Ampelmännchen
Berlin, Germany

In the mid 90's, a few years after
unification, the German government began
replacing the Ampelmännchen (little lamp
man) with the ordinary, very dull West
German crosswalk signal.

This was not a political statement, but rather
compliance with an EU directive requiring
the standardization of traffic signals across Europe.
Protest ensued & a "Save the Ampelmännchen"
campaign succeeded in preserving the endangered
indigenous traffic signal...

Written By: Dr. Annette F. Timm, Canada
Photo By: GEOhype, Alaska