Brunsbüttel (German pronunciation: [ˈbʁʊnsbʏtl̩] ; Northern Low Saxon: Bruunsbüddel) is a town in the district of Dithmarschen, in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany that lies at the mouth of the Elbe river, near the North Sea. It is the location of the western entrance to the Kiel Canal.
Kiel (/kiːl/ KEEL; German: [kiːl] ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Bay of Kiel and lies in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula, on the mouth of the Schwentine River, approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi) northeast of Hamburg. The world's busiest artificial waterway, the Kiel Canal, has a terminus in Kiel's Holtenau district. This canal connects the Baltic to the North Sea, with its other end in Brunsbüttel. Most of Kiel is part of Holstein. The boroughs north of the Schwentine also belong to Wagria, while those north of the Kiel Canal are historically part of Southern Schleswig.
Originally a small settlement, Kiel was granted city rights in 1242. Over the centuries, it developed as an important port and trading hub, particularly due to its strategic location on the Kieler Förde inlet. Kiel became part of the Duchy of Holstein, the northernmost state of the Holy Roman Empire. From 1773 to 1864, it was ruled in personal union by the king of Denmark. In 1864, after the Second Schleswig War, the city was incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia. During the 20th century, Kiel played a significant role in both World War I and World War II, with its naval significance and shipbuilding industry. Following World War II, it became part of West Germany and later the unified Germany.
The Kiel Canal (German: Nord-Ostsee-Kanal, formerly Kaiser-Wilhelm-Kanal) is a 98-kilometer-long (61 mi) freshwater canal that links the North Sea to the Baltic Sea. It runs through the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, from Brunsbüttel, at the mouth of the Elbe, to Holtenau, on the Kiel Fjord. It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 and widened between 1907 and 1914. In addition to the two sea entrances, the canal is linked at Oldenbüttel to the navigable River Eider by the short Gieselau Canal.
The canal reduces the journey between the North and Baltic Seas by 460 km (290 mi) by allowing ships to bypass the Jutland peninsula and the Danish straits. It is one of the world's most frequented artificial waterways, with an annual average of 32,000 ships (90 daily), transporting approximately 100 million tonnes of goods.
The Niederelbe (i.e. Lower Elbe) is a 108 kilometers (67 miles) long section of the river Elbe, from western Hamburg downstream to its mouth into the North Sea near Cuxhaven. Starting at Mühlenberger Loch (or Elbe kilometer 634) near Finkenwerder, Hamburg, it gradually widens from 2 km (1.2 mi) to 18 km (11 mi). Once passing the Hamburg state border, the Niederelbe also forms the border between the states of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein.
The Niederelbe forms part of the Elbe section named the Unterelbe (i. e. Lower ("Under") Elbe), comprising all parts of the Elbe influenced by the North Sea's tides, starting further inland at the sluice in Geesthacht (or Elbe kilometer 586).