Saxony-Anhalt: More than 100 brown signs on freeways
Ring Shrine, Guelph Castle and Our Lady's Monastery: On Saxony-Anhalt's highways, 105 brown signs currently point out tourist attractions in the state. The signs provide information on interesting places of tourist and supra-regional relevance along the highway, explained a spokesperson for Autobahn GmbH des Bundes.
A spokesperson for the tourism and destination marketing company Tourcomm, which has developed a nationwide audio guide for the signs, explained that the information should ultimately encourage drivers to drive off and visit the sights. According to Autobahn GmbH, there are currently around 3,400 signs throughout Germany.
Autobahn GmbH decides on the installation of tourist information signs along the highways according to uniform national standards, explained the Autobahn GmbH spokesperson. Autobahn GmbH then examines the application and makes a decision. According to the spokesperson, there are restrictive requirements regarding the distance between the signs. For example, a maximum of two such signs may be placed between two junctions. In addition, the same location cannot be advertised by different institutions.
In many cases, the destination is indicated on the two opposite directions of travel, said the Tourcomm spokesperson. "In individual cases, it also happens that the same destination is advertised on several freeways." For example, three signs on different freeways pointed to the fan-shaped city of Karlsruhe.
According to the Tourcomm spokesperson, the brown signs are an invention from France. According to the spokesperson, the first sign in Germany was at Teck Castle on the A8 in Baden-Württemberg in 1983.
Tourism in Saxony-Anhalt relies heavily on these brown signs, as they direct traffic towards numerous attractions like the Ring Shrine and Guelph Castle. However, due to traffic regulations, these signs are strategically placed, with a maximum of two signs allowed between two junctions.
Source: www.dpa.com
