 4 May 2007

There were several bombing raids of the port area during the period 20 February – 20 April 1945 which successfully eliminated many U-boats, and the few large warships (cruisers Hipper, Scheer, and Köln) still afloat at that time. It and its port, and the canal were seized by a British T-Force led by Major Tony Hibbert on 5 May 1945.{{Cite book |title=Living history chronicles |last=Jones |first=Gwilym Thomas |year=2001 |publisher=General Store Publishing House |isbn=1-894263-50-2 |pages=102–104 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w4Yv4RWOXGoC&q=%22T-Force%22%2BKiel&pg=PA103 |access-date=31 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217202713/http://books.google.lk/books?id=w4Yv4RWOXGoC&pg=PA103&lpg=PA103&dq=%22T-Force%22+Kiel&source=bl&ots=UoBwdJwN4j&sig=2u82SValvyuwGokQgCoaagqXuI4&hl=en&ei=rIqbSo__OYTY7AOLut3bBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#v=onepage&q=%22T-Force%22%2BKiel&f=false |archive-date=17 February 2012 }}[http://www.arcre.com/archive/wwii/targetforce/tforceh A diary of 'T' Force operations in KIEL] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023090459/http://www.arcre.com/archive/wwii/targetforce/tforceh |date=2014-10-23 }} ARCRE—Archive research & document copying{{cite web|url=http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/operation_eclipse.htm|title=Operation Eclipse|work=History Learning Site}}

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 1952.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

Today, Kiel is once again an important maritime centre of Germany, with high-tech shipbuilding, submarine construction and one of the world's largest ocean research centers, the GEOMAR. Regular ferries to Scandinavia and Lithuania, 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 again 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.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

{{moresources|section|date=August 2022}}

Kiel has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb; Trewartha: Dolk). Located on the Baltic Sea coast, the temperature fluctuates less than inland, with warm winters and cool summers throughout the year. The average temperature ranges from {{convert|2|C|F}} in winter to {{convert|17|C|F}} in summer. Days with a temperature above {{convert|30|C|F}} are rare, with an average of only 2.8 days per year.

The Kiel weather station has recorded the following extreme values:

• Highest Temperature {{convert|36.5|C|F}} on 20 July 2022.
• Warmest Minimum {{convert|22.1|C|F}} on 1 August 1994.
• Coldest Maximum {{convert|-15.4|C|F}} on 12 February 1940.
• Lowest Temperature {{convert|-24.8|C|F}} on 13 February 1940.
• Highest Daily Precipitation {{convert|104.2|mm|in|abbr=on}} on 27 August 1989.
• Wettest Month {{convert|252.0|mm|in|abbr=on}} in August 2011.
• Wettest Year {{convert|964.4|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 2002.
• Driest Year {{convert|454.4|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1959.
• Longest annual sunshine: 2,115.3 hours in 1959.
• Shortest annual sunshine: 1,299.4 hours in 1987.

{{Weather box

| location = Kiel (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1940–present{{efn|Temperature data for Kiel have been recorded since 1940. The weather station data used from 1 January 1940 to 15 October 1988 came from Kiel-Kronshagen, and temperature data from 1 January 1974 to the present are from Kiel-Holtenau.}})

