They are mostly reminiscent of traffic accidents in which a person has died: road crosses or accident crosses.
They are often marked with a name and date, a photo and a candle.
And every now and then there are fresh flowers.
In the opinion of psychologists, street crosses like the one in Theodor-Heuss-Straße (photo) are an important place for the bereaved to cope with grief. In 2011, a 14-year-old schoolgirl had a fatal accident at the intersection with Sudetenlandstrasse. The crosses are not an easy topic for the Dachau road maintenance authority: They are memorials for a deceased person, but at the same time they are also a danger to road traffic.
From a legal point of view, road crossings are "special uses at the roadside". As a rule, the memorial symbols would be approved for reasons of piety and out of consideration for the bereaved. This is done in consultation with the authority responsible for the road. In the district of Dachau this is the Freising State Building Authority. The prerequisite, however, is that the memorial sites do not obstruct traffic, do not distract drivers, do not cover signs and do not impair the view. According to the Freising State Building Authority, there will be a conversation between the bereaved and the road maintenance department where exactly the cross can be placed.
However, relatives should ask permission from the property owner.
Another, practical reason speaks against a location directly next to the road: In winter it can be destroyed by the snow cleared from the road, in summer by mowing devices.
Massive memorial crosses made of metal or stone or with a solid foundation are not possible.
Security reasons speak against this.
If a road is widened or a cycle path is built, the relatives will receive mail from the state building authority if they have officially received a permit for the cross.
The relatives are then asked to temporarily dismantle or move the cross.
If it is not known who set up the cross, it will be moved or stored in a road maintenance depot and returned on request.
