Kiel Canal | canal, Germany | Britannica.com Kiel Canal Alternative Titles: Eider Canal, Kaiser-Wilhelm Canal, Nord-Ostsee Canal, Nord-Ostsee-Kanal, North Sea–Baltic Sea Canal Related Topics Palatine Chapel Kiel Canal, German Nord-Ostsee-Kanal, English North Sea–Baltic Sea Canal, waterway in northern Germany , extending eastward for 98 km (61 miles) from Brunsbüttelkoog (on the North Sea , at the mouth of the Elbe River ) to Holtenau (at Kiel Harbour on the Baltic Sea ). The canal has been enlarged twice and is today 160 metres (526 feet) wide and 11 metres (37 feet) deep and is spanned by seven high-level bridges that have about 43 metres (140 feet) of clearance for ships beneath them. The locks are 45 metres (146 feet) wide by 327 metres (1,072 feet) long. The canal constitutes the safest, most convenient, shortest, and cheapest shipping route between the two seas.

The Kiel Canal, which runs from the mouth of the Elbe River to the Baltic Sea, at Kiel, Germany. A.G.E. FotoStock The canal, built between 1887 and 1895, initially served German military needs by eliminating the necessity for ships to travel northward around the Danish peninsula. It was enlarged between 1907 and 1914 to accommodate large naval ships. Prior to World War I the canal (then known as the Kaiser-Wilhelm Canal) was owned by the German government. The Treaty of Versailles (June 28, 1919) laid down regulations that, in effect, internationalized the canal, while leaving it under German administration. Traffic on the canal was subject only to general police, shipping, sanitary, and customs regulations. These provisions were repudiated by Adolf Hitler in 1936. Since World War II the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles guaranteeing freedom of navigation have again been practiced. The canal remains an important route for Baltic shipping.

Germany Widens Canal Connecting North and Baltic Seas | Germany | DW.COM | 20.05.2008 Germany Germany Widens Canal Connecting North and Baltic Seas The German government has announced plans to widen and dredge the Kiel Canal in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein. The canal is a major thoroughfare for ships in northern Europe The complete canal -- with a length of almost 100 kilometers (62 miles) -- will be deepened by a meter, to 10.5 meters in depth, thereby providing ships of up to 280 meters with easy passageway to the Baltic Sea. The announcements were made on Monday, May 19, by German Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee. The Kiel Canal -- known in Germany as the Nord-Ostsee-Kanal -- links the North Sea with the Baltic Sea, thereby making it an extremely important passageway for ships. Opened in 1895, it was originally intended as a means of easy access for the German navy. No longer did they have to depend on Danish and Swedish goodwill for access via the Kattegat, the only natural entry to the Baltic Sea from the North Sea.

Nowadays, the Kiel Canal is the world's busiest man-made waterway, and 100 million metric tons of goods travel through it every year. "The Kiel Canal is already being used more than the prognoses for the year 2015 foresaw," Tiefensee said. "In order to relieving our roads of traffic, we need to move even more cargo over to environmentally-friendly ships." Major fuel saver The canal is considered a major fuel saver for ships bound to Russia, Poland, and other eastern European nations. By avoiding a long detour via the Danish Skagerrak straits, "goods originating at North Sea ports can be shipped to northern and eastern European markets faster and more efficiently," Tiefensee said. "This will increase the attraction of environmentally-friendly shipping." He added that, as a first step, the easternmost 20 kilometers of the canal would be dredged in order to handle deeper-draught freighters. "By doing this, we're setting a clear signal for German seaports on the North and Baltic Seas," he continued. "We're strengthening our shipping competitiveness, both domestically and internationally.

This will result in fewer traffic jams, and, at the same time, people will be burdened with lower CO2 emissions and noise pollution. Ships keep increasing in size on an international scale. By doing this, we're making it possible for ships with a length of 280 meters and 33 meters width to continually travel through the Kiel Canal." Currently, the locks at either end of the canal are too small to handle very large vessels. Dredging the easternmost part of the canal won't come cheap though, with an attached price tag of 140 million euros ($218 million), while the whole project is slated to cost a further 280 million euros. At the moment, plans to complete the first segment are scheduled for 2014, with the complete Kiel Canal to follow in 2018. DW recommends North Sea to Baltic Canal (NOK) Site Map North Sea to Baltic Canal (NOK) The Canal between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea is a classical Northern Germany bicycle tour. The landscape is verdant and lush. You will learn the history of the canal and the two canals that preceded the construction of the current canal.

