KIEL, the chief town of the province of Schleswig-Holstein in Prussia, is picturesquely situated at the southern end of the Kieler Föhrde, about 66 miles north-east of Hamburg by rail. It consists of a somewhat cramped old town and a better built and more spacious jιewer part, increased since 1869 by the inclusion of Brunswiek and Düsternbrook. In the old town stands the palace, built in the 13th century, and enlarged by Catherine II. of Russia in the 18th; it contains the university library of 150,000 volumes, and a small collection of casts of antique sculpture and of Thorwaldsen’s works. Other interesting buildings are the church of St Nicholas, dating from 1240, with a lofty tower; the old town-house; the prison and court-house; the observatory; the theatre; the Government naval offices; and the Thaulaw museum, opened in 1877. The university, founded in 1665 by Christian Albert, duke of Schleswig, and named after him Christiana Albertina, had in 1881 a teaching-staff of 69, with 380 students. The new university buildings were completed in 1876. A naval academy was opened in 1875. Among the public charities there are three hospitals, a blind asylum, an orphanage, an idiot asylum, and a large institution for poor citizens and their widows. Kiel is the most important naval harbour of Germany, and the station of the German Baltic fleet; the port and its approaches are very strongly fortified. The land defences, not yet completed, are to consist of eleven forts, completely encircling the town. The imperial dockyards on the east side of the haven include two large basins (one 235 yards square, the other 271 yards by 235 yards), connected by a canal 70 yards long, four dry docks (each 100 to 120 yards long by 24 or 25 yards wide), and a wet dock. Near them are the ...yards of a large shipbuilding company. The excellence and safety of Kiel harbour, whose only drawback is that it is frozen in winter, have made the town one of the principal ports of the Baltic. It carries on a very active trade with the Danish islands as well as with the Continent. The chief imports are grain, coal, timber, and cattle; the chief exports, timber, coal, fish, and agricultural produce. Iron-founding and the manufacture of machinery, wooden wares, carpets, tobacco, and oil form the leading industries after the shipping trade. In 1879 there entered at Kiel 3074 ships, representing 279,099 tons; 3021 cleared, representing 275,600 tons. Near the town are large steam corn-mills. Kiel possesses a sea-bathing establishment, and is surrounded by fine scenery. The population in 1875, including the garrison, was 37,246.
The name of Kiel appears as early as the 10th century in the form Kyi. Kiel is mentioned as a city in the next century; in 1242 it received the Lübeck rights; in the 14th century it acquired other privileges, and in 1363 entered the Hanseatic league. It suffered much from neighbouring barons; and in the wars in which Schleswig was involved Kiel had its share of siege and capture. In recent times the name of Kiel has been associated with the peace concluded in 1814 between Great Britain and Denmark, and Sweden and Denmark, by which Norway was ceded to Sweden.
[555 words — estimated reading time: 4 minutes]