Following several German cities' decision to try and save energy, the city of Cologne has announced it will keep the lights on its famous monuments switched off at night.
The city of Cologne in North Rhine-Westphalia has announced that it will introduce a number of energy-saving measures, as the energy crisis continues to loom over Germany. The lighting fixtures of the city’s many monuments and attractions, including the cathedral, the historic town hall, the Hohenzollern Bridge and the Severins Bridge, are set to be switched off at 11pm each night in future; from autumn the lights will be switched off at 10pm. The floodlights at the RheinEnergieStadion, home of Bundesliga team 1. FC Köln, will also remain off.
Streetlights will be turned on later and switched off earlier, and from 11pm the lights will be dimmed significantly. The temperature in municipal offices will also be brought down as part of the city’s energy-saving measures; they will not exceed 19 degrees during certain periods. Similarly, the city will ask its 22.000 employees to try and save energy at work.
Cologne’s announcement comes after several other German cities announced they would also introduce energy-saving measures, including the regulation of public lights and office temperatures.
Germany has been hit with gas shortages due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the country has been frantically trying to make up for the reduced supply. The German government has even initiated level two of its gas emergency plan, in a bid to save gas and ensure Germany’s fuel supplies through the winter.