Photo Gallery What to Do about Public Drinking
In 2008, the city of Freiburg in southwestern Germany banned drinking in public in large parts of the city center in an effort to combat alcohol-related violence. The ban was nullified a year later in court.
Many in Germany have become tired of displays of public drunkenness. Most parks in German cities have a corner where the park benches are dominated by serious drinkers.
State governments and cities across Germany are trying to find way to prevent alcohol consumption in public.
Opponents argue that a ban on public consumption offers no real solutions to alcohol-related problems. In Kiel, the government set up a "drinking room" for alcoholics. Cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, Dortmund and Freiburg have shown interest in following the example.
In Berlin's Kreuzberg district, a drinking area was set up in 2009. The district's mayor said that it's a solution that allows alcoholics and residents to coexist. Another drinking area is in the works in the district's bustling Kottbusser Tor, pictured.
Hamburg's Mitte district hopes to secure funding for it own drinking room this fall. "No other proposal seemed to work," says Kerstin Gröhn, a Social Democrat representative for Hamburg's Mitte district. "We don't view a public ban as a suitable solution."