The English name for this canal is the Kiel Canal. But wait, what does "NOK" stand for? In German the sea the English call the North Sea the Germans call the Ostsee, for East Sea. Tour Overview: July 2009. We start our tour in Brunsbüttel and ride to Kiel, a 166 mile (266 km) ride over 5 days. The canal is 61.3 miles long (98.7 kilometer), but the bike path alongside the canal is 202 miles long (325 kilometer). How is this possible? Well, the bike path is circuitous and the map of it looks as if someone dropped a worm with the bends on it. That elongation does not detract from the adventure; in fact, it enhances it because you will see much more following the bike route than merely riding on the somewhat boring towpath along the canal. You do get a taste of that towpath though. The bike path route is 325 km if you take every loop and stay strictly on the mapped path – which we did not.

We were almost religious about it though we covered 266 kilometers of the mapped route. The map of the route above is through the auspices of Touristische Arbeitsgemeinschaft NOK, which sponsors the following websites: and . We are accompanied – in actual truth we are led, on this tour by two expert cyclists and renowned authors, Neil and Judith Forsyth. They have authored several touring books about bicycling in Germany. We defer to the more experienced riders, don’tchaknow. Please visit their website: . They have published a book about this tour entitled Cycle Touring in Northern Germany . Click the link to read a summary. While the tour itself starts in Brunsbüttel there is no train station there. We agree with Neil and Judith to meet in Glückstadt, which does have a train station and is a short bike ride along the coast to Brunsbttel. So, I will record the mileage from Glückstadt, then restart the cyclometer again at the start of the canal. By the way, when I use the initials “NOK” I just mean Nord-Ostsee Kanal, the German abbreviation for North Sea-Baltic Canal, also known in English as the Kiel Canal.

Signage: Signage is good the entire length. The square sign on the left says NOK route and between the two words is a blue green graphical swoop with bicycle. However, this logo is not always used but the initials NOK (Nord-Ostsee Kanal) are usually on signs. The signs on the top right are for the Elbe bike path that we take from Glückstadt to Brunsbüttel. The other picture on the right is one of several informational signs we find along the way. With the exception of the pranks of prepubescent boys, every time you need a sign to help you find your way it is there. When there are none or when they point the wrong way, I blame the prepubescent boys. I know, many years ago, I was one. If that is not bad enough, so was my brother; but that is another story. Accommodations: There are more than sufficient overnight lodgings along the way. I refer you to our Overnight Accommodations page.

Back to the top Day 1: Glückstadt to Brunsbüttel (prologue) Day Overview: Consider this ride just a commute to get to the real start of the ride in Brunsbüttel. As mentioned above, we meet Neil and Judith in Glückstadt on a sunny afternoon. We have a room with a living room, kitchen, a large bedroom, and a TV. Glückstadt was founded in 1617 by Christian IV king of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Schleswig and Holstein. The path along the coast is flat and mostly paved. Mile 1.1 (1.8 km): We spent last night in a Privat Zimmer owned by the family Gehrig, 17 Rallenstieg, Glücksatdt. The cost is €44/night per couple but it would be only €40 if one were to stay longer. The price includes a great German breakfast. The house is right on bike path and only ½ block from the ferry crossing the Elbe. The telephone is 04124/2760. These people keep a gorgeous garden that would be eligible for a full page spread in House and Garden Beautiful.

Starting at our room, mile 1.1 (1.8 km), from downtown Glückstadt. We hop on the bike path and await our fellow riders who are coming from downtown. It starts to rain as soon as we say goodbye to Herr and Frau Gehrig. We pedal up to the ferry landing and wait for Neil and Judith to catch up with us. They started in the youth hostel near downtown Glückstadt. The photograph on the left is our meal of labskaus with herring and fried egg. Beer was needed to wash it down, of course. Labskaus is a mixture of corned beef, potatoes, onions, red beets, spices, and garlic. It is typical fare of East Friesland and one of my favorite dishes. We are used to these gate arrangements they use to keep sheep in the dike and off the car traveled roads but there is a process to get thorough the self-locking gates. Sometimes we have to ride through a herd of sheep. The sheep are not the problem, but what they leave behind will dirty your tires. Note to self, do not lick your tires.

Mile 16.3 (26.2 km): We ferry across the canal in Brunsbüttel to begin the bike tour. I reset my odometer to zero here. The ride along the Elbe is not eventful if you do not count the rain and the sheep dung. If stops and turns sunny before we reach Brunsbüttel. Still Day 1: Brunsbüttel to Burg Mile 0 (0 km): Brunsbüttel. We take time to gather information from the Tourist Information Office and purchase ingredients for a picnic lunch and a bottle of wine for this evening. The path takes us all around the town but we cheat right at the start and connect with the path as it heads out of town instead of doing the whole chamber of commerce loop. Mile 27.3 (44.0 km): We turn off the path to the right here to ride 2 kilometer in order to see the lowest point in all of Germany. It is just a lark but why not? The sign reads “Tiefste Landstelle der B. R.

