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New Year's Eve fireworks in Cologne (archive image)
Photo: Christophe Gateau / dpa
New Year's Eve should be a quiet night in Germany.
The sale of pyrotechnics was generally prohibited this year.
The Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg confirmed the nationwide sales ban on Monday evening.
On New Year's Eve and New Year's Eve, there is also a nationwide ban on gatherings.
Can you still bawl now?
And if so, where?
Questions and answers about the applicable rules:
Why was sales banned in Germany?
The regulation is intended to prevent injuries when fireworks are set off on New Year's Eve.
"The sales ban on New Year's Eve fireworks protects our hospitals from being overloaded," said Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU), referring to the clinics and emergency clinics that were heavily used by the corona pandemic.
Which fireworks are not being sold?
The sale of category F2 fireworks, i.e. classic New Year's Eve fireworks such as rockets, bangers or batteries, was specifically prohibited nationwide.
For the industry, which generates 95 percent of its annual revenues in December, a bitter loss: According to the Association of the Pyrotechnic Industry (VPI), there were around 130 million euros in sales in 2019.
Where can you boar on New Year's Eve - where not?
Selling fireworks is forbidden, but not always explicitly igniting rockets.
»Fireworks are prohibited in busy places.
Where exactly is determined by the municipalities, «says an overview on the Federal Government's website.
In addition, it is urgently advised to generally refrain from igniting fireworks.
Some examples of the regulations in cities and federal states:
In Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, there is no general ban on firecrackers.
However, the country's Corona Protection Ordinance prohibits ignition on busy streets and squares.
In Bonn, on the other hand, pyrotechnics are banned throughout the city.
In the capital, too, the firing of firecrackers is prohibited in many places: The Berlin Senate published a list of 56 places - including sights such as the Brandenburg Gate.
Despite the ban on selling fireworks, the Berlin fire brigade is preparing for a state of emergency for New Year's Eve in the same way as in previous years.
In the major Saxon cities of Dresden and Chemnitz, for example, the following rules should be observed on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day: In Dresden, the ban on fireworks applies across the city on all public and private areas.
In Chemnitz, it refers to all public spaces as well as private ones that are accessible to everyone, for example supermarket parking spaces.
Can I use firecrackers from abroad?
Emergency doctors warn against igniting unauthorized firecrackers and fireworks.
According to the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, illegally imported pyrotechnics often contain not only black powder, but are also filled with a much more reactive set of lightning bolts.
Pyrotechnics that are legal abroad can also be significantly more powerful than goods permitted in Germany.
If unapproved fireworks are ignited, serious injuries can occur: "The explosive effect of such products is often unknown or incalculable," says Jan-Thorsten Gräsner, emergency doctor and spokesman for the German Society for Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine.
What about in neighboring countries?
In
Poland
neither the sale nor the use of legal fireworks is prohibited - many visitors from Berlin and Brandenburg have recently taken advantage of this.
However, there are now strict quarantine rules for visitors to Poland.
In the
Czech Republic
, the sale of non-essential goods such as fireworks is generally prohibited due to the corona pandemic.
After the ban on fireworks was imposed for the whole of the
Netherlands
, the authorities of Amsterdam and other large cities have called on the population to deliver their firecrackers' supplies.
Can you use fireworks from last year?
The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing recommends that anyone who still has fireworks should not ignite it.
The reason for this is that fireworks that have been stored for a longer period of time lose their function or can react more slowly due to the absorption of moisture.
Those who ignite more often can experience a nasty surprise: Even fireworks that are stored excessively dry can change their function and react faster or slower.
What is allowed on New Year's Eve?
According to the federal government, private gatherings of your own household and another household are allowed on New Year's Eve.
A maximum of five people can meet.
Children up to the age of 14 do not count.
Accordingly, gatherings (people meet by chance) and gatherings (»gathering of several people for a common purpose«) are not permitted.
The aim is to prevent larger groups from being on the street on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
In contrast to the ban on selling adult fireworks, dealers are allowed to offer sparklers, table fireworks and so-called children's fireworks.
In the corona protection regulations of the federal states, there is mostly talk of public fireworks and fireworks in public places and streets.
Most of the time, the ban does not apply to the setting off of fireworks in private rooms.
Do you still have to expect a penalty?
Legal experts like the lawyer Christian Solmecke generally see no danger of criminal or regulatory consequences if consumers set off fireworks in private rooms on New Year's Eve - for example in their own garden, on the terrace or balcony.
In Lower Saxony, the Corona Protection Ordinance with a general ban on fireworks was recently overruled by the Lüneburg Higher Administrative Court.
In the state, firecracking is again permitted in private areas.
Icon: The mirror
wit / dpa