Leuchtturm Kiel-Holtenau (Kiel-Holtenau Lighthouse), Kiel

The Holtenau lighthouse is located on the north bank of the entrance to the Kiel Canal in Kiel-Holtenau and has served as an entrance light since 1895. The tower is a sea mark and memorial and is one of the most beautiful lighthouses in Germany. The Holtenau lighthouse was completely renovated in 1995 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Kiel Canal. Today it is surrounded by greenery, and the octagonal base of the brick tower also serves as a wedding room. On the south bank, the entrance is marked by a simply designed, white and red lattice tower. In the Deutsche Post AG Lighthouse stamp series, a postage stamp with a face value of 45 euro cents was issued. The design was created by Johannes Graf from Dortmund. The first day of issue was June 8, 2017. The predecessor of the lighthouse stood directly in front of the canal packing house in Holtenau and for a few years marked the entrance to the Eider Canal, the predecessor of the Kiel Canal. The current Holtenau lighthouse was built on a small hill made from excavated material from the Kiel Canal that was piled up in front of the original bank. The lighthouse was built by the Kiel-based company Rower. The height of the Holtenau lighthouse is 20 meters, including the beacon 24 meters. The nominal range of its beacon is 11 nautical miles for white, 9 for red and 8 for green.

The Holtenau lighthouse at the entrance to the Kiel-Holtenau lock is certainly one of the district's landmarks and is one of the most beautiful beacons on the German coast. It is immediately clear that the Holtenau lighthouse was more than just a navigation mark, but was also intended to glorify the German Empire. There is a memorial plaque on its outer wall with the following inscription: "Emperor Wilhelm II consecrated the Kiel Canal and opened it to world traffic on June 21, 1895." Since last year, Kiel has had the opportunity to get married in the lighthouse in addition to the almost traditional wedding ceremonies on the ship. The wedding dates in the lighthouse, which are only available from May to September, have been in great demand ever since.

The Holtenau lighthouse has been one of Holtenau's landmarks since its construction and is certainly still one of the most beautiful in Germany - if not the world - due to its special dual function as a sea mark and memorial. The current Holtenau lighthouse is not the first lighthouse in Holtenau - the predecessor stood directly in front of the canal packing house and marked the entrance to the Eider Canal for a few decades. ***PH***