SIGNS: Ampelmännchen
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Das Ampelmännchen
The East German "Ampelmännchen"
After German reunification in 1990, there was an attempt to make all the "Walk/Don't Walk" signs in East Germany conform to the western standard. However, eastern Germans had grown attached to their somewhat old-fashioned Ampelmännchen ("little traffic light man") and his 1950s-style hat.
After the eastern Germans protested against losing their Ampelmännchen and their unique green right-turn arrows (grüner Pfeil), German federal traffic authorities agreed to allow both to stay. While the Ampelmännchen is seen only in eastern Germany, some parts of western Germany have now adopted the practical grüner Pfeil that allows right turns on red, which is normally verboten.
Lärmschutz
Did you notice the round "30" sign in the background between the two traffic lights? That and the sign below mean that between 22:00 and 6:00 (10:00 pm-6:00 am) you must drive no faster than 30 km/hr (18 mph) in order to keep the traffic noise level low for nearby residents. This is called Lärmschutz (noise abatement) in German.
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