Kiel - Overview:
Kiel is the capital of the State of Schleswig-Holstein and is situated on the eastern side of the Jutland peninsula, approximately 60 miles north of Hamburg and 57 miles northwest of Lubeck. The development of the city owes much to its position at the Baltic entrance of the Kiel Canal, which has made Kiel an important transport hub. It is also Germany's most important naval base.
The city has a population of about 240,000 people and is the centre of a wider economic and cultural region, with a combined population of approximately 750,000 people, which includes the nearby towns of Eckernförde, Rendsburg, Neumünster and Plön.
Kiel has a modern feel, owing to the fact that much of the city needed to be rebuilt following World War II. More recently the new district of Kai-City has been constructed in the heart of the city, opposite the main railway station, and includes office, residential and retail space totalling some 90,000 square metres. The development will be a boost for the city's high-tech industry, having attracted major companies from the e-business sector to establish themselves there, while its Multimedia Campus brings together experts from the university and commerce. The Kiel Innovation and Technology Centre, KITZ, is also home to numerous IT-oriented companies as well as some medical-engineering companies.
As capital of the Schleswig-Holstein region, public administration plays an important role in Kiel's economy and together with other services and the education sector is responsible for employing nearly three-quarters of the working population. The navy is also an important employer in the city and shipbuilding and maintenance are among the most prominent industries in the city.
Kiel has a well-developed transport infrastructure with excellent access via road, rail, air and water. The city is on one of Germany's main north-south train lines and close to the main north-south Autobahn that runs the whole length of Germany. The Port of Kiel, on the Baltic Sea, offers direct connection to inland waterways and North Sea ports and there is a dense network of scheduled traffic to numerous destinations in the Baltic region. The port has direct connections to the German rail network and is close to the motorway network, providing access to all regions of Europe, and has facilities for handling a wide variety of ships and cargoes from Roll-on/Roll-off traffic, to dangerous and bulk cargoes. It is also a major ferry port with regular ferries from Oslo and Göteborg and numerous cruise liners calling at the port.
Kiel has its own regional airport offering flights to and from several destinations throughout Germany. Lubeck and Hamburg airports are also within easy reach and offer many more connections to most European cities.
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