From restrictions on dancing and films during religious holidays to bans on constructing sandcastles on Baltic shores, Germany has a number of unusual rules.
Germany may seem relatively relaxed compared to other nations. It is still allowed to smoke in certain bars, and sunbathing is possible.nudein public parks, 16-year-olds are allowed tolegally drinkbeer or wine — the legal drinking age is 21 in the United States.
However, Germany is also subject to strict regulations — particularly on Sundays and public holidays.
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From dance bans to regulations about building sandcastles and mandatory quiet on public holidays, the German legal code also contains many unusual, often old-fashioned laws.
1. Good Friday dancing — and films — prohibited
In most of Germany’s 16 states, Good Friday is considered a “silent public holiday,” where dancing has been prohibited since medieval times. The capital, Berlin, takes a more relaxed stance on the dancing ban, or “Tanzverbot,” which only applies between 4 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Good Friday. However, in Bavaria, a predominantly Catholic state in the south, the restriction lasts for 70 hours, from Thursday until Saturday during Easter.Fines may reach up to €10,000 ($11,600).
Numerous other loud activities are prohibited on this day of quietness andreligious observance, including automobile washes, thrift sales, and relocating.
Meanwhile, approximately 700 films have been prohibited during silent public holidays in different German states.Among the entries in the “Public Holiday Index” are movies like “Ghostbusters,” the apparently innocent 1975 animated classic “Heidi” andMonty Python’s 1979 religious comedy,“Life of Brian.”
But Germans have kept insisting on their right to dance during the Easter season, and regularly demonstrate against the restriction. Meanwhile, sSince 2013, a project in the city of Bochum, located in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, has organized public showings of“Life of Brian” in demonstration against the governance.
2. Prohibited: Gathering mushrooms at night, wild garlic during the day
It’s illegal to pick mushroomsin the woods during the night in Germany, primarily to prevent individuals from disturbing creatures active at night.
It is also against the law to uproot wild garlic for use in your pesto and soups. This is because wild garlic, which is found in moist, shaded forests and flourishes in floodplains, can be mistaken for poisonous plants like lily of the valley.
Selecting a hand-tied bouquet ofwild garlicIt is typically permitted to take leaves for personal use in Germany without needing a special permit. However, removing the plants along with their bulbs or picking leaves within nature reserves is prohibited!
3. Building sandcastles is not allowed on Baltic shores
Children are unable to build sandcastles on numerous beaches located on the holiday islands along Germany’s North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts. With families heading to the sea, children may swim but are prohibited from creating sand structures or digging deep holes, as this could result in a fine of €1,000.
Constructing a sandcastle on islands such as Sylt is prohibited for valid reasons: the excavation and shifting of sand can result in coastal erosion.
The coastal resorts of Binz and Sellin on Rügen island permit the construction of sandcastles, with a maximum height of 30 centimeters and a circumference of 3.5 meters.
4. No lawn cutting on Sundays — or shopping
Initiating the lawnmower or operating power equipment on a Sunday in Germany may provoke the anger of your neighbors — and possibly the police.
The tradition of Ruhezeit, or quiet time, remains the norm on a Sunday that was traditionally reserved for families and religious activities. Typically, the use of all motorized gardening tools, such as lawnmowers, is banned on Sundays and public holidays. Individuals who create noise may face penalties.
The Sunday quietness covers the streets, with theLadenschlussgesetzor “Store Closure Law,” a federal German law that has been in effect since 1956, prohibiting all types of retail stores fromopening their facilities on Sundaysand public holidays. Although individual states have had more freedom to create their own regulations since 2006, shopping on Sundays is still generally not allowed across the country, except for a few specific Sunday shopping days each year and very limited exceptions for certain stores.
5. Avoid running out of gas on highways
You’re correct, it’s against the law to be stuck on thefreewayin Germany when the gasoline is depleted.
In Germany, a country known for its love of cars, drivers who fail to properly fill their gas tank before hitting the Autobahn are seen as careless. As a result, they might receive a fine for endangering themselves and others, as cars speed by on roads without any speed restrictions.
It is permissible to stop on a highway solely in case of an emergency.Edited by: Brenda Haas
Author: Stuart Braun
