Schleuse Kiel-Holtenau

To balance the varying water levels between North Sea and Baltic Sea the Kiel-Canal was provided with a lock system on each end. The lock for the Baltic Sea is located in the firth of Kiel in Holtenau. The lock system, which can handle ships up to 6000 gross register tons, was completed in 1895. In 1914 a modernised double lock system for ships up to 13,000 gross register tons was put into use. It takes a ship 30 to 45 minutes to pass through the locks. There are four guided tours for interested visitors every day. The starting point is from the north side of the construction in Kiel-Holtenau. Apart from that there's a lookout point south of the locks as well as a passenger ferry. Just in front of the locks the ferry commutes between Kiel-Wik and the Kanalstraße in Holtenau. From here you can observe the bustling activity on the world's most busy canal.