There is such a thing as quiet hours in Germany, and many German’s take this rather seriously, so I would pay attention to this blog post if you want your neighbors to respect you.
Similar to things not being open on Sundays or the other bizarre rules in Germany, Germany has quiet hours.
Surprisingly, you may actually come to enjoy these quiet hour rules yourself as well. I find myself outraged when there are movers outside my apartment at 6:00 in the morning as I yell out the window, “I still have one more hour of peace and quiet until quiet hours are over, be quiet!” … just kidding… but I want to!
When are the Quiet Hours?
Everyone has their own understanding about when exactly quiet hours are in Düsseldorf, but from my research, most forums have the following quiet hours:
- Sunday’s (all day)
- Holiday’s (all day)
- Every day between the hours of 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM
- Every day between the hours of 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM (mid-day pause)
What does it actually mean to be quiet?
Well, I know this is quite different for many of us, but for the most part, being quiet means:
- No loud music
- No running the washing machine or dishwasher
- No parties
- No drilling/hammering/construction work
- No talking loud on the balcony
Of course, this will also depend on who your landlord and neighbors are, how tolerant they are, and what it says in your rental contract.
What happens if you aren’t quiet during these hours?
Well, if you’re lucky, you’ll likely just get a stern talking to by your neighbors.
However, if someone is found disrespecting quiet hours (and if it’s quite frequent), you might get a knock at the door from the Ordnungsamt, which is not the police, but the “Order Enforcement”. The Ordnungsamt enforces rules and laws and will be the first ones at the scene when a complaint is made about loud noise. You could be fined, they could call the police and of course, we don’t think this will ever happen, but you could be imprisoned if you fail to oblige.
While we’re at it… you might want to also consider getting liability insurance in case you accidentally break that vase outside of your neighbours’ house. Haha!
But now I’m curious… do you have any interesting stories to tell about experiences you may have already had regarding the quiet hours and the Ordnungsamt?
