With the invention of the garage towards the end of the 1930s, the next logical step (in Germany, at least) was to create a law governing them.

It was called the Reichsgaragenordnung and came into effect in 1939.  And yes, it is still on the German statute book and valid to this day!

I first came across the name in the Hausordnung (house rules) for one of the flats that I lived in.

Im übrigen ist jeder Garageneigentümer zur strengen Beachtung der Reichsgaragenordnung verpflichtet.

But which rules does this law actually contain?

Well, the most important part is used by planning departments to determine how many parking spaces are needed for a new building.  If you build a block of flats, the law determines how many parking spaces you need to provide for the residents.

It also applies when you modernise a building, often causing parking spaces to be located on previously green sites due to lack of available land.  In some cases, the owners end up paying for the parking spaces to be created elsewhere in the town.

It is irrelevant whether the tenants actually own or even use that number of cars.

In Austria, where the law is also still valid, it prohibits tenants from keeping mopeds in their flats.

The 203-page law apparently also deals with what you are allowed to store in your garage, winter tyres for example.

One might go as far as seeing this as being typical for Germany – a law for everything!  Personally, I am always fascinated to find laws like this one that did not get revised with the creation of the Federal Republic in 1949.

Most people who know something about 20th Century German history, will know that the name “Volkswagen” is a translation of “people’s car”, and that the idea behind the Volkswagen was to create a car that a large part of the population of could afford.  It led to the the town of Wolfsburg being built in 1938 (although it only become known as such in 1945) to house the production plant for the cars.

What many are not aware of – myself included until recently – is where these cars were to be kept.  Obviously most of the houses built before 1938 did not have garages.  Certainly the housing used by the part of the popular expected to buy the Volkswagen did not have them.  This led to a Volksgarage being designed.

I do not know if it was ever called that, but I do know where it was built and where the very first and possibly only example of one is today.

In 1938 there was an exhibition in Frankfurt called the “1. Deutschen Bau- und Siedlungsausstellung”.  The exhibition contained examples of buildings that were to be used in new German settlements, such as the new town of “Zeppelinheim”.  Amongst these buildings were timbered houses, a town hall, even a fountain.  And what is allegedly Germany’s first garage.

At the end of the exhibition, many of the buildings were dismantled and re-assembled to the north of Oberursel in an area that was being used to teach people about farming, the so-called Reichssiedlungsschule.  This area later became known as “Camp King”.

Germany's first garage, now in Oberursel

That very first garage was one of them, and can still be seen here today.  It is now a listed building.

Oktoberfest is one of the more well-known festivals in Germany, but many international visitors are not aware of some of the basic facts about it.  Here are some of the most important ones:

1. The festival is held in Munich on the Theresienwiese and is known locally as the ‘Wiesn’.  The nearest U-Bahn station is also called Theresienwiese.

2. It starts on the first Saturday after 15th September, and continues until the first Sunday in October.  If the first Sunday is the 1st or the 2nd, the festival is extended to 3rd October as this is a public holiday.

3. The marquees on the fairground where the beer is served get very full.  To reserve a place in some of them you need to buy vouchers for food and drink in advance.  The minimum is currently €26.80 per visitor.

4. The hotels in Munich are very full at this time.  In fact, many visitors will have booked their rooms a year in advance, meaning that you need to arrange your accommodation as soon as possible to avoid being left without a roof over your head!  Expect to pay premium prices.

5. Smoking is prohibited in the marquees. As the numbers allowed in them are limited, smokers who go outside may find they cannot return to their seats.

6. The beer is served in a glass called a Maß which holds 1 litre and is slightly stronger than is usually served in Munich.  One litre costs between €8.30 and €8.90 (in 2010).

7. Glasses are much sought-after souvenirs, but are the property of the respective landlord.  Security guards at the entrance to each marquee are instructed to watch out for people taking them.  Being caught with one often ends if a charge of theft.  (It is possible to buy one, which is then labelled to show it has been paid for).

8. Soft drinks are almost as expensive as the beer.  A litre of water costs on average €7.30, a litre of Spezi will cost you around €7.90.

9. Food served in the marquees is usually more expensive than that sold at stands on other parts of the fairground.  Half a roasted chicken will set you back about €8, just on its own.  Generally the food served is traditional Bavarian fare.

10. The landlords are allowed to charge their guests for the use of the toilets!