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Photo: Mustang Joe, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
Rising 85 meters above the coast, the brick tower features observation decks providing views over the Kiel Fjord. At the base of the tower, a memorial hall commemorates lost sailors of all nations
The Laboe Naval Memorial is a memorial located in Laboe, northeast of Kiel in eastern Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Started in 1927 and completed in 1936 as a war memorial, the monument originally commemorated the war dead of Germany's World War I navy, the Kaiserliche Marine; with the Kriegsmarine dead of World War II being added after 1945. In 1954 it was rededicated as a memorial for the sailors of all nationalities who were lost at sea and at the same time a memorial for peaceful sailing in open seas.
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The sole surviving German submarine of the Type VII class, U 995, is beached directly on the shore at Laboe and operates as a walk-through technical museum.
Nord-Ostsee Kanal
The world's busiest artificial waterway. It is possible to walk or cycle for almost the entire length (98 km) directly along the canal from Kiel to Brunsbüttel (estuary of the Elbe, on the North Sea coast), staying overnight in the town of Rendsburg if necessary.
Kiel is the home of the German Baltic fleet, and it is common to see various German warships and submarines in the Fjord, including the training sailing vessel Gorch Fock. Checking the port schedule beforehand is recommended for visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of the ship.
Tannenberger Gehölz
A smaller forest area in the north of Kiel where different types of deer roam about freely and with relatively little fear of humans. There are some enclosures including one for boar. Not spectacular, but good for a relaxing walk and to see some of the local wildlife. Make sure to obey the feeding rules posted around the area.