Discover 20 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Kiel (Germany). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Laboe Naval Memorial, Kieler Yacht-Club, and U 995. Also, be sure to include Möltenort U-Boat Memorial in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Kiel (Schleswig-Holstein).
Table of Contents
Laboe Naval Memorial
Also known as: Marine-Ehrenmal Laboe
Naval memorial with tower and viewing deck. The Laboe Naval Memorial is a memorial located in Laboe, near Kiel, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Started in 1927 and completed in 1936, the monument originally memorialized the World War I war dead of the Kaiserliche Marine, with the Kriegsmarine dead of World War II being added after 1945. In 1954 it was rededicated as a memorial for the sailors of all nationalities who were lost at sea and at the same time a memorial for peaceful sailing in open seas.
The monument consists of a 72-metre-high (236 ft) tower topped by an observation deck. The deck stands a total 85 m (279 ft) above sea level. A hall of remembrance and World War II-era German submarine U-995, which houses a technical museum, both sit near the foot of the monument, and the site is a popular tourist venue. U-995 is the world's only remaining Type VII U-boat.
The tower was designed by architect Gustav August Munzer, who stated that the form was not meant to represent anything specific but was to inspire positive feelings in those who look at it. It has been associated by some with the stem of a viking ship or the conning tower of a submarine.[1]
Address: Strandstraße 92, 24235 Laboe
Kieler Yacht-Club
Organization in Kiel, Germany. Kieler Yacht-Club is one of the oldest yacht clubs in Germany. It is located in the harbor city of Kiel.
This club is well known for some of the yacht racing events it organizes. The main one is the yearly Kieler Woche (Kiel Week), which is perhaps the biggest sailing event in the world.
In 1972, when the Olympic Games were held in Munich, the Olympic sailing competitions took place in the Kiel Bay and this yacht club had a major role in their organization.[2]
Address: Kiellinie 70, 24105 Kiel (Ravensberg - Brunswik - Düsternbrook)
U 995
Museum in a WWII-era submarine. German submarine U-995 is a Type VIIC/41 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. She was laid down on 25 November 1942 by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, Germany, and commissioned on 16 September 1943 with Oberleutnant zur See Walter Köhntopp in command.[3]
Address: Strandstraße 92, 24235 Laboe
Möltenort U-Boat Memorial
Also known as: U-Boot-Ehrenmal Möltenort
The U-Boot-Ehrenmal Möltenort in Heikendorf near Kiel is a memorial site belonging to the German War Graves Commission, commemorating the sailors who died serving in U-Boat units during the First and Second World Wars, along with all victims of submarine warfare. The memorial also honours U-Boat sailors from the Bundeswehr who have been killed in service since. The memorial site is an emblem of Heikendorf.[4]
Address: An der Schanze, 24226 Heikendorf
Levensau High Bridge
Also known as: Levensauer Hochbrücken
Arch bridge in Kiel, Germany. The Levensau High Bridge is a high level arch bridge that spans the Kiel Canal in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Built in 1894 it is the oldest bridge crossing the Kiel Canal. A second bridge nearby, opened 1984, is referred to as Levensau Motorway Bridge.[5]
Hörn Bridge
Also known as: Hörnbrücke
Folding bridge in Kiel, Germany. The Hörn Bridge is a folding bridge in the city of Kiel in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The bridge spans the end of the Kiel Fjord and was designed by Gerkan, Marg and Partners.[6]
Kiel Castle
Also known as: Kieler Schloss
Event venue in Kiel, Germany. Kiel Castle in Kiel in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein was one of the secondary residences of the Gottorf dukes. The castle exhibited a very varied architectural history and in the more recent architectural period became one of the most important secular buildings in Schleswig-Holstein. The castle burned down during the Second World War and its ruins were largely carried away and replaced by a new building.[7]
Address: Wall 74, Kiel (Ravensberg - Brunswik - Düsternbrook)
Christianspris
Also known as: Festung Friedrichsort
Fortress in Kiel, Germany. Christianspris or Frederiksort was a Danish fortification somewhat north of the then Danish city of Kiel. In 1632 the Danish king Christian IV initiated the works of making a fortification on a land tongue on the West shore of the Kielerfiord on the Jernved peninsula. The purpose was to secure this land against German troops during the 30-years War. However, the town was short lived. Christian IV founded many towns and cities. It is thought this town only survived around 10 years.[8]
Address: 15 Deichweg, Kiel (Pries - Friedrichsort)
Alter Botanischer Garten
Botanical garden in Kiel, Germany. The Old Botanical Garden in Kiel, also known as the Old Botanical Garden on the Fjord, is a former botanical garden and arboretum located at Düsternbrooker Weg 19, Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is open daily without charge.
Kiel has had various botanical gardens since 1668, when professor Johann Daniel Major (1634–1693) established his horticus medicus within the garden of Kiel Castle. It is unclear whether this garden survived the Danish occupation of 1675–1676. Subsequent gardens were established on the site of the former Franciscan monastery on the Falckstraße (from 1727) and the garden at the Prüne (from 1803). No trace of these early gardens remains.
