Rendsburg is in Schleswig-Holstein. Rendsburg's main claim to fame is its position on the Kiel canal with a major railway bridge over the canal.

Understand

In 2018, it was home to over 28,000 people.

History

Rendsburg's foundation date is unknown. Rendsburg was first mentioned in 1199. An old form of its name in Danish was Reynoldsburgh.

It became a part of Holstein in the 13th century, but was transferred to Schleswig in 1460. Many times the town passed from Danish to German control and vice versa. In the German-Danish War in 1864 Rendsburg was finally seized by Kingdom of Prussia and Austria. After 1866 the town was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia. Since that time it has remained part of Germany.

Although the Eider is navigable for small craft from its mouth on the North Sea to Rendsburg, the town's importance rose in 1895, when the Kiel Canal was finished. The much larger ships that could navigate the Kiel Canal meant that, although it is inland, Rendsburg became a seaport and a dockyard.

Get in

By train

• 1 Rendsburg station. Rendsburg is served by Hamburg - Flensburg Regionalexpress trains as well as Kiel - Husum regional trains.  

See

Rendsburg High Bridge

• 1 Rendsburg High Bridge. The longest railway bridge in Europe.  
• 2 Town Hall. 
• 3 Longest bench in the world. A 575.75 m (1,888.9 ft) long wooden bench along Kiel Canal. 
• 4 Kiel Canal Pedestrian Tunnel. Longest pedestrian tunnel in the world. Four escalators (each 55 m (180 ft) long) and a 130 m (430 ft) long tunnel tube. 
• 5 Rendsburg railway loop (Rendsburger Schleife). A perhaps bizarre consequence of the construction/expansion of the Canal is this railway loop in the middle of famously flat as a pancake Schleswig Holstein. The Kaiser wanted his newest warships to pass through the canal and as such bridges had to achieve a height of 50 meters or more. But as the existing station was not supposed to be moved, some method had to be devised for trains to gain fifty meters of altitude over a relatively short stretch of distance. This loop is, to the delight of railway enthusiasts, the consequence. (updated Apr 2018)
• 6 Schiffsbegrüßungsanlage. Built in the 1990s, this is one of only two "ship welcoming machines" in Germany. It plays the anthem and does a thing with the flag of the country of the ships that pass. (updated Apr 2018)

Do

• 1 Schwimmzentrum Rendsburg, An der Untereider 29-31, 24768 Rendsburg, ☏ +49 4331 209600, info@schwimmzentrum-rendsburg.de. 09:00 - 19:00 (on some days 06:00-21:00). A beautiful swimming centre with an indoor pool with Caribbean flair and an outdoor pool with a water temperature of at least 25 °C, an 80-m giant slide and a spacious sauna area consisting of 3 log cabins and an outdoor pool on the Eider. €5, €2.50. (updated Oct 2016)

Eat

• 1 Hauptwache, Paradeplatz 1, 24768 Rendsburg, ☏ +49 4331 23456, info@hauptwache-rendsburg.de. A cozy pub and restaurant with a large wooden oven in the middle of the restaurant. 
• 2 Brauer's Aalkate, Schirnauer See 5, 24790 Rade, ☏ +49 4331 91561, fax: +49 4331 91297, brauers-aalkate@t-online.de. 1 May-4 Oct: daily 11:00-21:00; 5 Oct-12 Mar: W-Sa 11:30-14.00 & 18.00-21:00, Su: continuously. A fish restaurant with its own smokehouse, direct fish sales, tours with the Börte boat, herring festival (at the end of March/beginning of April) on the canal. 
• 3 Brückenterassen, Am Kreishafen (at the Canal next to the Hochbrücke), ☏ +49 4331 22002, restaurant@brueckenterrassen.de. From 09:00. One of their attractions is the "ship welcoming facility" (Schiffsbegrüßungsanlage) that gives information about every passing ship and "greets" it with the national anthem of the flag state. lunch from €7.50. (updated May 2016)

Sleep

• 1 ConventGarten Hotel and Restaurant, Hindenburgstraße 38-42, ☏ +49 4331 59050. 

Go next

• Kiel
• Neumünster
• Schleswig

Routes through Rendsburg

Aalborg ← Flensburg ←

N  S

→ Neumünster → Hamburg