Tall Ships Parade at Kiel Week, the world's biggest regatta and sailing event (2009)International 420 Class Dinghy regatta, 2005Regatta of cruising yachts in front of Laboe, 2003Amphitrite, Ubena von Bremen, and Roald Amundsen in 2007, forming part of the annual tall ship fleet at Kiel WeekTall ships attracting visitors in port during Kiel Week 2006Fairs and events as part of festival at shore, 2005
The Kiel Week (German: Kieler Woche) or Kiel Regatta is an annual sailing event in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the largest sailing event in Europe, and also one of the largest Volksfeste in Germany, attracting millions of people every year from all over Germany and neighbouring countries.[1]
Kiel Week is held annually in the last week in June, and opens officially on the preceding Saturday with the official Glaser, followed by the Holstenbummel. The "Soundcheck" is on the Friday before the official opening; it is a music festival across all the stages within the city. Kiel Week, ends with a large fireworks display at 11 p.m. on Sunday, fired from pontoons or the quays at the Howaldtswerke, visible all across the Bay of Kiel. There are also many minigames
Most ship races begin at the Olympic Harbor of Schilksee, also the centre of most sporting activities during Kiel Week. As Schilksee is located outside of the inner city and most sailing competitions take place yet further out, only some races – mainly of smaller boat types – can be viewed from shore, namely from along the Kiellinie at the west coast of the Bay of Kiel.
While Kiel Week started out as a ship racing championship, it has long since become a large festival with many popular bands playing on public stages. They often play for free, although the corporate sponsors (many from the Schleswig-Holstein media and telecommunications industry) usually display their involvement prominently. Most of the stages can be found at the Kiellinie (the western side of the Kieler Förde from the Düsternbrook yacht harbour past the Schleswig-Holstein parliament building to the big inner-city ferry harbour), and as of late, across the Hoernbridge to the Germania harbour and the Hörn. Another area of rich cultural activity in the city centre (Rathausplatz, Holstenbrücke) and the area connecting the city centre with the ferry harbour (Alter Markt, Dänische Straße, Schloßpark). Between the public stages and especially on the International Market on the Rathausplatz, food specialties from different countries can be eaten. Small street performances and street comedy are performed in many places. A special children's program is available at the Spiellinie.
Kiel Week is also one of the largest tall ship conventions in Germany, attracting many German and international traditional ships, mainly sailing ships. Many of them spend the week doing day tours out of Kiel, thus berthing much more in view of the festival visitors than the racing boats at Kiel-Schilksee. More than 100 traditional ships and hundreds of yachts usually participate in the Tall Ships Parade (Windjammerparade) on the day before the closing day of the Kiel Week, i.e. usually on the second Saturday of Kiel Week. The Parade was first held in 1972, under the name of Operation Sail, and was organized in celebration of the Olympic Summer Games in Germany that year, whose sailing competitions took place in Kiel. It was the first large gathering of tall ships since the time of the windjammers, and its success led to the annual Parade and to the foundation of the first sail training organization in Germany (Clipper DJS). Today, the Parade is often headed by the Gorch Fock, a sister ship to the German-built USCGC Eagle (WIX-327).
Kiel Week Poster and Enamel Plaques
Since 1948, advertises an annual Kiel Week poster for the festival week. Their design is another example of the cultural positioning and visual-design tradition of the Kieler Woche. In this context represents a jury put together a selection of graphic designers and then invites them to a competition for the corporate design of the festival week. An invitation is already an honor, because the design contest enjoys a high reputation and many designs have been awarded national and international prizes.
Among other things, the following graphic artists designed for the Kiel Week: Ernst Irmler (1953), Anton Stankowski (1962), Hans Hillmann (1964), Michael Engelmann (1965), Bruno K. Wiese (1971 & 1982), Rolf Müller (, 1972), Otto Treumann (1975), Ruedi Baur (1986), Rosemarie Tissi (1990), Hans Günther Schmitz (1992), Christof Gassner (1993), Siegfried Odermatt (1994), Barbara & Gerd Baumann (1995), Wim Crouwel (1998 ), Fons M. Hickmann (2002), Klaus Hesse (2006), Markus Dressen (2007), Peter Zizka (2008), Henning Wagenbreth (2009), Andrew and Jeffrey Goldstein (2010), Melchior Imboden (2011) and Stefan Guzy and Björn re (2015).
The series of Kieler Woche playcards considered as a reflection of the recent graphic story. The motifs are applied to many objects and almost all of these – mostly developed by the competition winner himself – applications reach after a short time collector status.
Even before WWII annual enamel plaques were made as memento for the competitors.
A selection of the annual enamel plaques of the Kiel Week
June 23, 1882 20 sailing yachts (one of them Danish) participate in a ship race from Düsternbrook. Because of the large success the event is held annually in the following years.
1889 The German Emperor Wilhelm II visits the ship races for the first time.
1892 More than 100 ships announce themselves for the ship races.
1894 The event is called Kiel Week for the first time in press reports. Emperor Wilhelm II is a regular visitor now.
1895 Opening of the Kiel Canal, then called Kaiser-Wilhelm-Kanal during Kiel Week.
1907 25th anniversary of Kiel Week. Since then more than 6,000 ships have been racing at the event.
1974 The Spiellinie becomes a permanent institution at Kiel Week after the initial success of the Olympic Spielstraße for children in 1972. It is established along the Kiellinie.
1982 100 years of Kiel Week celebrations.
1994 100th Kiel Week celebrations (during the First and Second World Wars, Kiel Week was suspended); co-operation agreement with boot Düsseldorf.
1995 100 years of the Kiel Canal (formerly Kaiser-Wilhelm-Canal) celebrations.
2015 – Anitra – Josef Martin, Sven Oliver Buder, Tim Eggert, Peter Graf, Oliver Huber, Dierck Jensen, Andre Koslowsky, Johann Kraus, Wolfgang Leuthe, Björn Leuthe, Sven Martin, Petra Mehrbad, David Segbert & Ulli Sommerlath (USA)[192]
2016 – Vim – Andrea Proto, Troels Bækholm, Mads Groth, Jens Holmberg, Caspar Kiellerop Larsen, Jens Möller, Lef Motte, Peter Müller, Leerke Nergaavel, Nikolaj Nielsen, Tommy Olsson, Natale Proto, Ole Skov, Mads Walther, Stig Westergaard & Stefan Zeyse (USA)[193]
George von Hase (c. 1920). Kiel and Jutland. Skeffington and son Ltd.. Description by a German officer of the visit by a squadron of British warships attending Kiel week in June 1914. Available at Canadian library archive
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Kieler Yacht-Club
Norddeutscher Regatta Verein
Hamburger Segel-Club
Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee
