A short history of Kiel

The founder of the city, Adolf IV, Count of Schauenburg and Holstein, instantly recognised its favourable position by the sea. In around 1233 he initiated the creation of his “Holsten stadt tom Kyle” on the peninsula formed by the arm of the fjord - the present-day “Little Kiel”.

From the air, the old ground plan of the city can still
clearly be seen. Foto: Wolfgang Okon

1242
Kiel received its Town Charter.

From the 14th century onwards, Kiel was the site of an important capital market, the traditional "Kieler Umschlag". Modern-day traders and craftsmen commemorate this market every February with a folk festival.

 

The lecture hall and the building of
central administration on the campus

1665
The intellectual climate of the city had a long-lasting influence on the founding of the University.

1865
Kiel’s rather introspective existence changed rapidly when Kiel became a Prussian naval base and in 1871 the German imperial naval harbour. The Navy was quickly followed by the shipyards, and the shipyards by the workers. Kiel grew into a major city within just a few decades.

The shipyad at Kiel-Friedrichsort
was founded in 1919

1918
At the end of the First World War, the sailors’ mutiny at Kiel was the signal for the revolution in Germany. This led to the end of the Empire and the first German democracy, the Weimar Republic.

1933
Under the National Socialist regime, the arms build-up once again brought a unilateral military focus to the city. For this reason, during the Second World War Kiel became a major target for attack by the allied bombers.

Building of the parliament of Schleswig-Holstein

1945
After 90 air attacks, three quarters of the city of Kiel lay in ruins.

1946
Under British occupation, Kiel became the capital of the new independent federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. For the young federal republic, Kiel soon became a gateway to the international community. The Kieler Woche played a special role in the unofficial, yet effective “communal foreign policy” of the capital of Schleswig-Holstein. It has created the foundations for long-term international partnerships with Scandinavia and later in the direction of Eastern Europe in particular.

1972
Kiel became the venue for the Olympic sailing regattas for the second time (following 1936).

1992
750th anniversary of the city of Kiel

2002
Kiel is the destination port for the Volvo Ocean Race Round the World

2003
A Lady Mayoress is elected for the first time

2007
125 years Kieler Woche

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