| metric first = Y

| single line = Y

|Jan record high C = 14.6

|Feb record high C = 17.7

|Mar record high C = 21.9

|Apr record high C = 29.3

|May record high C = 33.5

|Jun record high C = 34.4

|Jul record high C = 36.5

|Aug record high C = 35.1

|Sep record high C = 30.1

|Oct record high C = 25.2

|Nov record high C = 19.5

|Dec record high C = 14.8

|year record high C = 36.5

|Jan avg record high C = 10.0

|Feb avg record high C = 10.8

|Mar avg record high C = 15.3

|Apr avg record high C = 21.3

|May avg record high C = 24.6

|Jun avg record high C = 27.4

|Jul avg record high C = 29.3

|Aug avg record high C = 30.0

|Sep avg record high C = 24.7

|Oct avg record high C = 19.2

|Nov avg record high C = 13.9

|Dec avg record high C = 10.8

|year avg record high C = 31.4

|Jan high C = 4.0

|Feb high C = 4.6

|Mar high C = 8.0

|Apr high C = 12.7

|May high C = 16.5

|Jun high C = 19.8

|Jul high C = 22.2

|Aug high C = 22.1

|Sep high C = 18.2

|Oct high C = 13.1

|Nov high C = 8.0

|Dec high C = 5.0

|year high C = 12.8

|Jan mean C = 2.0

|Feb mean C = 2.3

|Mar mean C = 4.4

|Apr mean C = 8.1

|May mean C = 12.0

|Jun mean C = 15.3

|Jul mean C = 17.7

|Aug mean C = 17.6

|Sep mean C = 14.2

|Oct mean C = 10.0

|Nov mean C = 5.8

|Dec mean C = 3.0

|year mean C = 9.3

|Jan low C = -0.4

|Feb low C = -0.4

|Mar low C = 1.4

|Apr low C = 3.9

|May low C = 7.2

|Jun low C = 10.5

|Jul low C = 13.0

|Aug low C = 13.1

|Sep low C = 10.6

|Oct low C = 6.9

|Nov low C = 3.4

|Dec low C = 0.9

|year low C = 5.8

|Jan avg record low C = -8.3

|Feb avg record low C = -7.5

|Mar avg record low C = -4.2

|Apr avg record low C = -2.2

|May avg record low C = 0.2

|Jun avg record low C = 5.2

|Jul avg record low C = 8.2

|Aug avg record low C = 8.0

|Sep avg record low C = 5.1

|Oct avg record low C = 0.5

|Nov avg record low C = -2.9

|Dec avg record low C = -6.1

|year avg record low C = -10.4

|Jan record low C = -20.8

|Feb record low C = -24.8

|Mar record low C = -14.5

|Apr record low C = -6.9

|May record low C = -3.0

|Jun record low C = 1.6

|Jul record low C = 4.3

|Aug record low C = 4.7

|Sep record low C = 0.6

|Oct record low C = -6.2

|Nov record low C = -12.0

|Dec record low C = -15.1

|year record low C = -24.8

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 66.8

|Feb precipitation mm = 49.7

|Mar precipitation mm = 49.9

|Apr precipitation mm = 39.7

|May precipitation mm = 51.4

|Jun precipitation mm = 65.1

|Jul precipitation mm = 83.8

|Aug precipitation mm = 77.3

|Sep precipitation mm = 65.6

|Oct precipitation mm = 72.1

|Nov precipitation mm = 63.7

|Dec precipitation mm = 70.5

|year precipitation mm = 754.2

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 18.6

|Feb precipitation days = 16.8

|Mar precipitation days = 15.3

|Apr precipitation days = 13.2

|May precipitation days = 13.4

|Jun precipitation days = 14.0

|Jul precipitation days = 15.3

|Aug precipitation days = 15.6

|Sep precipitation days = 15.4

|Oct precipitation days = 17.1

|Nov precipitation days = 18.4

|Dec precipitation days = 19.3

|year precipitation days = 190.7

|Jan snow depth cm = 4.9

|Feb snow depth cm = 7.1

|Mar snow depth cm = 4.1

|Apr snow depth cm = 0.2

|May snow depth cm = 0

|Jun snow depth cm = 0

|Jul snow depth cm = 0

|Aug snow depth cm = 0

|Sep snow depth cm = 0

|Oct snow depth cm = 0

|Nov snow depth cm = 1.1

|Dec snow depth cm = 3.5

|year snow depth cm = 11.5

|unit snow days = 1.0 cm

|Jan snow days = 5.0

|Feb snow days = 6.4

|Mar snow days = 1.6

|Apr snow days = 0.1

|May snow days = 0

|Jun snow days = 0

|Jul snow days = 0

|Aug snow days = 0

|Sep snow days = 0

|Oct snow days = 0

|Nov snow days = 0.6

|Dec snow days = 2.8

|year snow days =

|humidity colour = green

|Jan humidity = 86.7

|Feb humidity = 84.1

|Mar humidity = 80.3

|Apr humidity = 74.8

|May humidity = 73.4

|Jun humidity = 73.9

|Jul humidity = 73.8

|Aug humidity = 75.5

|Sep humidity = 79.4

|Oct humidity = 82.5

|Nov humidity = 86.5

|Dec humidity = 88.0

|Jan sun = 40.2

|Feb sun = 60.5

|Mar sun = 115.4

|Apr sun = 190.3

|May sun = 243.7

|Jun sun = 228.3

|Jul sun = 242.2

|Aug sun = 216.7

|Sep sun = 155.1

|Oct sun = 106.2

|Nov sun = 50.3

|Dec sun = 31.4

|year sun = 1673.2

|source 1 = World Meteorological Organization{{cite web

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231012161156/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Kiel-Holtenau_10046.csv

