Kehl

Kehl, a town in the grand-duchy of Baden, on the right bank of the Rhine, opposite Strassburg, with which it is connected by a railway bridge and a bridge of boats. Pop. 4000. It has a considerable river trade in timber, tobacco and coal, which has been developed by the formation of a harbour with two basins. The chief importance of Kehl is its connexion with the military defence of Strassburg, to the strategic area of which it belongs. It is encircled by the strong forts Bose, Blumenthal and Kirchbach of that system. In 1678 Kehl was taken from the imperialists by the French, and in 1683 a new fortress, built by Vauban, was begun. In 1697 it was restored to the Empire and was given to Baden, but in 1703 and again in 1733 it was taken by the French, who did not however retain it for very long. In 1793 the French again took the town, which was retaken by the Austrians and was restored to Baden in 1803. In 1808 the French, again in possession, restored the fortifications, but these were dismantled in 1815, when Kehl was again restored to Baden. In August 1870, during the Franco-German War, the French shelled the defenceless town.