Deutschland” or “Lowest point in the Republic of Germany.” The “NN” means Normalnull or mean sea level. Mile 26.0 (41.9 km): We cross the river on another ferry into Burg. We look for the Tourist Information office to choose an overnight here. Maybe the wine is getting heavy or maybe we have done enough for one day. We have gone a total of 49 miles (79 km) counting the mileage from Glückstadt. We spend the night with Peters & Peterson address Grosse Mühlenstrasse 25712 Burg (Dithm). Their cell phone is: 0176/232494, telephone 04825901515, email: info@peters-petersen.de . I do not remember the cost but breakfast was not included so we ate at a bakery in the center of town that had a very typical selection of good breads and a couple tables. We added some coffee, butter and jam to their Brötchen. Day 2: Burg to Hanerau-Hademarschen Day Overview: Today you might find a little …ah, altitudinal undulation.

It is not hilly but then again you do ride up and down something akin to hills. Nothing steep but the undulation seems constant. The highest climb is outside of Albersdorf and it is about 50 feet. Mile 0 (0 km): We start the day at the bakery in the center of Burg. Mile 10.4 (16.7 km): We cross on yet another free ferry at Hohönn. All the ferries on this ride are free. Mile 17.3 (27.9 km): We check in with the Tourist Information office in Albersdorf. Just thinking about a stopping place down the road. About Mile 23.6 (38.0): On the map near the small village of Hackelberg (after Albersdorf but before Thaden) is a table like symbol that marks a “Grabstein” or ancient grave. An 1874 archeological dig found stuff and an 1908 gig looked further and found a grossstein grab (big rock grave) from the early Stone Age or about 3,500 years before Christ.

In addition to the 8 vertical weight baring stones, there are flat stones atop which served as a roof. Atop the older grave they found a Bronze Age grave with bits of a wooden coffin. Mile 36.4 (58.6 km): Thaden. From here we took a shortcut alongside Wester Strasse directly into Hanerau-Hademarschen. There is a nice bike path parallel to the main road. Mile 38.7 (62.2 km): In Hademarschen we stop for the night at a house owned by Karen and Werner Manke, Stettiner Strasse 5, 25557 Hademarschen, telephone 04872/3160. The cost is €20 per person per night. This is a whole house but we have the main level and another person has the 2nd floor. Unfortunately, breakfast is not included with this lodging either but that is not much of an obstacle since there are plenty of bakeries.

Back to the top Day 3: Hanerau-Hademarschen to Rendsburg Day Overview: We start the day climbing a 70 foot hill just out of town; but then comes the drop or down hill ride. Not that the following will apply to you when you ride the NOK but we contend with drifting thunderheads that are causing localized showers. When we see them coming and can find shelter we do. However, as in the case in the photograph, sometimes we have shelter but the shower happens elsewhere. Mile 2.7 (4.3 km): It is downhill to the Fischerhütte, a place we were yesterday before we swung south in a circuitous route. Mile 22.7 (36.5 km): Riding through Haale, I notice a sign that seems to be calling me in for a beer. However, my three fellow travelers drag me along kicking, crying and suddenly thirsty. Mile 35.6 (57.3 km): In Rendsburg, we stop at Schützenheim am Kanal a hotel and restaurant owned by Gisele Westphal-Raub and Peter Raub.

The address is Itzehoerchaussee 2, 24784 Westerrönfeld-Rendsburg, telephone 04331/89041. , info@hotel-shuetzenheim.de. They can accommodate up to 100 guests and their price depends on the room but a double bed for one night is €85. It is right at the southern end of the tunnel under the canal. The rooms are large, good for hanging up your hand washed laundry. Day 4: Rendsburg to Sehestedt Day Overview: Today is rainy. We did not get started on time because we were waiting for a shower to pass. Mile 5.4 (8.7 km): We join the NOK bike path in Jevenstedt. We left Rendsburg following the Ochsenweg bike path leading here because it looked more interesting than the towpath to Hasenkrug, etc. Mile 13.1 (21.1 km): This is the southern end of the high railroad bridge at Rendsburg.

