Yesterday Hamburg, today Kiel!

Well, this was last night in Hamburg at the Matthiae-Mahl feast where the guests of honour were Mary and Frederik and Michael Frenzel, chairman of Europe's leading travel and tourism group TUI (left), with Hamburg's mayor Ole von Beust (who only seems to have eyes for Mary!)

As we post this Frederik, Mary and Christian are departing Hamburg (8am local time) to make their way to Kiel. In Kiel, the state capital of Schleswig-Holstein, the Crown Princely Couple will visit various places in the city following the invitation from their host Prime Minister Peter Harry Carstensen.

Update, today's schedule:

1. First up today is a visit at 11am to the Kunstalle zu Kiel (Kiel Museum).

2. At midday it is lunch with their host Prime Minister Peter Harry Carstensen. All part of the effort to deepen relationships between Baltic neighbours, Carstensen was in Copenhagen for three days in January when he had talks with Danish Prime Minister Rasmussen among others, and was received by Queen Margrethe. Guests at the lunch will include members of the Danish minority community of Schleswig-Holstein. This recognises an interesting chapter in Danish history, when Schleswig-Holstein was a part of Denmark. The two duchies became Prussian in 1865.

You can read about it here Schleswig-Holstein historical atlas (+ lots of links) and here Britannica Online and here Danish Foreign Ministry:'The Schleswig Issue' and here Christian IX and here Schleswig-Holstein (the last two are Wikipedia links).

3. Then at 2.45pm there is a visit to Museum am Danewerk (Dannewerk), to see a Danish fortress dating from the Middle Ages: In its collection the museum presents the eventful history of the Danewerk ramparts from the Iron Age through the Viking period and the Middle Ages up to the present. The ramparts were built between 650 and 1200 AC on the isthmus between the Treene and the Schlei...The Danewerk is the biggest ground monument of Northern Europe... It is possible to walk on most of them.

4. Next, at 3.45pm, Frederik and Mary will go to the beautiful
Schloß Gottorf (Gottorf Castle), which is a museum celebrating the history of Schleswig-Holstein. They will also visit the Globushaus/Globe House at Schloss Gottorf.

Much more to follow, especially photos!


Frederik, Mary and Peter Harry Carstensen in Kiel today.