Starting today, several cities in Germany will shut down their main buildings while public lighting is also affected as one of the austerity measures amid the energy crisis the country is experiencing.
The German capital has suspended the lighting of some historical monuments and city buildings such as the Victory Column and City Hall, while the Cologne Cathedral will also switch off its lights.
Some regions have introduced on-demand public lighting – when pedestrians or cyclists use the streets, they are lit thanks to sensor technology, plus the elimination of traffic lights as another government restrictive measure.
Meanwhile, the city of Hanover in north-west Germany reduced its energy consumption by 15 percent and limited the temperature in municipal buildings to a maximum of 20 degrees Celsius.
Likewise, management has stopped lighting the museums at night, and hot water is no longer circulating in the condominium showers and gymnasiums.
In early June, Germany imported 35 percent of its gas from Russia, a country under sanctions by the European Union over military action in Ukraine, measures that boomeranged for the old continent by further tightening the gas market.
Only the German nation depends on these supplies to provide 50 percent of domestic heating, a matter that creates uncertainty for next winter and compels austerity measures to be taken now to protect reserves in view of this moment.