From the naval academy to the house of the Land parliament

The naval academy in 1888
The naval academy in 1888

When the German Empire was proclaimed in 1871, Kiel was appointed Reichskriegshafen (imperial naval port) and the construction of extensive naval facilities along the fjord was begun, one of which was the imperial naval academy, completed in 1888. Today it houses the Land Government of Schleswig-Holstein.

The naval academy in 1930, aerial photograph
The naval academy in 1930,
aerial photograph
Schleswig-Holstein’s house of parliament with the new plenary hall, 2007, aerial photograph
Schleswig-Holstein’s house of parliament
with the new plenary hall, 2007, aerial photograph

Up until World War I, this monumental brickwork edifice accommodated the educational facilities for the naval officers. At the time, expansion of the German naval fleet and the strengthening of Germany’s navy were the foremost targets of Wilhelminian politics. After the 1918 sailor’s mutiny in Kiel and the subsequent proclamation of the republic, many of the symbols of imperial splendour were removed from the building. Later the Marinestation Ostsee (Baltic naval station) was located here, which, from 1935 under the Nazi regime, aimed at implementing policies of aggressive fleet expansion.

It would take until the end of the World War II and the establishment of the Land Schleswig-Holstein for the building, so majestically situated on the fjord, to enter into an era of civil use. Heavily damaged in bomb raids during the war, the building received its current modernistic and unadorned appearance during the 1947-1950 reconstruction, appropriate for the seat of a democratic land government. In 2005 a glass plenary hall was added, visually conveying qualities of transparency and openness to the public.

This point’s location on the map
Link to the city map