In 1887 construction began on the Kiel Canal, and in 1895 it was finished. Because of the volume of use the Canal was widened and deepened between 1907 and 1914. It is 98 kilometers long from Brunsbüttel on the North Sea to Kiel-Holtenau on the Baltic Sea, saving 280 nautical miles going around Denmark. It is the busiest artificial waterway in the world serving 40,000 vessels a year. After World War I the Canal was internationalized, but Hitler repudiated the agreement. Since World War II the Canal has again been open to all traffic.
     The stamp was issued in 1995 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Canal.