TheKiel Canal (German:Nord-Ostsee-Kanal, formerlyKaiser-Wilhelm-Kanal) is a 98-kilometer-long (61 mi) freshwater canal that links theNorth Sea to theBaltic Sea. It runs through the Germanstate ofSchleswig-Holstein, fromBrunsbüttel, at the mouth of theElbe, toHoltenau, on theKiel Fjord. It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 and widened between 1907 and 1914. In addition to the two sea entrances, the canal is linked atOldenbüttel to the navigableRiver Eider by the shortGieselau Canal.[1]
The canal reduces the journey between the North and Baltic Seas by 460 km (290 mi) by allowing ships to bypass theJutland peninsula and theDanish straits. It is one of the world's most frequentedartificial waterways, with an annual average of 32,000 ships (90 daily), transporting approximately 100 milliontonnes of goods.[2]
The first connection between the North and Baltic Seas was constructed while the area was ruled byDenmark–Norway. It was called theEider Canal and used stretches of theEider River for the link between the two seas. Completed during the reign ofChristian VII of Denmark in 1784, theEiderkanal was a 43 km (27 mi) part of a 175 km (109 mi) waterway from Kiel to the Eider River's mouth atTönning on the west coast. It was only 29 m (95 ft) wide with a depth of 3 m (9.8 ft), which limited the vessels that could use the canal to 300tonnes.[3]
After 1864, theSecond Schleswig War put Schleswig-Holstein under the government ofPrussia (from 1871 theGerman Empire). A new canal was sought by merchants and by theGerman navy, which wanted to link its bases in the Baltic and the North Sea without the need to sail aroundDenmark.[3]
The official opening of the canal with the imperial shipSMY Hohenzollern
In June 1887, construction started atHoltenau, near Kiel. The canal took over 9,000 workers eight years to build. On 20 June 1895,KaiserWilhelm II officially opened the canal for transiting fromBrunsbüttel to Holtenau. The next day a ceremony took place in Holtenau, where Wilhelm II named the waterway theKaiser Wilhelm Kanal (after his grandfather,KaiserWilhelm I), and laid the final stone.[4] British directorBirt Acres filmed the opening of the canal; theScience Museum in London preservessurviving footage of this early film.[5] The first vessel to pass through the canal was theavisoSMS Jagd, sent through in late April (before the canal officially opened) to determine if it was ready for use. In May, thetenderOtter also passed through the canal.
To cope with the increasing traffic and the demands of theImperial German Navy, between 1907 and 1914 the canal was widened by Germany to allowdreadnought battleships to pass through, allowing them to travel between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea without having to go around Denmark. Two largercanal locks in Brunsbüttel and Holtenau were installed to complete the enlargement.[6]
The canal as shown in a nautical chart published in 1920
AfterWorld War I, theTreaty of Versailles required the canal to be open to vessels of commerce and of war of any nation at peace with Germany, while leaving it under German administration.[7] (The United States opposed this proposal to avoid setting a precedent for similar concessions on thePanama Canal.[8]) The government underAdolf Hitler repudiated its international status in 1936, but the canal was reopened to all traffic afterWorld War II.[6] In 1948, the current name was adopted.
The canal was partially closed for a period in March 2013 after two lock gates failed at the western end near Brunsbüttel. Ships larger than 125 m (410 ft) were forced to navigate viaSkagerrak, a 450 km (280 mi) detour. The failure was blamed on neglect and a lack of funding by theGerman Federal Government, which had been in financial dispute with the state of Schleswig-Holstein regarding the canal.Germany's Federal Transport Ministry promised rapid repairs.[9]
The western part of the canal was widened and deepened in projects that took place from 1965 to 2001.[10] A major widening and deepening of the eastern part of the canal began in 2020, with the first section, about 4 kilometers long, opened on 10 November, 2025. Five additional sections are to be expanded.[11]
The canal is governed by detailed traffic rules. Each vessel using the canal is categorized into one of six traffic groups according to its dimensions. Larger ships are obliged to acceptpilots and specialized canal helmsmen, in some cases even the assistance of atugboat. Furthermore, there are regulations regarding the passing of oncoming ships. Larger ships may also be required to moor at thebollards provided at intervals along the canal to allow the passage of oncoming vessels. Special rules apply to pleasure craft.[12]
All permanent, fixed bridges crossing the canal since its construction have a clearance of 42 m (138 ft).
Maximum length for ships passing the Kiel Canal is 235.50 m (772.6 ft), with the maximum width (beam) of 32.50 m (106.6 ft); these ships can have a draught of up to 7.00 m (22.97 ft). Ships up to a length of 160.00 m (524.93 ft) may have a draught up to 9.50 m (31.2 ft).[13] ThebulkerEver Leader (deadweight 74001 t) is considered to be the cargo ship that to date has come closest to the overall limits.[14]
View west-southwest from the aft lounge of the cruise shipNorwegian Dream
Several railway lines and federal roads (Autobahnen andBundesstraßen) cross the canal, on elevenfixed links. The bridges have a clearance of 42 m (138 ft), allowing for ship heights up to 40 m (130 ft). The oldest bridge still in use is the Levensau High Bridge, completed in 1894; however, it will be replaced in the course of a canal expansion already underway.[15][16] In sequence and in the direction of the official kilometre count from west (Brunsbüttel) to east (Holtenau) these crossings are:
Brunsbüttel High Bridge, four lane crossing ofBundesstraße 5
New Levensau High Bridge for Bundesstraße 76 (four lanes)
Holtenau High Bridges, two parallel bridges with three car lanes each as well as pavements for pedestrians and cyclists
Local traffic is also served by 14 ferry lines. Most noteworthy is the “hanging ferry” (German:Schwebefähre, literally: "hovering ferry") that is hanging underneath theRendsburg High Bridge. This hanging ferry was replaced after a collision with a ship in 2016, and returned to service in 2022. All ferries are run by the Canal Authority and their use is free of charge.[18]
^Platzöder, Renate; Verlaan, Philomène, eds. (1996).The Baltic Sea: New Developments in National Policies and International Cooperation. The Hague: Nijhoff.ISBN9789041103574.
^§ 42Seeschifffahrtsstraßen-Ordnung[German Traffic Regulations for Navigable Maritime Waterways] of 22 October 1998, BGBl. Part I, p. 3209
^"Nord-Ostsee-Kanal nimmt wieder Fahrt auf - Verkehrszahlen im 3.Quartal 2009" [Kiel Canal – traffic figures 3rd quarter 2009](PDF).www.wsv.de (in German). Wasser- und Schifffahrtsdirektion Nord. 21 October 2009. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved7 October 2011.Early October the largest cargo ship by the combination of length, beam and draught ever transited the Kiel Canal, the Ever Leader (225 m/32.26 m/7.30 m). IMO: 9182186.
.jpg)
