Rendsburg

Rendsburg is a town at the Kiel Canal in the northeastern part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the Kreis (district) Rendsburg-Eckernfoerde. Population: 29,400.

The foundation date is unknown. Rendsburg was first mentioned in 1199. It became a part of Holstein in the 13th century, but was passed to Schleswig in 1460. Many times the town changed from the Danish to the German domain and vice versa. In the German-Danish War[?] in 1864 Rendsburg was finally seized by Prussia and then remained German.

The importance rose in 1895, when the Kiel Canal was finished. Although situated inland, Rendsburg received a seaport and a dockyard. The most prominent building of the town, a railway bridge made of steel, 2500 m in length and 41 m in height, was constructed in 1913. A ferry crossing the Kiel Canal below the bridge is anchored to the bridge by steel cables, a unique type of construction in Europe.

Other sights:

• town hall, 16th century
• Marienkirche (Saint Mary), 1286
• the longest bench of the world, 501 m long, at the bank of the Kiel Canal