UNDATED – View along the Eider Channel near Kiel in Germany. Scan © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com/Photo: Christoph Hulbe
The story behind the image
The other day I came across a fantastic cabinet photo card. It shows the Eider Channel near Knoop in Kiel, Germany. This channel was the predecessor of the famous Kiel Canal that connects the North Sea with the Baltic Sea.
I do have vivid memories of this place because I grew up in Altenholz which is not far from Knoop, and quite often my parents would take a walk along the channel. Of course, these were the 1970s and the channel had already been put to rest by the Kiel Canal which was just a few steps away from this location.
Back in the 1970s it was not as tidy as on this photo. The lamps along the channel were gone, and the trees had grown significantly, leaving just a narrow path. What’s more, also the tiny ferry across the channel was gone. The building (between the trees on the left) were still present. At the time of writing, this seems to be still the case, at least when looking at recent satellite images. Wow.
I’d estimate the production date of the large cabinet card to be early 1890s. The style is very similar to other cards from that period, and the publisher, Christoph Hulbe from Kiel, had started his business in the 1880s, so this sounds plausible as well.
It’s a real gem that goes straight to the archive now. 🙂
Lovely.
P.S.: If you are interested in a detailed history of the Eider Channel, please feel free to drop by apt-holtenau.de (in German.)
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | c. 1893 |
| Publisher | Christoph Hulbe, Kiel |
| Location | Knoop. Kiel, Germany |
| Image Source | c. 11 x 17.2 cm cabinet photo |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 13762 x 9169 Pixels |
| Copyright | © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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