Germany Before the First World War 1890 - 1914 The opening of the Kiel Canal, linking the Baltic to the North Sea, on 21 June 1895. Kaiser Wilhelm II prepares to lay the final stone and name the new waterway the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Kanal in a lavishly decorated ceremonial arena at Holtenau, Germany. The opening ceremony spanned two days. On 20 June 1895, the German Imperial Yacht HOHENZOLLERN, with the Kaiser and Kaiserin on board, entered the lock at Brunsbüttel. The Kaiser cut a ribbon and officially opened this end of the Canal. The HOHENZOLLERN then led a convoy of 24 ships down the Canal to Holtenau. The Kiel Canal was source of international tension from its inception. Its construction allowed the increasingly powerful German Imperial Navy to move rapidly from its Baltic ports to open sea without travelling through the waters of other countries. During 1907 - 1914, it was enlarged to accommodate the larger warships then being constructed with the intention of enabling the Imperial Ger