If you wonder what we are doing back in Rendsburg, we are simply following the twisty, windy, loopy route on the map. After riding 21 kilometer, we are just a few blocks from where we spent last night. However here is a horizontal elevator (huh?). Well, I have never heard of a horizontavator before. But that is what this is. It hangs below the Railroad Bridge and moves people, cars, and bikes from one bank of the canal to the other. In German, it is called a Schwebefähre, a type of Hängebahn. A Schwebe means to swing or suspend and Fähre means ferry. A Hängebahn is simply a hanging vehicle. Why do I capitalize nouns in German? Because the Germans do; what can I say? Mile 27.6 (44.4 km): We stop for the afternoon in Sehestedt. It is a quiet village with a bit of history. There is a Gut here. A Gut is a large set of farm buildings that were occupied by a very rich farmer of a member of the petit nobility. The main house of a Gut is usually a Herrenhaus.

This one was built in 1728. The buildings are typical of the architectural style of this part of northern Germany. There is also a monument in town, not far from the Gut that memorializes a bit of history connected with Sehestedt. At the end of the Nepoleonic Wars in Europe, the defeated French fleeing from the battle of Leipzig (October 16, 1813), marched north to meet their allies, the Danes. The Danes had a fortress at Rendsburg but before the ragtag remnants of the French and Danish Armies could reach the fortress, they encountered a few units of the allied Prussian, Swedish, and Russian armies. Who even though vastly outnumbered, denied the French and Danish access to Rendsburg. The Battle of Sehestedt, occurred on December 10, 1813. If you are interested in this battle, click here for a Wikipedia page. We spend the night in Pension Alteschmiede, owned by Frau Fell. The address is Haupt Strasse 20, 24814 Sehestedt.

The telephone is 04357/1021 or 04357/580. This is a Ferienwohnungen or a vacation apartment. It includes a bedroom, a kitchen, and a living room. Usually, they expect a multi-night stay but for only one night they charge €55. After securing the Pension, our first order of business is to cycle 4.5 kilometer to Holtsee to purchase a picnic supper and some thing to wash our food down. In Holtsee, we found a wonderful cheese manufacturer that we support by leaving behind some of our tourist Euros. Back to the top Day 5: Sehestedt to Kiel Day Overview: There are some minor hills but nothing over 30 feet or so. There is also a small amount of gravel. As to the path conditions, one area between Albersdorf and Lüjenwestedt is down right challenging but only for about a kilometer through a nature preserve along side the Haaler Au. Mile 0 (0 km): We wake up to the sound of pounding rain. It does not look like a fun day to bicycle.

After slowly eating breakfast to wait out what we hope is just a shower, we admit that the sky is uniformly leaden and it looks as if we will just have be wet today. We shove off downhill toward the ferry just a block away and head to the south side of the canal. Mile 1.9 (3.0 km): Our first mission is to check out the Alte Eider Kanal. This canal was built 1777 to 1784 and it was used until 1884. In those days, one could ship goods from Kiel to Rendsburg in as little as 12 hours. Today however, one can go from Kiel all the way to Brunsbüttel in less than 7 hours. From the Old Eider Canal, one could continue to follow the map on another one of those loops but it is raining and one would need a sense of humor for that. I check and no one here has any of the humor necessary. So, we ride the 3 kilometer back to the ferry and turn east up the towpath towards the Eiderkanalschleuse, or the Eider Canal Locks.

That loss of humor saves us 33 kilometers. Mile 22.2 (35.7 km): We stop in Ottendorf for our picnic lunch (leftovers from breakfast). The sign says it is 14 kilometers to downtown Kiel and the end of the tour. Mile 30.9 (49.7 km): We end the tour at the Tourists Information Office in downtown Kiel. We spend the night in an inexpensive pension across the Kieler Förde (the harbor, basically) from the center of town. It is not noteworthy and if I had it to do over again, I wouldn’t stay here. We did, however, save enough money to buy a sandwich and a couple beers for the train ride home the next day. Cruise ship delays build up at German canal linking Baltic to North Sea – Skift Share Tweet Post Send Skift Take Cruise ship passengers on board several European voyages are taking a detour or stopping at unexpected ports as a broken lock chamber causes major delays near Germany’s Kiel Canal. — Samantha Shankman A broken lock chamber in Germany’s Kiel Canal is causing chaos to shipping, including cruise ship transits.

The 98 kilometer (60 mile) canal, linking the Baltic to the North Sea, is the world’s busiest artificial waterway and is used by ships to avoid sailing all the way around the coast of Denmark. One of the four lock chambers on the eastbound lane became unusable on Sunday when the carriage supporting one of the gates derailed from its slide rail, according to industry web site Seatrade Insider. Kiel Canal AO-147 made passage here in 1978 per current records on hand The Kiel Canal or Nord-Ostee-Kanal (North Sea Baltic Canal) as it is known in German, is the shortest link between the North Sea and the Baltic. The original Canal, the Eider Canal, was built in 1784, but was eventually deemed too shallow to accommodate the increasing number of larger vessels. The Kiel Canal was completed in 1895 at a cost of 157 million marks, and has been progressively widened over the years. It is now 97km/53.2 nautical miles long, 12 metres deep and 164 metres wide. The Kiel Canal is also the busiest manmade waterway in the world.

