Cameras and selfie sticks are familiar tourist accessories these days, and increasingly people are even using drones to take their sightseeing pictures. That’s set to stop in many places in Germany.
The Berlin-Brandenburg Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation has announced that the use of drones over its grounds will be banned in future to remove any potential threat to visitors. One reason for the decision is a recent camera drone crash.
Use of drones over Bavarian palaces, public parks and monuments is also forbidden. In Saxony, a ban is planned around the Zwinger Palace and the baroque Grand Garden in Dresden. Even now, commercial filmmakers need a permit, and amateurs are being requested to pack up their drones.
In Germany, operating a drone weighing up to five kilograms is allowed without a permit. Unmanned aerial vehicles that weigh more are allowed to take off only with the consent of air traffic control. Their maximum flight altitude may not exceed 100 meters.
It’s forbidden to fly a drone over people and gatherings of people, hospitals, power stations and prisons. If you want to fly a drone at a distance of less than 1.5 kilometers from an airfield or airport, you need permission from the Aviation Safety Authority.
at/ms (dpa)
