On 30 May 1968, the Bundestag passed the Notstandsgesetze, the emergency laws. On 11 May, more than 40,000 people had marched on Bonn in protest. Critics recalled Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution, under which the president could suspend basic rights such as the freedom of assembly. The laws define two cases in advance, the Spannungsfall, a state of tension, and the Verteidigungsfall, a state of defense. They create a joint committee, two thirds from the Bundestag and one third from the Bundesrat, that can act as an emergency parliament. They also ensure that the Bundestag cannot be dissolved in a state of defense and that the Constitutional Court continues to work.
Suspended, Not Abolished
Germany suspended compulsory military service on 1 July 2011, by the Military Law Amendment Act 2011. It did not abolish it. Compulsory service remained in the law for a state of tension or a state of defense. A new military service law took effect on 1 January 2026. Young men, starting with those born in 2008, must again undergo a medical examination. If needed, the Bundestag can reinstate compulsory service by law.
Sent Home for the Heat
Hitzefrei, heat-free, means that school ends early because it is too hot. There is no national rule, and the head teacher decides. Several states set guide values in advance. In Baden-Württemberg, the value is 25 degrees Celsius in the shade at 11 a.m., and lessons end at the earliest after the fourth period. It does not apply to the upper years of the Gymnasium or to vocational schools. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the value is more than 27 degrees in the classroom, and not if it is below 25 degrees outside. Primary schools must supervise the children even when lessons are canceled. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania states plainly that there is kein Recht auf Hitzefrei, no right to heat-free.
The Living Will
Since 1 September 2009, German law has regulated the Patientenverfügung, the living will. In it, an adult decides in advance about medical treatment for a time when he or she can no longer decide. The law was passed in June 2009, after six years of preparation. It made written form a condition of validity. The directive is binding regardless of the type or stage of the illness.
Hopefully Insured
Hoffentlich Allianz versichert, hopefully insured with Allianz, is a slogan the insurer has used for decades. According to the trade journal Horizont, Allianz advertised with it as early as the 1950s. In 2003, the line was shortened to Hoffentlich Allianz. The word hoffentlich, hopefully, does not promise help after the damage. It hopes that the cover was arranged before.
The Vocabulary of Provision
Vorsorge — care taken in advance.
Altersvorsorge — provision for old age.
Vorsorgeuntersuchung — a preventive medical check-up.
Vorsorgevollmacht — a power of attorney for the case that one can no longer decide.
Notgroschen — the emergency penny, money put aside for bad times.
Etwas auf der hohen Kante haben — to have something on the high ledge, to have savings put by.
Spare in der Zeit, so hast du in der Not — save in good time, and you will have in need.
Für alle Fälle — for all cases, just in case.
A Performance of 639 Years
In the Burchardi Church in Halberstadt, an organ is playing John Cage’s piece ORGAN²/ASLSP, as slow as possible. The performance began on 5 September 2001 with a pause. The first pipes sounded about two years later. The performance is planned to end in 2640, after 639 years. The length counts back to 1361, when Nicolaus Faber completed an organ for Halberstadt Cathedral. The years from 1361 to 2000 are 639. The sound changes on dates fixed in advance. The most recent change came on 5 August 2026, and the next is scheduled for 5 October 2027. The foundation that runs the project has no institutional funding and relies on donations.
Safe for One Million Years
Germany is searching for a site to store its high-level radioactive waste. The Site Selection Act of 2017 requires the site to ensure the best possible safety für einen Zeitraum von einer Million Jahren, for a period of one million years. The money for storage has been set aside. On 3 July 2017, the energy companies paid a total of 24.1 billion euros into a state fund, KENFO, to finance interim and final storage. The schedule has not held. The law aims to fix the site in 2031. In August 2024, a study for the federal office for the safety of nuclear waste management found that, even under ideal conditions, a decision could be expected in 2074 at the earliest.
Hamburg After 1962
On the night of 16 to 17 February 1962, a storm surge reached 5.70 meters above standard sea level at the St. Pauli gauge in Hamburg. Dikes broke in more than 60 places, and about a sixth of the city was flooded. In Hamburg, 315 people died. More than 40,000 soldiers of the Bundeswehr were deployed, although the constitution did not provide for the armed forces to act at home. The police senator, Helmut Schmidt, had asked for them. Afterwards, the dikes in the Hamburg area were raised to at least eight meters above sea level. In 1976, the water rose much higher than in 1962. There were losses in the port, but the city itself suffered no significant losses.
One Meal a Day
The German state keeps its own food reserves, managed by the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food. The Bundesreserve Getreide, the federal grain reserve, held 582,000 tonnes of soft wheat, 56,000 tonnes of oats and 67,000 tonnes of rye at the end of 2021. The Zivile Notfallreserve, the civil emergency reserve, held about 126,000 tonnes of rice and pulses and about 5,000 tonnes of condensed milk. In a crisis, the reserves are meant to provide every citizen with at least one meal a day. The current quantities are not published, for reasons of secrecy.