Over 60,000 ships pass through every year, as well as around 25,000 private yachts during the summer. It therefore comes as no surprise that the canal is very precisely organised to ensure a faultless flow of traffic. Locks and boat lifts allow lifting or lowering of a ship to a higher or lower water level. Today, typical lock heights extend to approximately 30 m. For economic reasons, one objective is to construct as few locks with large heights as possible as opposed to more locks with smaller heights. See Military Analysis: Kiel Canal. Military Analysis Thoughts on the military and military activities of a diverse nature. Free-ranging and eclectic. Tuesday, August 17, 2010 Kiel Canal. This is coolbert: "If the U.S. fielded a two-ocean navy, the Kaiser had at least a two-sea navy, operating in the Baltic and the North Sea." This is correct. During the German naval build-up in those decades prior to World War One [WW1], the pre-Dreadnought and Dreadnought navy of Imperial Germany was required to operate in both the Baltic and North Sea.

A fleet with pelagic-going [deep blue water] capability but an orientation primarily toward the east [Russia] and west [Britain]. An intrinsic part of German naval strategy during that pre-WW1 period being the building, maintenance, and usage of the Kiel Canal . A waterway designed to connect the Baltic and North Sea, bypassing Jutland and Denmark, allowing for an expeditious passage for warships [civilian merchant marine too] in either direction [west to east or east to west] in time of emergency or war. "The Kiel Canal . . . is a 61 mile (98 kilometre) long canal in the German . . .that links the North Sea . . . to the Baltic Sea . . . An average of 250 nautical miles (460 kilometers) is saved by using the Kiel Canal instead of going around the Jutland Peninsula. This not only saves time but also avoids potentially dangerous storm-prone seas." "A combination of naval interests—the German navy wanted to link its bases in the Baltic and the North Sea without the need to sail around Denmark" "In June 1887, construction works started at Holtenau, near Kiel.

The canal took over 9000 workers eight years to build" The Kiel Canal an essential part of German naval strategy in quite the same manner as the Panama Canal was an essential part of American naval strategy. Fleets able to move in a rapid manner from one location to another as the situation warranted, NOT being impeded by natural barriers, a bypass, a short-cut!! The canal, rendered to an extent ineffective with the naval build-up subsequent to the Dreadnought era. Pre-Dreadnought style battleships able to use the Kiel Canal, battleships of the larger Dreadnought class NOT ABLE to navigate the canal. An ambitious program taking six years to complete, the widening and deepening of the canal by the German - - Dreadnought class German battleships by 1914 ABLE to use the canal "It is said that part of Jacky Fisher's gambit in building the 18,500-ton dreadnoughts was to deflate Germany's willingness to compete, since to follow suit would require enlargement of the newly completed Canal . . .

The Kiel Canal was duly widened between 1907 and 1914 to fit the beamier dimensions of the Kaiser's dreadnoughts." Such was the importance of the Kiel Canal to German military and naval interests in the pre-WW1 period that the "enlargement" of the canal was correctly seen by Admiral Jacky Fisher as a PRELUDE TO WAR! "In 1908, he [Jacky Fisher] predicted that war between Britain and Germany would occur in summer 1914, which later proved exactly accurate, basing his statement on the projected completion date of the Kiel Canal, which Germany needed to move its warships safely from the Baltic to the North Sea" To what extent historians have been able to determine German war-making machinations in 1914 based upon the completion of the canal "enlargement" project is a mystery to me. Conventional wisdom would suggest that the ability of the German navy to move Dreadnought class battleships through the canal was NOT EVEN a consideration in the final decision process. The German TOP SECRET naval plan in 1914 was that there WAS NO plan!! coolbert.

Baltic Sea | sea, Europe | Britannica.com Baltic Sea Alternative Titles: Baltiyskoye More, Itämeri, Morze Bałtyckie, Östersjön, Østersøen, Ostsee Related Topics Gotland Baltic Sea, German Ostsee, Swedish Östersjön, Russian Baltiyskoye More, Finnish Itämeri, Polish Morze Bałtyckie, arm of the North Atlantic Ocean , extending northward from the latitude of southern Denmark almost to the Arctic Circle and separating the Scandinavian Peninsula from the rest of continental Europe . The largest expanse of brackish water in the world, the semienclosed and relatively shallow Baltic Sea is of great interest to scientists, while to historians it represents the economic core of the Hanseatic League , the great medieval trading group of northern European ports. The many names for the sea attest to its strategic position as a meeting place of many countries. The Baltic Sea, the North Sea, and the English Channel. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. The Baltic Sea covers about 149,000 square miles (386,000 square km).

