Various city buildings in Kaiserslautern will turn off their lights March 23, 2024, to set a signal in support of climate action. The action is part of the global Earth Hour event, organized by the World Wildlife Fund. (Kaiserslautern City)

Kaiserslautern will turn off its lights on 17 historic buildings and sculptures as a symbolic gesture against climate change on Saturday, March 23, city officials said in a statement.

The action is part of the global Earth Hour event, which is organized by the World Wildlife Fund and encourages communities to switch off their lights to demand greater climate action and show commitment to environmental protection..

In Kaiserslautern, the historic Fruchthalle and the imperial palace ruins in downtown, the marble sculptures in front of the Palatinate theatre, the Hohenecken castle ruins, the “Eleven Friends” near the train station and the soccer players in front of the police headquarters, various city churches as well as the Pfalzgalerie museum will turn dark at 8:30 p.m., according to the event notice.

Likewise, private citizens and businesses are encouraged to participate in the action and turn off their lights for one hour, officials said.

“After another year of extremes, from new temperature records to floods, a year with many crises, conflicts and wars, Earth Hour 2024 is an important moment to demand more climate protection and stand up for democracy,” said Manuel Steinbrenner, head of Kaiserslautern’s environmental department, in a statement Monday. Thousands of cities across 192 countries participated in past Earth Hours, according event organizers.