The most beautiful areas of the Baltic Sea: Part 1 - The Kiel Fjord: in the wake of the Emperor

Much of Kiel Fjord is still inextricably linked with Germany's last crowned head. Kaiser Wilhelm II, infatuated with naval power and seafaring, firmly anchored the hitherto rather unknown Baltic city in the public perception of the Wilhelminian era. The Kiel Yacht Club (at that time the "K" still stood for "Imperial") was his club, Kiel Week his event. It was here that he inaugurated the Kiel Canal with great pomp, had his fleet enlarged at the Imperial Shipyard and held his parades with flags flying over the Toppen.

"Imperial weather" - those were the bright blue days in summer when His Majesty himself appeared at the helm of his racing yacht "Meteor" on the fjord. And all his subjects also rushed out onto the water to show themselves close to "SM". Much of this special flair can still be felt today between Düsternbrook and Laboe when the wind is right and the fjord is white with sails. A small, extraordinary sailing area - even without German royals and thunderous hurrahs.

1 Lighthouses of the fjord

Even at night, three lighthouses show the way safely from the Bay of Kiel to the interior of the fjord: Kiel lighthouse at its sea position just under four nautical miles north-east of Bülker Huk, Bülk lighthouse, which in turn warns of the dangerous Stollergrund to the north, and Friedrichsort lighthouse with its guiding sector for the continuously lit main fairway.

2 Schilksee/Strande

Together, the two large marinas in the north-west of the fjord have more than 1,200 berths - three quarters of which are in the Schilksee Olympic harbour. The extensive facility, whose sober apartment blocks are unmistakably from the concrete-loving 1960s, was built for the 1972 Summer Games in Munich. At the time, Kiel was the venue for the sailing competitions. The extinguished torch can still be found on the viewing platform above the harbour master's office. Both harbours offer full service, beach access and public transport connections. Kiel city centre is around 15 kilometres away. www.sporthafen-kiel.de , www.hafen-strande.de

"Kiel was the venue for the sailing competitions back then. The extinguished torch can still be found on the viewing platform above the harbour master's office"

3 Stickenhörn

Stickenhörn is a good place to spend the night if you are planning to enter the Kiel Canal the next day. The harbour has 460 berths and the entrance to the Kiel-Holtenau lock is just under a nautical mile away. Full service is also available here, with catering provided in Friedrichsort. www.sporthafen-kiel.de

4 Holtenau

Another mooring option for canal users is the pleasure craft jetties on the bank north of the old locks. You can moor alongside here. The route continues along Tiessenkai to the historic Holtenau lighthouse, which went into operation together with the canal in 1895 following its ceremonial opening by the Emperor. The relief above the entrance portal shows two mermaids representing the North and Baltic Seas, holding hands with a determined look. Good food and home-brewed beer can be found in the nearby canal road at "Luzifer". www.wsa-kiel.wsv.de/Schifffahrt

5 Kiel Canal

The Kiel Canal connects the Kiel Fjord near Holtenau with Brunsbüttel at the mouth of the Elbe over a distance of almost 100 kilometres. Around 30,000 ships now use the canal every year to avoid the diversions through the Skagerrak in the north of Denmark. A current leaflet for pleasure craft is available on the WSA Brunsbüttel website: www.wsv.de/wsa-bb/info

"Around 30,000 ships now use the canal every year to avoid the diversions through the Skagerrak in the north of Denmark"

6 Wik

The jetty of the Wik sports harbour (185 berths with pile boxes) is also located on the west side of the fjord just south of the Tirpitzhafen, which belongs to the German Navy's Kiel base. When it is not on a training voyage, the training sailing ship "Gorch Fock" is also within sight. But beware of incoming and outgoing submarines. Full service and good transport connections. www.sporthafen-kiel.de

7 Düsternbrook

If you want to moor as close as possible to the city centre, you should look for a berth in Düsternbrook - or in one of the other, but smaller harbours along the Kiellinie, as the waterfront along the fjord is appropriately called here, i.e. at Blücherbrücke, Reventloubrücke or in the (southernmost) Seeburg sports harbour. www.sporthafen-kiel.de

8 Keel

At the end of June, the fjord city becomes a festival centre every year: the "Kiel Week" with its international sailing races is not only one of the biggest sporting events in the world, but also a huge public festival with hundreds of music concerts and ship visits from all over the world. A real spectacle - but with poor prospects for spontaneous guest berths. www.kieler-woche.de

>>> TIP Criss-crossing the fjord: If you have several days, choose your favourite harbour and stay there. The black and white ships of the fjord ferry lines call at every location and then bring you back again.

9 Mönkeberg

The Mönkeberg Water Sports Association has its club harbour on the green eastern shore. Beautiful moorings in a quiet and relaxed atmosphere with full service. Probably unique: the harbour master has his office in a disused lighthouse - the discarded cross-marker light from Neukirchen on the Flensburg Fjord. www.wvm-online.de

10 Heikendorf

Heikendorf also offers cosy places to stay a little further north in Möltenort harbour. The floating clubhouse of the Heikendorf Yacht Club is also located here: the old Danish lightship "No. 15 Læsø Rende" from 1887. www.hyc86.de

11 Laboe

With the modern full-service marina Baltic Bay (floating jetties) and the town harbour (pile pits), the Baltic seaside resort of Laboe has plenty of space for guest crews who are drawn to the nearby beach. www.schiffswerftlaboe.de, www.laboe.de

12 Naval memorial

With its monumental tower (with viewing platform), the memorial commemorates the German naval personnel who lost their lives. The museum submarine "U-995" from the Second World War can be viewed on the beach in front of it. www.deutscher-marinebund.de

13 Wendtorf

For the sake of completeness: large marina with full service in the north-east of the fjord - actually already on the way to Fehmarn... www.marina-wendtorf.de

>>> TIP Applies almost everywhere in the Kiel Fjord: A green sign on the jetty means "free for guest moorings". If you moor when the sign is red, you will receive a card of the same colour!

Stage plan