Where freedom smells like barbeque

It all begins harmlessly enough. You’re standing in your garden, barbecue tongs in one hand and a nice cool drink in the other. The smell of grilled sausages is in the air and chilled summer tracks are emanating from your speaker - life seems just perfect. 

But then things kick off. Your neighbour suddenly appears at the fence. Politely but firmly, he lets you know that the smoke from your BBQ is unfortunately wafting straight into his living room and that your music is likewise only too audible there. And in any case, he argues, Tuesday’s not exactly the obvious day for a BBQ.

Welcome to what is perhaps the most German place to negotiate rights and freedoms: over the garden fence. This is where decisions are taken about what freedom means in everyday life. Not in the Bundestag, but right there between hedge and patio.

Freedom in theory and practice

The Basic Law guarantees that people are free to develop their personality. In everyday life, this means you are allowed to barbecue, drill, party, talk, grow your hedge and position garden gnomes in dubious poses. Theoretically, at least. In practice, it will depend on whether any of your actions may perhaps bother other people - and if so, how you then respond. After all, there’s one rather special thing about freedom: it always encompasses the freedom of others, too.

Germany has come up with some pragmatic solutions to deal with disputes in an orderly manner: quiet hours, barbecue regulations, personal space and hedge heights. There are rules for everything that might bother a neighbour. That’s why the famous garden fence is more than just a boundary between two properties. It’s a social interface. It’s where people discuss, negotiate and argue - and sometimes even laugh.