The catchment area drained by the rivers bringing fresh water into the Baltic is about four times as large as the sea itself. The Baltic proper stretches southwest-northeast on the eastern side of the Scandinavian Peninsula from latitude 54° N to very near the Arctic Circle; its major axis, from eastern Denmark to southern Finland , is a little more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) long, with an average width of about 120 miles (190 km). The western Baltic extends north through insular Denmark and includes the Kattegat , a strait separating peninsular Denmark ( Jutland , or Jylland) from southwestern Sweden . The Kattegat is bounded on the north by the Skagerrak , a deep inlet of the North Sea that separates southern Norway from northern Jutland. The large islands of Bornholm (Denmark) and Öland and Gotland (Sweden) lie in the western Baltic, while the Åland Islands (Finnish: Ahvenanmaa), farther north, rise from a narrows between Sweden and Finland and mark the entrance to the arm of the Baltic known as the Gulf of Bothnia .

Just to the south of the Åland Islands, the narrow Gulf of Finland stretches eastward between Finland to the north, Estonia to the south, and Russia around the eastern end, with St. Petersburg at its head. Proceeding clockwise from the west, the countries bounding the Baltic are Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia , Lithuania , Poland , and Germany . Coast of Bornholm, Den., on the Baltic Sea. G. Glase/Ostman Agency Scipio Africanus the Elder East of Szczecin the coast of Pomerania (Pomorze) is generally flat and featureless, with sand dunes and spits bounding brackish lagoons. The Vistula River drains into the Baltic through a number of distributaries; the historic city of Gdańsk lies on the most westerly of these, the Motława. To the east, spectacular lagoon and shingle bar features have developed. Sand dunes, covering an elongated shingle spit, almost enclose the brackish Wiślany (Frisches) Lagoon, at the northeastern end of which lies Königsberg, the historic German outpost founded by the Teutonic Knights .

Once the chief city and port of East Prussia , it is now the Russian port of Kaliningrad . Northward, the cliff coast is noted for its amber , a fossilized resin that formed a valued item of medieval trade throughout the Baltic and as far afield as Venice, which was reached by the “Amber Route” via Kraków (Poland) and Vienna. At the northern end of the triangular inlet of the Curonian Lagoon , at the mouth of the Neman River , lies Klaipėda , Lithuania, the most northeasterly city of Germanic origin in the Baltic. Cutting off the lagoon from the Baltic is another shingle spit (the Curonian Spit), some 60 miles (100 km) long, capped by low fixed dunes and fringed by high moving dunes of white sand. Waterfront of Gdańsk, Poland, on the Motława River. Fridmar Damm/Leo de Wys Inc. In the eastern Baltic, glacial deposits cover solid rock, and the coast is broken by broad bars, such as those on which the Latvian port of Riga lies. At the head of the Gulf of Finland is the city of St.

Petersburg , founded by Peter I (the Great) as Russia’s “window on Europe,” with its white buildings in classical style lining the waterfront of the Neva River . Economic aspects The Baltic Sea is no longer the major highway of trade that it was in the Middle Ages, when it flourished as the main means of communication between the ports (Lübeck, Rostock , Visby , and Gdańsk) of the Hanseatic League . The German Hansa merchants traded mainly in fish , notably salted herring and stockfish (dried cod from Norway and Iceland), and also in softwood timber for shipbuilding, hemp for ropes, flax for sailcloth, and grain. Forest products included honey and furs, notably from Russia and Finland, as well as Stockholm tar and amber, the latter being a semiprecious commodity. Overfishing of herring, the opening up of trade to the Americas and the Caribbean following the European Age of Discovery (mid-15th to mid-16th century), and the increase in the size of sailing ships led to the decline of the Hanseatic League.

Copenhagen, however, continued to prosper on the profits from tolls exacted from passing shipping, until tolls were abolished in 1857. The Marienkirche (13th–14th century) towering above the rooftops of Lübeck, Germany. © Roman Sigaev/Shutterstock.com The construction of the Kiel Canal in the late 19th century and the development of railways and highways in the 20th century began to change the nature of trade and transport across the Baltic Sea. World War II also brought political and economic change to the region, and traditional trading patterns were amended accordingly. In the 21st century the number of ocean vessels sailing around Jutland is only a fraction of that of earlier decades. Instead, there has been an increase in Baltic Sea crossings by large roll-on, roll-off ferries and fast hovercraft, hydrofoils, and catamarans. There are many such linkages, the busiest being between Helsingør, Denmark, and Helsingborg, Sweden. The Kiel Canal, running from the mouth of the Elbe River to the Baltic Sea, Kiel, Ger. A.G.E.