The Old Botanical Garden began as the private park of tobacco manufacturer Abraham Christian Brauer, who in 1825 created a garden with curved walkways, differentiated woody plantings, a swan pond, and excellent views of Kiel's fjord landscape. Upon his death in 1868 the site was acquired by the University of Kiel, and from 1878 to 1884 was refashioned by botanist Adolf Engler as a botanical garden, introducing geographic plantings of exotic species while preserving the landscape aesthetics. In 1891 the university added a hilltop pavilion, an octagonal brick building with a graceful dome of iron mesh, and in 1906 added the garden inspector's cottage. After the university created a new botanical garden on its campus in 1978 (the University Botanical Gardens), the garden became a public park in 1980. Its fence and pavilion were extensively restored from 1984 to 1994, and since 1998 the cottage has served as the Literature House of Schleswig-Holstein.
Today the garden contains more than 280 species of diverse herbaceous flora, with an interesting collection of trees that includes one of the largest ginkgo trees in Schleswig-Holstein, two specimens of Metasequoia glyptostroboides said to be the oldest of their kind on the European mainland (planted circa 1948 from Arnold Arboretum seeds), and mature specimens of Amur cork tree, Juniperus rigida, Sequoia sempervirens, and Taxodium distichum. The garden also contains two ponds, lawn areas, and perennial flower beds.[9]
Address: Schwanenweg 14, 24105 Kiel (Ravensberg - Brunswik - Düsternbrook)
Zoologisches Museum
Venerable university zoology museum. The Zoological Museum of Kiel University is a zoological museum in Kiel, Germany. It was founded by naturalist Karl Möbius, and architect Martin Gropius designed the building. The exhibitions display systematics, evolution, tropical and German fauna, butterfly ecology and history of zoology in Kiel. The museum is part of the University of Kiel.[10]
Address: Hegewischstr. 3, 24105 Kiel (Ravensberg - Brunswik - Düsternbrook)
Stadtmuseum Warleberger Hof
Warleberger Hof is located at Dänische Straße 19 in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein. The listed brick building is the last surviving aristocratic palace in the city and the only surviving private building from before 1864 in Kiel's old town. This house has housed the Kiel City Museum since 1970.
Address: Dänische Str. 19, 24103 Kiel (Mitte)
Opernhaus
Theater. Opernhaus Kiel is the major venue for opera, ballet, and orchestral performances in Kiel, and home to Theater Kiel. It is a Grade II listed building.[11]
Address: Rathausplatz 4, 24103 Kiel (Mitte)
Port of Kiel
The Port of Kiel is a significant port for passenger and cargo shipping located in Kiel, Germany. It occupies the inner part of the Baltic Sea inlet Kieler Förde and includes the approach to the locks at the eastern end of Kiel Canal.[12]
Schulensee
Lake in Germany. Schulensee is a lake in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. At an elevation of 11 m, its surface area is 0.13 km².[13]
Kleiner Kiel
The Small Kiel is a shallow inland water in the state capital Kiel, which is divided into two parts by a bridge. Due to its connection to the Kiel Fjord, the Kleiner Kiel is a brackish water.
Kiel Maritime Museum Fish Market & Museum Bridge
Kiel Maritime Museum is a museum in the German city of Kiel. It was established in 1978 in what had been the fish-auction hall in the Sartorikai area of the city. It shows the maritime history of Kiel.
In front of the museum is the lantern of the Alexander von Humboldt lightship, and docked nearby are the rescue boat Hindenburg, the fireboat Kiel, the passenger ship Stadt Kiel, and the buoy tender Bussard, all now museum ships.[14]
Kunsthalle zu Kiel
Museum in Kiel, Germany. The Kunsthalle zu Kiel is an art museum in the German city of Kiel. With 2.000 m² of display space, it is the largest museum in the city. It is north of the city centre on Düsternbrooker Weg. It has a lecture hall, a small cafe and a sculpture garden.[15]
Tröndelsee
Lake in Germany. Tröndelsee is a lake in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. At an elevation of 30 m, its surface area is 24 ha.[16]
Theater Kiel
Theatre in Kiel, Germany. Theater Kiel is a theatre company in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is jointly funded by the city and the state. The company produces opera, musical, ballet, plays, and theatre for youth and children, in three different buildings: the Opernhaus, the Schauspielhaus, and the Theater im Werftpark.[17]
German National Library of Economics
Also known as: Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften
Library in Kiel, Germany. The National Library of Economics is the world's largest research infrastructure for economic literature, online as well as offline. The ZBW is a member of the Leibniz Association and has been a foundation under public law since 2007. Several times the ZBW received the international LIBER Award for its innovative work in librarianship. The ZBW allows for access of millions of documents and research on economics, partnering with over 40 research institutions to create a connective Open Access portal and social web of research. Through its EconStor and EconBiz, researchers and students have accessed millions of datasets and thousands of articles. The ZBW also edits two journals: Wirtschaftsdienst and Intereconomics.[18]
Address: 120 Düsternbrooker Weg, Kiel (Ravensberg - Brunswik - Düsternbrook)