Editing Kiel (section)

== History ==
{{Moresources|section|date=August 2022}}
=== Middle Ages ===
The city of Kiel was founded in 1233 as ''Holstenstadt tom Kyle'' by Count [[Adolf IV of Holstein]], and granted [[Lübeck law|Lübeck city rights]] in 1242 by Adolf's eldest son, [[John I, Count of Holstein-Kiel|John I]] of Schauenburg. As a part of Holstein, Kiel belonged to the [[Holy Roman Empire]] and was situated only a few kilometres south of the [[Denmark|Danish]] border.<ref>{{cite web
 | title=A brief history of Kiel
 | work=Kiel – a portrait of the city
 | publisher=City of Kiel
 | url=http://www.kiel.de/Aemter_01_bis_20/05/City_history/1history.htm
 | access-date=2007-07-01
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820070919/http://www.kiel.de/Aemter_01_bis_20/05/City_history/1history.htm
 | archive-date=2010-08-20
 | url-status=dead
 }}</ref>

[[File:Kiel Braun-Hogenberg.jpg|thumb|left|Kiel in the 16th century]]
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 [[piracy|pirates]]. The ''Kieler Umschlag'' ([[trade fair]]), first held in 1431, became the central market for goods and money in the Duchy of Holstein. It began to decline {{Circa|1850}} and ceased in 1900.

=== Modern times ===
The [[University of Kiel]] was founded on 29 September 1665 by [[Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp|Christian Albert]], Duke of [[Holstein-Gottorp]]. A number of important scholars, including [[Theodor Mommsen]], [[Felix Jacoby]], [[Hans Geiger]] and [[Max Planck]], studied or taught there.
[[File:SatSchleswigHolstein Hamburg.jpg|thumb|Schleswig-Holstein with Kiel Fjord at the Baltic Coast]]

From 1773 to 1864, the town belonged to the king of [[Denmark]]. 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. 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. 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hook |first=Alison |title=Kiel, Germany – Coventry's twin towns and cities |url=https://www.coventry.gov.uk/directory-record/49243/kiel-germany |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=Coventry City Council |language=en}}</ref>

During the [[Second Schleswig War]] in 1864, Kiel and the rest of the duchies of [[Schleswig]] and [[Holstein]] were conquered by a [[German Confederation]] alliance of the [[Austrian Empire]] and the [[Kingdom of Prussia]]. After the war, Kiel was briefly administered by both the Austrians and the Prussians, but the [[Austro-Prussian War]] in 1866 led to the formation of the [[Province of Schleswig-Holstein]] and the annexation of Kiel by Prussia in 1867. On 24 March 1865 King [[William I, German Emperor|William I]] based Prussia's Baltic Sea fleet in Kiel instead of [[Gdańsk|Danzig (Gdańsk)]]. The [[Kaiserliche Werft Kiel|Imperial shipyard Kiel]] was established in 1867 in the town.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

When William I of Prussia became Emperor [[William I, German Emperor|William I]] of the [[German Empire]] in 1871, he designated Kiel and [[Wilhelmshaven]] as ''Reichskriegshäfen'' ("Imperial War Harbours"). The [[Kieler Yacht-Club|Kiel Yacht Club]] was established in 1887 with [[Prince Henry of Prussia (1862-1929)|Prince Henry of Prussia]] as its patron. Emperor Wilhelm II became its [[Commodore (rank)|commodore]] in 1891.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

Because of its new role as Germany's main naval base, Kiel very quickly increased in size in the following years, from 18,770 in 1864 to about 200,000 in 1910. Much of the old town centre and other surroundings were levelled and redeveloped to provide for the growing city. The [[Trams in Kiel|Kiel tramway network]], opened in 1881, had been enlarged to 10 lines, with a total route length of {{convert|40|km|abbr=on}}, before the end of the [[First World War]].{{cn|date=August 2022}}

Kiel was the site of the [[Kiel mutiny|sailors' mutiny]] which led to the [[German Revolution of 1918–1919|German Revolution]] in late 1918. Just before the end of the First World War, the German fleet stationed at Kiel was ordered to sail out for a last great battle with the [[Royal Navy]]. The sailors, who thought of it as a suicide mission which would have no effect on the outcome of the war, decided they had nothing to lose and refused to obey orders. They took over Kiel and then spread out to other north German ports, sparking the revolution which led to the abolition of the monarchy and the creation of the [[Weimar Republic]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Mark |date=19 May 2016 |editor-last=Daniel |editor-first=Ute |editor2-last=Gatrell |editor2-first=Peter |editor3-last=Janz |editor3-first=Oliver |editor4-last=Jones |editor4-first=Heather |editor5-last=Keene |editor5-first=Jennifer |editor6-last=Kramer |editor6-first=Alan |editor7-last=Nasson |editor7-first=Bill |title=Kiel Mutiny |url=https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/kiel_mutiny |access-date=26 April 2024 |website=1914–1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War |publisher=Freie Universität Berlin}}</ref>