|archive-date = 12 October 2023

|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Kiel-Holtenau_10046.csv

|title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020

|work = World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020)

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = 12 October 2023}}

|source 2 = DWD Open Data

{{cite web

|url = https://www.wetterzentrale.de/extremes_mon.php?station=2565&maand=1&country=1&order=1&extreem=X_TX

|title = Extremwertanalyse der DWD-Stationen, Tagesmaxima, Dekadenrekorde, usw.

|publisher = DWD

|language = de

|access-date = 18 November 2023}}

{{cite web

|url = https://www.wetterzentrale.de/extremes_mon.php?station=2564&maand=1&country=1&order=1&extreem=X_TX

|title = Extremwertanalyse der DWD-Stationen, Tagesmaxima, Dekadenrekorde, usw.

|publisher = DWD

|language = de

|access-date = 18 November 2023}}{{cite web

|url = http://sklima.de/datenbank_auswertung.php?tab=2

|title = Monatsauswertung

|website = sklima.de

|publisher = SKlima

|language = de

|access-date = 29 October 2024}}

}}

{{notelist}}

File:Kiel Population Density.svgKiel has about 40 districts, but there is no standard division. The districts are traditionally grouped into 30 boroughs (Stadtteile)[https://www.kiel.de/de/kiel_zukunft/statistik_kieler_zahlen/_kleinraeumige_berichte/Statistischer_Bericht_Nr._269_-_Kieler_Stadtteile_2019.pdf]. Another, more recent structure summarizes the districts in 18 political districts (Ortsteile)[https://www.kiel.de/de/kiel_zukunft/statistik_kieler_zahlen/_kleinraeumige_berichte/Statistischer_Bericht_Nr._270_-_Kieler_Ortsteile_2019.pdf]. The city has 25 electoral districts.

The biggest districts, by population, are Wik (20,100), Gaarden-Ost (19,200) and Mettenhof (19,900).https://www.kiel.de/de/kiel_zukunft/statistik_kieler_zahlen/_kleinraeumige_berichte/Statistischer_Bericht_Nr._296_-_Kieler_Stadtteile_2023.pdf 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 of Schleswig-Holstein are also mainly based in these neighbourhoods, particularly Düsternbrook. In contrast to the heavy bomb damage inflicted on the central parts of the city during the Second 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.{{Cite web|title = Kleiner Kiel Kanal|url = http://www.kleiner-kiel-kanal.de/|website = kleiner-kiel-kanal.de|access-date = 2015-08-27}}

File:Geistkaempfer Barlach Kiel.jpg, by Ernst Barlach]]

The oldest building in the city is the 13th century Church of St. Nicholas, which has a sculpture by Ernst Barlach in front of it called 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 streets in Germany. The Rathaus (Town Hall), which was built in 1911, has an operating paternoster lift 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 Opernhaus Kiel (Kiel Opera House). There are also a number of lakes and parks in the city centre, such as Schrevenpark. There are two botanical gardens, the Old Botanical Garden and the Botanischer 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 as Strande, Kiel-Schilksee, Möltenort and Laboe, 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, Volksfest and 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 association Museen 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.[http://www.kiel.de/kultur/museen/stadtmuseum.php "Kieler Stadtmuseum Warleberger Hof"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090826155847/http://www.kiel.de/kultur/museen/stadtmuseum.php |date=2009-08-26 }}, City of Kiel webpage, in German Particularly intriguing is the history of the carnival in Kiel.