FotoStock Bulk cargoes of oil and coal still come by all water routes into the Baltic, and many exports of minerals, timber, and wood products move in the opposite direction by sea around Jutland. These traditional exports represent a diminishing value in overall trade. The greatest values are in consumer goods, most of which are carried in containers by integrated land and sea transport to markets and to and from the North Sea ports of Hamburg , Germany, and Rotterdam , Netherlands . This has led to increased interest in building a bridge between Denmark and Sweden. Shipbuilding has declined in Sweden but has continued in Poland and Finland (especially for ice-strengthened vessels); marine engines are produced in Denmark. Generally, however, light engineering, high-quality furniture production, and motor-vehicle manufacturing have replaced many of these maritime-based industries. A tanker in a shipyard, Gdańsk, Poland. © Nightman1965/Fotolia Fishing in the Baltic is less important than in the past. Most of the catch consists of herring, cod, and sprats followed by smaller quantities of eel, salmon, and shellfish. The Baltic has been divided into national zones for fishing, with the bulk of the catch coming from the southern sector and from the Kattegat.

Similarly, the seabed has been divided among the Baltic countries, and exploration for hydrocarbons has taken place especially off the eastern shore. Vacationers have long enjoyed the pleasures of the Baltic coast, but in the early 21st century its expanses of white sand beaches and quaint seaside towns grew increasingly popular with tourists . Among the most-visited resort towns are Rønne, Denmark, on Bornholm island; Ystad, Sweden; Pärnu , Estonia; Sopot , Poland; Liepāja and Jūrmala, Latvia; and Palanga and Klaipėda , Lithuania. Study and exploration The Vikings began opening the Baltic to trade in the 8th century ad, and since then the historic events of the region have been related to attempts at controlling the sea. Swedish expansion from the 12th to the 17th century relied on shipbuilding and sea power, and the basis of the Danish empire was its ability to command the straits through the Danish archipelago. The prosperity of the Hanseatic League arose when German Baltic ports provided alternative trade gateways to the Danish straits. The intensity of the use of the Baltic for seafaring has been matched by equally intensive scientific research.

The sea’s hydrologic and chemical properties were among the first to be studied systematically. Because of its status as a semienclosed sea—with stratified water columns, low water temperatures, a slow circulation pattern, and much runoff from coastal and river areas with high concentrations of population and industry—the Baltic has been recognized as ecologically vulnerable . The focus of much research has been on monitoring such pollution indicators as oxygen depletion in the deep basins and the concentration of harmful substances in aquatic birdlife. Threats to unique regional flora and fauna have led to cooperation among Baltic countries on environmental protection. Alice F.A. Mutton Alastair Dougal Couper As early as the 1950s, environmental scientists in the Baltic region became aware of environmental degradation resulting from large-scale industrial development and chemical runoffs from agriculture. This awareness led to the 1974 signing by Baltic countries of the Helsinki Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, an agreement that was put into effect in 1980, revised in 1992, and reimplemented in 2000. The Helsinki Convention was one of the first international attempts to control land-based sources of pollution in a shared marine environment.

Although some significant improvements in pollution control have been achieved, particularly in the Scandinavian countries, it is difficult to determine how much these improvements can be attributed to the institutions established under the Helsinki Convention. In the early 21st century, environmental concerns complicated plans to build an undersea natural-gas pipeline that would deliver Russian gas to western Europe. Construction of the pipeline, which when completed will link Vyborg , Russia, and Greifswald , Germany, finally began in 2010. Baltic Sea - Credo Reference Topic Page: Baltic Sea Definition: Baltic Sea from The Macquarie Dictionary a sea in northern Europe, bounded by Sweden, Finland, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Germany, and Denmark. About 420~000 km2 Summary Article: Baltic Sea from The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide Image from: German landing ships in the ice-filled channel at...

in The Encyclopedia of World War I: A Political, Social, and Military History Shallow sea, and arm of the Atlantic Ocean, extending northeast from the narrow Skagerrak arm of the North Sea and the Kattegat strait, between Sweden and Denmark, to the Gulf of Bothnia between Sweden and Finland. Its coastline is 8,000 km/5,000 mi long; the sea is 1,500 km/930 mi long and 650 km/404 mi wide, and its area, including the gulfs of Riga, Finland, and Bothnia, is 422,300 sq km/163,000 sq mi. Its average depth is 65 m/213 ft, but it is 460 m/1,500 ft at its deepest. Its shoreline is shared by Denmark, Germany, Poland, the Baltic States, Russia, Finland, and Sweden. Many large rivers flow into the Baltic Sea, including the Oder, Vistula, Niemen, Western Dvina, Narva, and Neva, draining an area covering one-fifth of Europe.

