Kehl
town in southwest Germany
Kehl (German pronunciation: [keːl] ; Low Alemannic: Kaal) is a city with around 38,000 inhabitants in the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg. It lies in the region of Baden on the Rhine River, at the confluence with the smaller Kinzig River, directly opposite the French and Alsatian city of Strasbourg. It is the third-largest city of the Ortenaukreis (Ortenau District) after Offenburg and Lahr/Schwarzwald.
Kehl is mostly known because of its proximity to Strasbourg and as a border city. Strasbourg and Kehl are connected by four Rhine bridges which are from south to north: the Passerelle des Deux Rives (pedestrians and cyclists), the Bridge of Europe (motorists, pedestrians and cyclists), the Beatus-Rhenanus Bridge (tramway, pedestrians and cyclists), and the Rhine Bridge (railway).
Line D of the Strasbourg tramway was extended in 2017 to reach Kehl station, and since 2018 there are another two stations within Kehl. It is therefore possible to directly reach the city centre of Strasbourg (stations Homme de Fer and Langstross Grand'Rue) as well as Strasbourg Main Station (station Gare Centrale) by tramway without having to change.
The Jardin des Deux Rives/Garten der zwei Ufer extends on both sides of the Rhine, connected by the Passerelle des Deux Rives. Strasbourg and Kehl further share some municipal services. Kehl has a large port on the Rhine, the Häfen Kehl (Kehl Ports), south of the mouth of the Kinzig, and is the seat of the Kehl University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule Kehl).
The public source identifies “Kehl” as town in southwest Germany. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Kehl, town and southwest.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Kehl”, the useful work is to connect “town in southwest Germany” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q15979. VIAF identifies the subject as 136054679. The Library of Congress control number is n81112179. Authority coordinates are 48.571, 7.809. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2017 and 2018.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Kehl”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Kehl primary sources, Kehl archive and Kehl research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Kehl”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Kehl” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.