The Schifffahrtsmuseum is in the former fish market building in the harbour.{{cite web | title=Kieler Schifffahrtsmuseum Fischhalle | website=Geschichte & Konzept | url=https://www.kiel.de/de/kultur_freizeit/museum/_schifffahrtsmuseum_fischhalle_geschichte_und_konzept.php | language=de | access-date=2025-02-06}}

Laboe is home to the Laboe Naval Memorial and the Second World War submarine {{GS|U-995||2}}, which are both popular tourist sites.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

File:Willy Lucas - Die Holstenstraße in Kiel 1917.jpg|Holstenstraße Kiel 1917, by Willy Lucas

File:Ubena von Bremen Kiel2007.jpg|Historic ships at Kiel Week

File:Alter Botanischer Garten Kiel Pavillon.jpg|Old Botanical Garden, Kiel

File:U995 Laboe.jpg|U995 Laboe

File:Warleberger Hof Wappen Kiel2008.jpg|Warleberger Hof

File:Kiel Holtenau Leuchtturm.jpg|Lighthouse in Kiel-Holtenau

File:Opernhaus Kiel msu2017-9209.jpg|Opera House

File:Kiel Wasserturm.jpg|Water tower in Kiel-Ravensberg

{{Historical populations|1300|1000|1450|2000|1682|3310|1750|4500|1871|31764|1900|107977|1919|205330|1925|213587|1933|218335|1939|273735|1951|259629|1956|256727|1961|273284|1966|270309|1971|269437|1976|259403|1981|249786|1986|243626|1990|245567|2001|232242|2011|235782|2022|249132|2023|250412footnote=Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions.

Source:Link{{Circular reference|date=August 2019}}{{cite web |title=Germany: States and Major Cities|url=https://citypopulation.de/en/germany/cities/}}|250412}}

Kiel has a population of 250,412.{{Cite web |last=Stadtamt |title=Die Kieler Stadtteile 2023 STATISTISCHER BERICHT Nr. 296 |url=https://www.kiel.de/de/kiel_zukunft/statistik_kieler_zahlen/_kleinraeumige_berichte/Statistischer_Bericht_Nr._296_-_Kieler_Stadtteile_2023.pdf |access-date=30 March 2025}} In 1946, when Kiel became the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, its population was about 214,000. Kiel is Germany's largest coastal city and its 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.

File:Ayuntamiento, Kiel, Alemania, 2019-09-10, DD 51-53 HDR.jpg

The City Council is the municipal representative body of Kiel. Its composition is determined by citizens in elections held every five years.

Since the last election on May 14, 2023, in which Alliance 90/The Greens became the strongest party in Kiel for the first time, the city has been governed by a green-red coalition. This coalition, formed by the Greens and the SPD, holds 25 of the 49 seats in the Kiel City Council and operates under a cooperation agreement from 2023 to 2028.{{cite web |title=Kieler-Kooperationsvereinbarung-Gruene-und-SPD-2023-2028 |url=https://gruene-kiel.de/wp-content/uploads/sites/69/2023/08/Kieler-Kooperationsvereinbarung-Gruene-und-SPD-2023-2028.pdf |access-date=2024-11-27}}

The current mayor of Kiel is Ulf Kämpfer of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Kämpfer has stated that he will not run for a third five year term.{{cite web | last=Müller | first=Kay | title=Kieler Oberbürgermeister Ulf Kämpfer tritt nicht für dritte Amtszeit an | publisher=shz.de | date=2024-08-27 | url=https://www.shz.de/lokales/kiel/artikel/ulf-kaempfer-will-nicht-erneut-buergermeister-von-kiel-werden-47651687 | language=de | access-date=2024-11-28}} His current term ends in 2026. The results of the 29 October 2019 election were as follows.:

{{election table}}

! colspan=2| Candidate

! Party

! Votes

! %

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|

| align=left| Ulf Kämpfer

| align=left| Social Democratic Party

| 48,033

| 65.8

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}|

| align=left| Andreas Ellendt

| align=left| Christian Democratic Union

| 14,776

| 20.3

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|

| align=left| Björn Thoroe

| align=left| The Left

| 6,643

| 9.1

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Die PARTEI}}|

| align=left| Florian Wrobel

| align=left| Die PARTEI

| 3,513

| 4.8

|-

! colspan=3| Valid votes

! 72,965

! 99.3

|-

! colspan=3| Invalid votes

! 500

! 0.7

|-

! colspan=3| Total

! 73,465

! 100.0

|-

! colspan=3| Electorate/voter turnout

! 193,653

! 37.9

|-

| colspan=7| Source: [https://www.kiel.de/de/politik_verwaltung/wahlen_abstimmungen/_ergebnisse_ob/wahl_eines_oberbuergermeisters_gemeinde_2000.html City of Kiel]

|}

File:2018 Kiel City Council election.svg

The Kiel city council governs the city alongside the Mayor. The results of the city council election on 6 May 2018 were as follows:

{{election table}}

! colspan=2| Party

! Votes

! %

! +/-

! Seats

! +/-

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|

| align=left| Social Democratic Party (SPD)

| 26,617

| 29.9

| {{decrease}} 5.8

| 18

| {{decrease}} 1

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}|

| align=left| Christian Democratic Union (CDU)

| 20,987

| 23.5

| {{decrease}} 6.2

| 14

| {{decrease}} 1

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}|

| align=left| Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne)

| 18,215

| 20.4

| {{increase}} 2.8

| 12

| {{increase}} 3

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|

| align=left| The Left (Die Linke)

| 6,437

| 7.2

| {{increase}} 3.8

| 4

| {{increase}} 2

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}|

| align=left| Free Democratic Party (FDP)

| 5,764

| 6.5

| {{increase}} 2.6

| 4

| {{increase}} 2

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Alternative for Germany}}|

| align=left| Alternative for Germany (AfD)

| 5,293

| 5.9

| New

| 3

| New

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|South Schleswig Voters' Association}}|

| align=left| South Schleswig Voters' Association (SSW)

| 2,521

| 2.8

| {{decrease}} 0.6

| 2

| ±0

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Die PARTEI}}|

| align=left| Die PARTEI

| 2,278

| 2.6

| New

| 2

| New

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Pirate Party Germany}}|

| align=left| Pirate Party Germany (Piraten)

| 1,011

| 1.1

| {{decrease}} 1.9

| 1

| {{decrease}} 1

|-

| colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey|

|-

|

| align=left| Independent

| 36

| 0.0

| New

| 0

| New

|-

! colspan=2| Valid votes

! 89,159

! 99.1

!

!

!

|-

! colspan=2| Invalid votes

! 766

! 0.9

!

!

!

|-

! colspan=2| Total

! 89,925

! 100.0

!

! 59

! {{increase}} 6

|-

! colspan=2| Electorate/voter turnout

! 196,334

! 45.8

! {{increase}} 8.7

!

!

|-

| colspan=7| Source: [https://www.kiel.de/de/kiel_zukunft/statistik_kieler_zahlen/_statistische_wahlberichte/Statistischer_Bericht_Nr._255_-_Die_Gemeindewahl_am_6_mai_2018_in_Kiel_-_amtliches_Endergebnis.pdf City of Kiel]

|}

File:Holstein-Stadion Luftbild 2019.jpg is the home ground of KSV Holstein.]]

There are a number of sports venues in Kiel, most notably the Wunderino 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. Holstein Kiel, an association football club, which plays at Holstein-Stadion, plays in the Bundesliga in the 2024–2025 season for the first time in the club's history.

The University of Kiel (German: Christian-Albrechts-Universität) was founded by Duke Christian Albrecht in 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 the German National Library of Economics – Leibniz Informationcenter for Economy, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and the research institute of the Bundeswehr for water sound and geophysics. Besides these there are other educational institutions such as the Fachhochschule 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.{{clarify|date=July 2021}} 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 the Max Planck Society.{{Cite web|url=http://www.mpg.de/787880/Korporativ_Foerdernde_Mitglieder_MPG.pdf|title=Liste der korporativ fördernden Mitglieder der MPG, PDF|date=2011-01-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110114111116/http://www.mpg.de/787880/Korporativ_Foerdernde_Mitglieder_MPG.pdf|archive-date=2011-01-14|url-status=dead|access-date=2017-09-23}}

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

There are twelve gymnasiums in 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.