Tides are hardly perceptible, and salt content is low, decreasing towards the Gulf of Bothnia. The sea bed consists of mud or hard clay in the deeper areas, with sand and shingle on shallow banks and coasts. Navigation is often made dangerous by its narrowness, shallowness, and sudden storms. Most ports are closed by ice from December until May; the sea is recorded to have frozen completely only twice, in 1658 and 1809. The Kiel canal links the Baltic and North seas, and the Göta canal connects the two seas by way of the southern Swedish lakes. Since 1975 the Baltic Sea has been linked by the St Petersburg–Belomorsk seaway with the White Sea. A waterway system links the Baltic Sea (at St Petersburg) with the Caspian Sea (at Astrakhan). The currents in the Baltic generally flow anticlockwise, southwards along the Swedish coast. The chief islands are Sjaelland, Fyn, Bornholm, Falster, and Lolland (Denmark); Gotland, Öland, and Hveen (Sweden); the Åland Islands (Finland); and Rügen (Germany).

The chief ports are Copenhagen (Denmark); Kiel and Rostock (Germany); Szczechin and Gdańsk (Poland); Kaliningrad and Riga (Lithuania); Tallin (Estonia); Helsinki (Finland); and Stockholm and Malmo (Sweden). The main exports from bordering countries are timber, furs, tallow, and grain. Amber is found, and has been traded for centuries in Pomerania. The Baltic was frequented from ancient times, especially because of the amber found along the coast. During medieval times commerce on the Baltic was dominated by the Hanseatic League. © RM, 2016. All rights reserved. Eat local: traversing the Kiel Canal (connecting the North Sea to the Baltic Sea), Germany | Where in the world is Riccardo? Where in the world is Riccardo?

Exploring and photographing by sea Search Eat local: traversing the Kiel Canal (connecting the North Sea to the Baltic Sea), Germany Posted on by richardcedwards The freshwater Kiel Canal saves considerable time going from the North Sea to the Baltic Sea (not sailing through the rough waters off the Jutland Peninsula) across northern Germany (from near Hamburg to Kiel) Originally constructed between 1887 and 1895 and named in honor of Kaiser Wilheim, the Kiel Canal (Nord-Ostsee Kanal), which links the North Sea at Brunsbuttel (near Hamburg) with the Baltic Sea at Kiel-Holtenau, is the world’s busiest artificial waterway. Its initial purpose was to facilitate movement of the German fleet. Although the canal is just a distance of about 62 miles (100 kilometers) in length, it saves roughly 250 nautical miles (460 kilometers) for ships and small or vessels moving between the two bodies of water. Entrance is gained at a lock at either end, with small boats and ships often sharing passage.

Expanded to a depth of 36 feet (11 meters) and a depth of 328 feet (100 meters), the canal accommodates fairly large vessels, although megaships and tankers must take the longer route around the Jutland Peninsula. A hotel and homes along the side of the Kiel Canal, Germany A railroad bridge, one of several crossings of the canal (the automobile-truck bridges are free), Kiel Canal, Germany Trivia about the Kiel Canal: It took 9,000 workers eight years to dig the Kiel Canal. Though originally named the Kaiser-Wilhelm Canal, Germans used to refer to it as the Nord-Ostsee Kanal. During 2015, 88 ships passed through the Kiel Canal every day – a total of 32,091 vessels for the year. Though there are two locks in the canal (at either end), these were designed mainly to protect the structure against movements of the tides.

Close-up of the railroad bridge crossing the Kiel Canal, Germany An appetizer of homemade crab cakes, asparagus, mache and tomatoes for a dinner party in our apartment on the ship for friends while transiting the Kiel Canal, Germany The entrée, prepared by our co-hosts, of filet mignon with wild mushrooms and a Cabernet Sauvignon sauce with Dauphinoise potatoes & haricot verts for a dinner party in our apartment on the ship for friends while transiting the Kiel Canal, Germany The dessert was a chocolate-caramel tarte based on a Parisian family recipe from our friend, Paule, for a dinner party in our apartment on the ship for friends while transiting the Kiel Canal, Germany

Question: Which German canal links the North Sea with the Baltic?
Answer: Kiel Canal