When Schleswig and Holstein rebelled against Denmark in 1848 (the First Schleswig War), Kiel became the capital of Schleswig-Holstein until the Danish victory in 1850. Even though the empire was abolished in 1806, the Danish king continued to rule Kiel only through his position as Duke of Holstein, which became a member of the German Confederation in 1815. Thus Kiel belonged to Germany, but it was ruled by the Danish king. However, because the king ruled Holstein as a fief of the Holy Roman Empire only through a personal union, the town was not incorporated as part of Denmark proper. Schleswig-Holstein with Kiel Fjord at the Baltic Coast Port and Kiel Fjord Kiel Opera House and the tower (107 m) of Kiel Town Hallįrom 1773 to 1864, the town belonged to the king of Denmark.

A number of important scholars, including Theodor Mommsen, Felix Jacoby, Hans Geiger and Max Planck, studied or taught there. The University of Kiel was founded on 29 September 1665 by Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. It was revived in the early 21st century. The Kieler Umschlag ( trade fair), first held in 1431, became the central market for goods and money in Schleswig-Holstein. The capital of the county (later duchy) of Holstein, Kiel was a member of the Hanseatic League from 1284 until it was expelled in 1518 for harbouring pirates. As a part of Holstein, Kiel belonged to the Holy Roman Empire and was situated only a few kilometres south of the Danish border. The city of Kiel was founded in 1233 as Holstenstadt tom Kyle by Count Adolf IV of Holstein, and granted Lübeck city rights in 1242 by Adolf's eldest son, John I of Schauenburg. This is evidenced by the geography and architecture of the fjord.

For many years they settled in German-speaking villages. Kiel Fjord and the village of Kiel was probably the last settled by Vikings who wanted to colonise the land that they had raided. JSTOR ( August 2022) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. This section needs additional citations for verification. In 2005 Kiel's GDP per capita was €35,618, which is well above Germany's national average, and 159% of the European Union's average. Kiel was one of the founding cities of the original European Green Capital Award in 2006. In 1866 the city was annexed by Prussia and in 1871 it became part of Germany. Until 1864 it was administered by Denmark in personal union. Before then, in the eighth century, it was a Danish village. Kiel's recorded history began in the 13th century. Moreover, today Port of Kiel is a popular destination for cruise ships touring the Baltic Sea. A number of passenger ferries to Sweden, Norway, Lithuania and other countries operate from here. Kiel is an important sea transport hub, thanks to its location on the Kiel Fjord ( Kieler Förde) and the busiest artificial waterway in the world, Kiel Canal ( Nord-Ostsee-Kanal). Located in Kiel is the GEOMAR – Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel at the University of Kiel. Kiel has also been one of the traditional homes of the German Navy's Baltic fleet, and continues to be a major high-tech shipbuilding centre. The Olympic sailing competitions of the 1936 and the 1972 Summer Olympics were held in the Bay of Kiel. Kiel is also known for the Kiel Mutiny, when sailors refused to board their vessels in protest against Germany's further participation in World War I, resulting in the abdication of the Kaiser and the formation of the Weimar Republic. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland peninsula on the southwestern shore of the Baltic Sea, Kiel has become one of Germany's major maritime centres, known for a variety of international sailing events, including the annual Kiel Week, which is the biggest sailing event in the world. Kiel lies approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi) north of Hamburg. Kiel ( German: ⓘ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021).

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