[Football] Holstein Kiel

[Popeye]

Kind of a random thread, but my brother and I did some deep research into our ancestry a couple months ago and it turns out our family originates from Kiel, Germany! So we are planning a trip next year or so to there and have started following the local club, Holstein Kiel, as well. Hopefully they can get promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time ever this season. Just curious, has anyone ever been to Kiel? Or have any German heritage themselves?

 

[PeterT]

Not been but you might find this link interesting:



From what I have heard more than once, Kiel itself is quite ugly (I imagine the RAF helped with this) but seems an interesting area to visit.

Edit:

From Lonely Planet:
”Some locals admit that Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, has a city centre that's grottenhässlich (ugly as sin). And unfortunately it is true; it was obliterated during WWII by bombing raids on its U-boat pens and then rapidly rebuilt”

Kiel travel - Lonely Planet

Explore Kiel holidays and discover the best time and places to visit.

www.lonelyplanet.com

 

[Swansman]

I've been to Kiel twice.

Out of the 20 or so German cities I've been to, it is probably the ugliest one I've been to. The night-life is pretty nice, vibrant and cheap since the city is infested with students and that was fun for me as I was around 25 (fecking 8 years ago...) when I went there both times. If I would return today I'd probably still enjoy it, when I turn 40+ not so much - you pretty much have to be a student, know a student or be at the age of a student to really enjoy it.

Holstein Kiel is a pretty sleepy club and you'll have to put some effort into finding people who care about it. I didn't get to watch a game at whatever-their-stadium-is-called though, as my friend (who I was visiting both times) dissuaded me saying that no one gives a shit about the club apart from their core of extreme right-wing fans.

Football is not the biggest sport in Kiel though. Handball is, as they are housing what is quite possibly the best and most successful handball team in the world. While generally not a sports oriented city, if you want a good sports experience when going there I think going to a THW Kiel game will provide more entertainment, better atmosphere and nicer people. If you necessarily want to watch football, I suggest making the pretty short trip over to Hamburg instead and watch HSV or St Pauli.

 

[Algernon]

My Great Grandad probably went. Wouldn't have stayed too long though. Just a flying visit you might say. Spent most of his short time there at the docks I believe.

 

[Insel affe]

Kind of a random thread, but my brother and I did some deep research into our ancestry a couple months ago and it turns out our family originates from Kiel, Germany! So we are planning a trip next year or so to there and have started following the local club, Holstein Kiel, as well. Hopefully they can get promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time ever this season. Just curious, has anyone ever been to Kiel? Or have any German heritage themselves?

Interesting, how far back.

my Grans fathers side are German from near Frankfurt, and he came over on 1852, they changed their surname in about 1915, and ran several pubs in Camden, Islington and Soho. fascinating stuff, traced them further back to Rugan an island off north Germany and before that Bornholm an island off Denmark in the Baltic Sea.

we can both root for Germany now.

 

[1066familyman]

Wouldn't happen in USA.

 

[attila]

Played there loads, not much to report really, but Husum, a seaside town not far away is absolutely beautiful and well worth a visit.

 

[Comrade Sam]

Contrary to the revised history that we beat Germany on the battlefield in WW1, the German military regime ended in Kiel. A mutiny by the sailors there was swiftly joined by a general uprising by the factory workers and this spread throughout Germany. Once the army, navy and workforce behind the frontline had mutinied the Kaiser and government resigned. I use to know a young couple from Kiel and they were very proud to come from the home of the German Revolution. For further reading the excellent 'German Revolution' by Pierre Broue is a great starting place.