Overview
- Berlin fields 4,300 police and 1,600 firefighters with extra ambulances, as the city stages two large events at the Brandenburg Gate where private fireworks are prohibited.
- Authorities report sizable seizures of dangerous devices, including more than 100,000 Category 4 items in Berlin, nearly a tonne intercepted by customs, and over a tonne found in Brandenburg’s Havelland; police warn particularly about kugelbomben.
- New incidents under investigation include a rocket exploding under a moving car in Wernigerode without injuries and a man firing pyrotechnics from a Hamburg balcony at children, while Delmenhorst recorded two small fires linked to fireworks.
- Enforcement tightens with fireworks- and weapons-free zones at Alexanderplatz, the Steinmetzkiez, parts of Sonnenallee and the Admiralbrücke in Berlin, expanded weapons restrictions around central celebrations, and fines up to €5,000 announced in Northeim’s center.
- Hospitals brace for the annual surge after the DKG logged 100 severe admissions on January 1, 2025 versus a baseline of 26, as unions and medics renew calls for stricter rules and a police petition for a national ban cites about 2.7 million signatures.