I've always been fascinated by this symbol. I admit it has its charms, and I see it a lot in many previous DDR cities. But I always wonder if traffic lights last for 30+ years, or if many authorities are unwilling to change their design, or maybe they are actively preserving it?

by welliamaguy

14 comments

  3. I have a coffee cup that I bought in Berlin with those symbols…

  4. They are actively preserving it. Most of the traffic lights where changed to the boring symbols in the early nineties…

  5. They are actively preserved. Yes.

    They tried to replace them with the West Version but that was not appreciated by the population which lead to the return of the East German Ampelmännchen

    And just because it is 35 years since reunification.

    Germany has 3 Signaling Standards which were supposed to be unified by now with similar but different signaling lights including standardization of any Railway crossings (which turned out that each is a 1:1 variant)

    Deutsche Bundesbahn (West)- H/L System

    Deutsche Reichsbahn (East) – Hl System

    Deutsche Bahn (Unified)- KS System

  6. They are renewing the lights with the same design. After reunification it was decided that they can keep using this design and people like it so there is no reason to change it.

  8. I dont know why but this symbol just looks so German to me. Just like an old German man walking with his hat on 😂

  9. Some cities even have special Ampelmännchen versions. Mainz has the Mainzelmännchen, Emden has Otto Waalkes, Hanau has the Grimm Brothers.

  10. I live in the deep south-west and some newly-built traffic lights here actually use these.

  11. When I first saw the walking man while crossing the street in Dresden, I thought it was vandalism to show him walking with an erection. I still don’t know what he is supposed to be holding.

  12. They are not only actively preserving them, they are constantly expanding them into what was formerly West Berlin (and other West Germany cities as well)

    The Ampelmännchen and the Sandmännchen are the biggest cultural icons from the DDR that are incredibly beloved in current Germany

  13. They are not only being actively preserved, but have been introduced to several states in former West Germany as well. There was quite the campaign to keep them, and they quickly achieved cult status — there are even [“Ampelmann” stores where you can buy “Ampelmann” merch](https://www.top10berlin.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/fullsize_ampelmann_sh_pressekit_2.jpg).

    In addition, there are other designs often with a local theme. For example, you can find [Elvis Presley traffic lights](https://images.t-online.de/2021/07/84923464v3/0x0:1920×1536/fit-in/1920×0/elvis-presely-an-einer-fussgaenger-ampel-am-elvis-presley-platz-im-hessischen-friedberg-leuchtet-der-king-of-rock-n-roll-auf-er-verrichtete-als-soldat-der-us-streitkraefte-von-oktober-1958-bis-maerz-1960-seinen-dienst-in-friedberg.jpg) in Friedberg (where the base where he did his military service was) and Bad Nauheim (where he lived); there are [Mainzelmännchen traffic lights](https://www.fnp.de/assets/images/13/171/13171584-1324660751-1709084-1gec.jpg) in Mainz, where ZDF is headquartered, celebrating the popular ZDF cartoon characters; there are even [lights celebrating Gay Pride](https://media0.faz.net/ppmedia/w1240/aktuell/rhein-main/3091538119/1.3656638/16×9/gleichgeschlechtliche-liebe.jpg) in some places.

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