Why Germany is so reluctant to clamp down on smoking. And what it's got to do with Hitler.

Smoking cigarettes at places with a lot of kids around has long been taboo other countries. But not in Germany.

One of the Kitas on my street in central Berlin just plastered big white signs in front of its entrance. Not to advertise free spots (which there are more of these days), but with the simple words: “Please don’t smoke here. A Kindergarten is here.”

This would be a no-brainer in many other countries. But smoking cigarettes is still so woven into the fabric of daily life in Germany -- where nearly a third of the adult population at least occasionally lights up -- that many don’t bat an eyelid at exercising the habit in all sorts of spaces, from parks to the peripheries of preschools.

‘Please don’t smoke here. Here’s a Kindergarten’. Photo by Rachel Stern

North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, together with Lower Saxony, is pushing to draw the line on smoking in cars with children or pregnant women. On Friday, they succeeded in bringing a motion before the Bundesrat (upper chamber) to introduce fines of up to €3,000 for violations. It is already the third attempt to pass such a law, after previous efforts were shot down. Medical associations, children’s advocates, and cancer organisations hailed the initiative as “long overdue.”

Other countries, like neighbouring France, have taken things even further. Since July, smoking has been completely banned in outdoor spaces where children are present, such as beaches and swimming pools. Mallorca -- often jokingly referred to as Germany’s 17th state because of the influx of German tourists -- went one step beyond this month, prohibiting the habit across all outdoor dining areas.

But in Germany, enforcing similar Verbote has been an uphill battle. The resistance stems largely from a long-held belief that smoking is a matter of personal choice. Many argue the government has no right to tell them where or how to smoke -- that common sense, not the Bundesregierung, should keep them in check.

So it’s little surprise that Germany remains the last EU country to allow cigarette advertising in cinemas before 6 p.m. or at kiosks (or Spätis in Berlin). Or that tobacco companies still hand out branded beach chairs and lighters at some public festivals.