Exhibition of the Maritimes Viertel association in Kiel-Wik on the construction, technology and history of the Nord-Ostsee-Kanal (Kiel Canal), with models and photos; free admission.
April 26, 2026 – November 29, 2026
The exhibition shows how the city of Kiel and the Maritimes Viertel have changed under the influence of the navy, and asks about the lives and work of the people there. A lecture series accompanies it.
For more than three decades the Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsamt (Waterways and Shipping Office) ran an exhibition on the Nord-Ostsee-Kanal on the Schleuseninsel (lock island) in Kiel-Holtenau; about 10,000 visitors came each year. Because the lock grounds have been under stricter security requirements since around 2012 and also became a construction site, the site was no longer open to the public.
In 2013 the exhibition found new space with the association Maritimes Viertel – Kultur am Kanal, in the former Technical Naval School in Kiel's Wik; in 2014 the association officially took it over from the Waterways and Shipping Office. In 2020 the exhibition was reorganized so that its roughly 50 exhibits can be explained better during tours for larger groups.
The display includes historical photographs, plans, models of locks and bridges, and special finds, among them original parts of a container ship that destroyed a lock gate at Holtenau in 2018, a model of the new Levensau High Bridge, and a small daylight signal system to try out. In front of the building lie a ship's anchor and an erratic boulder from the former lock island.
The association also shows models of old Kiel and ship models in the same rooms; on request, tours combine the canal exhibition with the lock viewing platform in Wik.
Admission is free.
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 12 · For guided tours, children up to 12 years are free. |
|---|---|
| Groups (10+ people) | €3.50 per personGuided tour for 10 or more people on request: €3.50 (one theme point), €5.50 (two), €7.50 (three). |
Free admission; a small donation to the association is welcome. Individually guided tours (from 10 people, on request) cost €3.50 per person for one theme point, €5.50 for two and €7.50 for three; children up to 12 are free.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 12 |
|---|
A small signal system can be operated by visitors; children up to 12 are free on guided tours.
Mercatorstraße
The nearest bus stops are Mercatorstraße and Petruskirche/Anscharpark.
The building is in the former Technical Naval School in Kiel's Wik; from here a walking route leads to the lock viewing platform on Uferstraße.
Get directionsThe museum hasn’t published any information on this.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Tours of the canal exhibition, the Maritimes Viertel and the lock viewing platform by arrangement (at least one hour). |