{{wide image|Postcard Panorama of Kiel (1902).jpg|1600px|Double-postcard panorama of Kiel from across the Kiel Fjord, 1902}}
[[File:Kiel, Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945 CL2772.jpg|thumb|right|The [[German cruiser Admiral Scheer|German cruiser ''Admiral Scheer'']] capsized in the docks at Kiel after being hit in an RAF raid on the night of 9/10 April 1945.]]
[[File:Admiralty Chart No 696 Kieler Hafen, Published 1971.jpg|thumb|Kiel Harbour, an Admiralty chart of 1971]] 
During the [[Second World War]], Kiel remained one of the major naval bases and shipbuilding centres of the German Reich. There was also a [[slave labour|slave]] [[Nazi concentration camps#Types of camps|labour camp]] for the local industry.<ref>{{cite web|author=Victor, Edward|title=Alphabetical List of Camps, Subcamps and Other Camps|url=http://www.edwardvictor.com/Holocaust/List%20of%20Camps.htm|access-date=2008-07-25|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101216205741/http://edwardvictor.com/Holocaust/List%20of%20Camps.htm|archive-date=2010-12-16}}</ref> Owing to its status as a naval port and production site for submarines, Kiel was heavily bombed by the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] during this period. The bombing destroyed more than 80% of the remaining old town, 72% of the central residential areas, and 83% of the industrial areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kiel.de/Aemter_01_bis_20/05/City_history/2history.htm|title=The Navy changed the face of Kiel|publisher=City of Kiel|work=Kiel — a portrait of the city|access-date=2008-07-25}}</ref> During the RAF bombing of 23/24 July 1944, Luftwaffe fighters tried to intercept the spoof (i.e. decoy) force instead of the main force attacking Kiel,<ref name=Jones>{{cite book |last=Jones |first=R. V. |author-link=Reginald Victor Jones |year=1978 |title=Most Secret War: British Scientific Intelligence 1939–1945 |location=London |publisher=Hamish Hamilton |isbn=0-241-89746-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/mostsecretwar0000jone/page/466 466] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/mostsecretwar0000jone/page/466 }}</ref> and there was no water for three days; trains and buses did not run for eight days and there was no gas available for cooking for three weeks.<ref name=diary>[http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/jul44.html Campaign Diary: July 44] {{webarchive|url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20070706011932/http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/jul44.html |date=2007-07-06 }}, [http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/diary.html Royal Air Force Bomber Command 60th Anniversary site] {{webarchive|url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20070706011932/http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/diary.html |date=2007-07-06 }}. Accessed 4 May 2007</ref> 

There were several bombing raids of the port area during the period 20 February – 20 April 1945 which successfully eliminated many [[U-boats]], and the few large warships (cruisers [[German cruiser Admiral Hipper|Hipper]], [[German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer|Scheer]], and [[German cruiser Köln|Köln]]) still afloat at that time. It and its port, and the canal were seized by a British [[T-Force]] led by Major [[Tony Hibbert (British Army officer)|Tony Hibbert]] on 5 May 1945.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Living history chronicles |last=Jones |first=Gwilym Thomas |year=2001 |publisher=General Store Publishing House |isbn=1-894263-50-2 |pages=102–104 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w4Yv4RWOXGoC&q=%22T-Force%22%2BKiel&pg=PA103 |access-date=31 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217202713/http://books.google.lk/books?id=w4Yv4RWOXGoC&pg=PA103&lpg=PA103&dq=%22T-Force%22+Kiel&source=bl&ots=UoBwdJwN4j&sig=2u82SValvyuwGokQgCoaagqXuI4&hl=en&ei=rIqbSo__OYTY7AOLut3bBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#v=onepage&q=%22T-Force%22%2BKiel&f=false |archive-date=17 February 2012 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.arcre.com/archive/wwii/targetforce/tforceh A diary of 'T' Force operations in KIEL] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023090459/http://www.arcre.com/archive/wwii/targetforce/tforceh |date=2014-10-23 }} ARCRE—Archive research & document copying</ref><ref name=EclipseHistoryLearning>{{cite web|url=http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/operation_eclipse.htm|title=Operation Eclipse|work=History Learning Site}}</ref>

Like other heavily bombed German cities, the city was rebuilt after the war. In 1946, Kiel was named the seat of government for [[Schleswig-Holstein]], and it officially became the state's capital in 1952.{{cn|date=August 2022}}
Today, Kiel is once again an important maritime centre of Germany, with high-tech shipbuilding, [[submarine]] construction and one of the world's largest ocean research centers, the GEOMAR. Regular ferries to Scandinavia and Lithuania, as well as the largest sailing event in the world called the [[Kiel Week]] (Kieler Woche) in German and The Kiel Regatta in English. The ''Kieler Umschlag'' is another festival, which has been taking place again since 1975. Kiel is also home to a large service sector and a number of research institutions including the [[University of Kiel]], which is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious university in the state.{{cn|date=August 2022}}