In the federal capital, police officers were repeatedly attacked with firecrackers and rockets, a spokesman said. 21 officers were slightly injured, many of them suffering from blast trauma. The Berlin police briefly arrested around 400 suspects. Kilos of illegal pyrotechnics were also confiscated on New Year’s Eve and during the night. Overall, the Berlin police did not consider the event to be as problematic as in previous years.
Attacks using pyrotechnics on police officers were also reported in Hamburg, Bonn and Leipzig. According to current information, ten police officers were injured in the Hanseatic city. They were unable to continue their service, the police said. In Leipzig, officials were pelted with firecrackers, a spokesman said. The police set up barriers in the Connewitz district, which is known for riots.
Fatal accidents involving pyrotechnics
According to police, two 18-year-olds died in Bielefeld from self-made firecrackers. According to the information, the accidents occurred independently of one another. There is still no overview of how many people were injured nationwide.
There are reports of fires caused by pyrotechnics in several federal states. The roof of a historic building on Cathedral Square in Erfurt caught fire. According to police, the fire spread to two neighboring houses.
Large New Year’s Eve parties without incident
In many places people celebrated the New Year peacefully. There were large public parties in Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, among others. In Berlin, thousands of people celebrated near the Brandenburg Gate on the Straße des 17. Juni at the capital’s official open-air party. 25,000 tickets were available.
According to organizers, around 10,000 people celebrated at a large New Year’s Eve party on Ludwigstrasse in Munich well into the year 2026. According to the police, the ZDF New Year’s Eve show, which was broadcast for the first time from Hamburg, also went without any special incidents.
This message was sent on January 1st, 2026 on the Deutschlandfunk program.
