Q: I’m told that in Germany, there are certain times during each weekday and all day Sunday when making loud noise is verboten. What’s up with that?

A: Really? Does that include buzz saws on a Sunday night? I wish somebody would tell that to my neighbor. He has been renovating his apartment for weeks — and at all hours. Apparently, reams of wood need to be sawed.

In fact, he’s probably breaking the law. Because quiet time, ruhezeit in German, is still very much the rule. Quiet times appear to vary slightly, but a good rule of thumb can be found in a handout from the Kaiserslautern, Germany, housing office.

That indicates that quiet hours are Monday to Saturday from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and all day on Sunday and German holidays.

During those hours, you should refrain from mowing your lawn, cranking up your stereo system, and, yes, using your buzz saw.

According to the handout, if you get busted you could owe a fine of up to 500 euro — nearly $700 with today’s poor exchange rate — for breaking the German Noise Protection Regulation.

So keep it down, will ya?

Got a question about goings-on Europe? E-mail Stripes at: news@estripes.osd.mil

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