Holstein-Stadion

Holstein-Stadion – northern Germany's smallest big ground

The Holstein-Stadion has stood in Kiel's Wik district since 1911, making it one of the oldest continuously used football grounds in Germany. It is small and it is tight, and that is precisely the appeal: you sit closer to the game here than in almost any modern arena.

German champions in 1912 — then a wait of 112 years

Few visitors know it: Holstein Kiel were German champions in 1912, beating Karlsruher Kickers in the final a year after the ground opened.

After that it took a while. Only on 11 May 2024 did Holstein Kiel reach the Bundesliga for the first time — as the first club from Schleswig-Holstein to do so. More than a century separates the championship from the first Bundesliga match, and this stadium was in use throughout.

The Storks

The nickname "die Störche", the storks, has followed the club for a long time and connects the blue, white and red colours with the northern German landscape, where the white stork is native. You will hear it from the stands at every home match.

Kiel: the fjord, the canal and Kieler Woche

Kiel sits on a fjord that reaches into the middle of the city, and on the Kiel Canal, the busiest artificial waterway in the world. At the Holtenau locks you can watch the ships pass through — a pastime that holds the attention for surprisingly long.

In June the city hosts Kieler Woche, the largest sailing event in the world and one of Europe's biggest summer festivals. If you want to attend a match in that window, book the hotel very early — the city fills up completely.

Getting there

The ground lies about three kilometres north of the main station in the Wik district and is served by bus. Kiel itself is a little over ninety minutes from Hamburg by train.