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KIEL 

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Kiel is the capital of the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein and is a major seaport city in northern Germany. It lies near the eastern (Baltic) end of the Kiel Canal, which links the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. Much shipping goes from Kiel to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The city's other industries include shipbuilding; fish processing; printing; and the manufacture of ceramics, machinery, and precision instruments.

Near Kiel is the important Nord-Ostsee-Kanal (North-East Sea Canal). It shortens the trip around Denmark by over 300 miles (480 kilometres). The canal lies in northern Germany. It leads from Brunsbuttelkoog at the mouth of the Elbe River to Holtenau near Kiel, the Baltic seaport after which it was named. A high railroad bridge crosses the canal in Rendsburg. The city itself is situated right on the Baltic Sea, on the tip of a peninsula. Shipyards and seafaring sailors were always an integral part of life here. The biggest employer in the 250,000 strong city, strangely enough, has nothing to do with shipbuilding. The universities are the major source of income. Almost 30,000 students are enrolled in the Christian-Albrechts-University, the University for Applied Sciences and the Muthesius School for Art and Design.

Kiel no longer resembles the romantic old port it once was. During the Second World War, the city was almost completely destroyed. Buildings from the 1960's and ´70's, modern shipyards and a huge harbor dominate the city today. Most tourists see Kiel as more of a stopover on the way to Scandinavia, even though the long, sandy beaches right outside the city definitely qualify as tourist material.
 


An overview of hotels in Kiel. Other German cities.

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