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Cologne fights drunks with walls that 'pee back'

The Local Germany
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Cologne fights drunks with walls that 'pee back'
"Don't pee here! The wall pees back!" warns a new sign in Cologne main station. Photo: DPA

In Germany, those who urinate in public places have their own name: "Wildpinkler" or "free pee-ers." But they're about to face a backlash in Cologne - in a very literal and embarrassing way.

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Bad news for "Wildpinkler" in Cologne's main train station: Deutsche Bahn has begun using hydrophobic paint that makes urine literally bounce off walls and back at the person peeing.

The station's car park on Maximinenstraße is a popular spot for those who can't be bothered to find a toilet - and the stench of public urination recently became too much for the station's staff and passengers.

"We've covered a 30 metre stretch of wall with a special kind of paint that's extremely hydrophobic," a Deutsche Bahn spokesperson told Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger.

"It means any stream of liquid aimed at the wall will bounce back off at roughly the same angle."

Image: IG St Pauli/YouTube Screenshot

New signs have been put up to warn potential pee-ers what they could be letting themselves in for.

"Caution, free pee-ers! This wall in Cologne Main Station pees back!"

The news that  Cologne's "Wildpinkler" will have to either cross their legs or get soggy shoes was met with glee on social media:

"The warning sign is brilliant"

"This is something I'd love to have at my S-Bahn station"

Hamburg's St Pauli party district adopted the initiative back in March.

Uwe Christiansen is a board member of the St Pauli Interest Community (IG St Pauli), who came up with the idea.

"It was a real annoyance that was growing and growing," Christiansen told The Local in March.

"People were just tired of the peeing on walls, home entrances and playgrounds."

The project's promotional video has since had over 5 million views.

Written by Hannah Butler

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