Road-signs: Children's crossing signs in Germany

Path: Home / Country list / Children's crossing Signs / in Germany

Children's crossing signs in Germany

Cottbus, III.1998; pict. A. Anselin

Muetzenich, 20.VII.2015; pict. L. Parmentier

In western European countries, as a rule it is the boy who brings the girl to school. Two mayor players do it otherwise. In Great Britain and Germany it is the girl. She is leading the boy and she clearly knows what she is doing (notice her posture: head upright, back straight, step ferm).

Thanks to this find of a good old rusty sign we have proof that the drawing at hand must be very old. The shape of this old sign is also peculiar. Derived from a trapezium it features nowhere in my copy of Geschichte der Straßenverkehrszeichen.

Near Bernkastel (1998); pict. A. Guët		Aachen, Cottbus (1998); pict. A. Anselin

	The sign found near Bernkastel proves how good the old roadsigns were; how much detail they showed. Notice the perfect finish of the heads. For once also the boy is very lively pictured. We must feel pitty for the girl with her extraterrestrial head, but that is compensated by the detail in the poney.

Cottbus, III.1998; pict. A. Anselin

Not all is well however. In this country also the good old drawing must make way for the modern approach.

Germany follows France, Spain and Italy in the swapping of the persons on the newer panels. The tall character stays responsible, but now comes last and is now of the other sex. The female becomes the underling (Monsieur Jean won't like this).

The sign is only slightly better than most modern match-stick signs: the children are not completely wooden. They are from Cottbus and therefore they challenge you to try this one: Der Cottbuser Postkutscher putzt den Cottbuser Postkutschkasten.