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User:JustinePorto/Public toilets in Germany

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Public toilets in Germany
Dirty public toilet
Toilets at Berliner Republik in Berlin in 2018
Language of toilets
Local wordsÖffentliche Toilette
WC
Men's toiletsHerren
Women's toiletsDamen
Public toilet statistics
Toilets per 100,000 people21 (2021)
Total toilets??
Public toilet use
TypeWestern style sit toilet
LocationsSubways
Fast food restaurants
Shopping malls
Train stations
Airports
Petrol stations
Average costbetween €0,30 and €0,50
Often equipped withDiaper changing stations
Percent accessible???
Date first modern public toilets???
.

Public toilets in Germany, called Öffentliche Toilette or WC, are relatively numerous at 21 per 100,000 people. They can be found at petrol stations, restaurants, shopping malls, train stations, subways and airports. There is often to use them of between €0.30 and €0.50. Most provide toilet paper and have diaper changing facilities. Some have won awards. Government programs have helped spur public toilet growth even as the trend around the world is towards fewer.

Public toilets[edit]

Public toilets are called Öffentliche Toilette or WC.[1][2][3]  The word for men's toilets is Herren, while the word for women's toilets is Damen.[3]

A 2021 study found there were 21 public toilets per 100,000 people.[4] Places where public toilets can be found include petrol stations, shopping centers and subways.[3] One place people use when there is a lack of public toilets are the facilities at fast food style restaurants.[5] Places that serve beer in Germany are required by law to make their toilet facilities accessible to the public, regardless of whether or not a person is a paying customer.[5] Public toilets are often located near subways in Berlin.[3]

The typical charge to use a public toilet is small, generally around €0.50 and almost always less than €1.[1].[6][3] It generally costs €0,50 to use public toilets at train stations, airports and self-contained units on the street.[7][3] Shopping center toilets often have attendants.  While they are free, people are expected to tip attendants between €0,30 and €0,50.[3]

There is a Euro Key, which allows people with disabilities to have it to access 12,000 otherwise locked public toilets in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Switzerland.[8]

The most common type of toilet is a sit toilet.[1] Western Europe tends to use flush toilets, with some older public toilets possibly having pull cords instead of handles or buttons.[9] Public toilets often have toilet paper and diaper changing stations.[10][1]

Public toilets at the Emscherkunst railway station were listed in a 2016 Lonely Planet guide to the 100 best toilets in the world because of their view.[11]

The men's toilets located in the lobby of Goldman 25hours Hotel in Frankfurt feature Mick Jagger-inspired urinals.[12] Some public men's urinals at the airport in Munich have little golf flags in the center.[13]

History[edit]

The lack of public toilets caused a stink on the streets in major cities in the 1850s.[14] Despite toilet paper being used in parts of China starting in the mid-800s, paper was expensive to produce and considered valuable; this meant most places did not start using toilet paper until relatively late.[14] Flush toilets were introduced in Europe during the 1860s and soon became quite popular.[14]

The Jennings & Company had installed their flush toilets in public toilets in Paris, Florence, Madrid, Berlin, Sydney and South America by 1895.[15]

There were open public urinals in Munich until 1972, when they were removed as part of beautification efforts.[5]

It cost around USD$0.67 to use a public toilet in 2007.[16] Germany had a scheme called Die Nette Toilette in 2017.  This scheme helped increase the number of public toilets in many parts of the country, even as the number of public toilets elsewhere in the world declined.[17] The Toilet Concept was created by the local government Berlin.  Part of this project involved assessing public toilets in restaurants and pubs.  Another part involved building new automated public toilets on the streets of the city using a combination private-public funding.[18]

References[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to JustinePorto/Public toilets in Germany.
  1. ^ a b c d "Public Toilet Charges around the World - Toilet Types & Local Names". QS Supplies. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  2. ^ "10 International Toilets". HowStuffWorks. 2011-11-30. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Guides, Rough (2020-02-01). Pocket Rough Guide Berlin (Travel Guide eBook). Apa Publications (UK) Limited. ISBN 978-1-78919-652-8.
  4. ^ QS Supplies (11 October 2021). "Which Cities Have The Most and Fewest Public Toilets?". QS Supplies. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Steves, Rick (1 December 2010). "When nature calls: How to find a toilet in Europe". NBC News. Retrieved 2022-10-10.
  6. ^ Christine, Theresa. "Here's what bathrooms look like all around the world". Insider. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  7. ^ Huter, Paul (2018-07-09). "20 Places Where Tourists Actually Need To Pay To Use The Washroom". TheTravel. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  8. ^ "Europe Handicapped Toilets + Elevators". wheelchairtraveling.com. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  9. ^ admin (2015-05-18). "Toilets Around the World". Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, Inc. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  10. ^ Guides, Rough (2015-05-04). The Black Forest (Rough Guides Snapshot Germany). Rough Guides UK. ISBN 978-0-241-23480-8.
  11. ^ BBC (15 April 2016). "A guide to the world's best toilets". BBC News. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  12. ^ Nast, Condé (2014-01-23). "To Sochi: These Are How Public Restrooms Should Look". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  13. ^ "The sensitive topic of toilets and travel | buzztrips.co.uk". 2017-01-25. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  14. ^ a b c Perdew, Laura (2015-08-01). How the Toilet Changed History. ABDO. ISBN 978-1-62969-772-7.
  15. ^ Mokdad, Allaa (2018). Public Toilets, The Implications In/For Architecture (PDF). Southfield, Michigan: The Lawrence Technological University.
  16. ^ Drewko, Aleksandra (September 2007). Resource-Oriented Public Toilets in Oriented Public Toilets in Developing Countries: Ideas, Design, Operation and Maintenance for Arba Minch, Ethiopia. Hamburg: Hamburg University of Technology.
  17. ^ "BBC World Hacks: The Town Where Public Toilets Are Everywhere". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  18. ^ Webber, Katherine (2018). "We Need to Talk About Public Toilets". stories.uq.edu.au. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
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