BZ am NOK (Berufsbildungszentrum am Nord-Ostsee-Kanal)is a vocational training center provides education and training in over 40 professions. It includes dual training programs, vocational schools, technical colleges, and vocational grammar schools.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbz-nok.de/en/about-us/|access-date=2024-11-15 |title=About us - BBZ am NOK, Europaschule }}

File:Holsten strasse Kiel.JPG.]]

Kiel's economy is dominated by the service sector, transport and maritime industries. Kiel is also one of the major ports of the German Navy, and a leading centre of German high-tech military and civil shipbuilding. Kiel is the home of Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft, a shipyard founded in 1838 famed for its construction of submarines. HDW built the first German submarine Brandtaucher in 1850, and is today a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, the leading German group of shipyards.

In 2005, the GDP per person was €35,618, which is well above the national average of Germany and 159% of the European Union average.

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 subsidiary Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft)

Engineering and industrial machinery

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

Others

• LaserSoft Imaging
• Schenker AG
• HSH Nordbank

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

There is also an active startup scene in Kiel with startup accelerator StarterKitchen and startups like SciEngines GmbH, Real-Eyes, myBoo, SealMedia, Cliplister, Druckpreis.DE, promotionbasis.de, Yoosello, GetAnEdge, Flowy Apps, fraguru, lokalportal, PianoMotion and ubique art.{{Cite web|title = Imprint|url = http://real-eyes.eu/contact/?lang=en|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110404044534/http://real-eyes.eu/contact/?lang=en|url-status = dead|archive-date = 2011-04-04|website = real-eyes.eu|access-date = 2015-05-17|publisher = REALEYES GmbH}}{{Cite web|title = Imprint – my Boo|url = http://www.my-boo.com/imprint.html|website = bamboo bike, bikes – Kiel, Germany|access-date = 2015-05-17|archive-date = 2015-05-18|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150518093027/http://www.my-boo.com/imprint.html|url-status = dead}}{{Cite web|title=EDGE {{!}} Edge Impressum |url=http://light-instruments.de/edge-impressum/ |website=light-instruments.de |access-date=2015-05-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518101220/http://light-instruments.de/edge-impressum/ |archive-date=2015-05-18 }}{{Cite web|title = Flowy Apps – Imprint|url = https://flowyapps.com/details#imprint|website = flowyapps.com|access-date = 2015-05-17|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150322124957/https://flowyapps.com/details#imprint|archive-date = 2015-03-22|url-status = dead}}{{Cite web|title=fraguru – the art of questioning our lives |url=http://fraguru.org/ |website=fraguru.org |access-date=2015-05-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801133603/http://fraguru.org/ |archive-date=2015-08-01 }}{{Cite web|title = Mein Ort. Meine Nachbarn. Mein Lokalportal.|url = https://lokalportal.de/impressum|website = Lokalportal|access-date = 2015-05-17}}{{Cite web|title = Impressum {{!}}|url = https://www.pianomotion.com/wordpress/?page_id=14|website = pianomotion.com|access-date = 2015-05-17|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160305124338/https://www.pianomotion.com/wordpress/?page_id=14|archive-date = 2016-03-05|url-status = dead}}{{Cite web|title = Home {{!}} ubique art – Die Austellung ist überall|url = http://ubique-art.starterkitchen.de/impressum.html|website = ubique-art.starterkitchen.de|access-date = 2015-05-17}}{{Cite web|title = Firmensitze von Deutschen Startups {{!}} Gründerszene|url = http://www.gruenderszene.de/datenbank/orte/andere|website = gruenderszene.de|access-date = 2015-05-17|trans-title = Headquarter Locations of German Startups {{!}} Gründerszene}}

Kiel is home to several media companies, including a branch of the Norddeutscher Rundfunk producing one radio channel and several local programmes in Kiel, a station of the British Forces Broadcasting Service, the daily newspaper Kieler Nachrichten and several smaller local radio channels and magazines.

File:Kiel Karte 1.png

Kiel is situated near an important pan-European motorway, the A7, which connects northern Europe with central and southern Europe.

The central railway station, Kiel Hauptbahnhof, has hourly trains to Hamburg, Lübeck, Flensburg, and Husum. The Intercity Express (ICE) connects Kiel with Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne and Munich. There are 8 regional railway stations within the city proper,Suchsdorf, Kronshagen, Kiel-Hassee CITTI-Park, Kiel-Russee, Melsdorf, Kiel-Schulen am Langsee, Kiel-Elmschenhagen, Raisdorf{{cite web|title=Liniennetzplan Kiel (Public Transport Plan Kiel) |url=http://www.kvg-kiel.de/pdf/2015-02-01_KVG_Liniennetzplan_Kiel.pdf |publisher=KVG Kiel |access-date=16 May 2015 |ref=transport_plan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319203556/http://kvg-kiel.de/pdf/2015-02-01_KVG_Liniennetzplan_Kiel.pdf |archive-date=19 March 2015 }} 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.{{cite web|title=VRK Tarifzonenplan (Tariff Zone Plan Kiel) |url=http://www.kvg-kiel.de/pdf/2015-02-01_VRK_Tarifzonenplan.pdf |publisher=Verkehrsregion Kiel |access-date=16 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701211811/http://www.kvg-kiel.de/pdf/2015-02-01_VRK_Tarifzonenplan.pdf |archive-date= 1 July 2015 }}

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.

File:Luftbildaufnahme Kieler Förde Bickrichtung Hörn.jpg

The Port of Kiel is a significant port for passenger and cargo shipping from Germany to Scandinavia, the Baltic States and Russia. Passenger ferries operate to and from Gothenburg in Sweden (Stena Line, 13{{frac|1|2}} hours, daily), Oslo in Norway (Color Line, 19{{frac|1|2}} 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 {{convert|90|km}} 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.

{{Main|List of people from Kiel}}

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}

Kiel is twinned with:{{cite web |title=Kiel international im Überblick|url=https://www.kiel.de/de/kiel_zukunft/kiel_international/index.php|website=kiel.de|publisher=Kiel|language=de|access-date=2024-03-07}}

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

• {{flagicon|DEN}} Aarhus, Denmark (2019)
• {{flagicon|TUR}} Antakya, Turkey (2012)
• {{flagicon|FRA}} Brest, France (1964)
• {{flagicon|UK}} Coventry, United Kingdom (1947)
• {{flagicon|POL}} Gdynia, Poland (1985)
• {{flagicon|RUS}} Kaliningrad, Russia (1992)
• {{flagicon|UKR}} Kherson, Ukraine (2024)
• {{flagicon|TZA}} Moshi Rural District, Tanzania (2009)
• {{flagicon|TUR}} Samsun, Turkey (2010)
• {{flagicon|USA}} San Francisco, USA (2017)
• {{flagicon|RUS}} Sovetsk, Russia (1992)
• {{flagicon|GER}} Stralsund, Germany (1987)
• {{flagicon|EST}} Tallinn, Estonia (1986)
• {{flagicon|FIN}} Vaasa, Finland (1967)

{{div col end}}

{{Portal|Germany|Geography}}

• Kiel, Wisconsin
• Steenbek-Projensdorf

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{commons}}

• {{Official website}}
• [https://kiel-sailing-city.de/en Official tourism]

{{Wikivoyage|Kiel}}

• [http://www.museen-am-meer.com Official website of the association museen am meer]

{{Geographic location

|Centre = Kiel

|North = Baltic Sea, Århus

|Northeast = Baltic Sea, Schönberg, Laboe, Copenhagen

|East = Fehmarn island, Oldenburg in Holstein

|Southeast = Lübeck

|South = Neumünster, Bad Segeberg, Hamburg

|Southwest = Bordesholm, Itzehoe

|West = Rendsburg

|Northwest = Eckernförde, Flensburg

}}

{{Capitals of the states of the Federal Republic of Germany}}

{{List of European capitals by region}}

{{Cities in Germany}}

{{Hanseatic League}}

{{Germany districts schleswig-holstein}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1233 establishments in Europe

Category:Cities in Schleswig-Holstein

Category:German state capitals

Category:Members of the Hanseatic League

Category:Populated coastal places in Germany (Baltic Sea)

Category:Populated places established in the 13th century

Category:Port cities and towns in Germany

Category:Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea

Category:Urban districts of Schleswig-Holstein