Map & List of Strange European Laws

The map above shows an image associated with a strange law in each European country. Here’s a full list including some other strange laws in each country:

Summarised from Europe Is Not Dead: European Strange Laws. Each country lists the law illustrated on the map, followed by the other weird laws from the article.

Albania
- Shown on map: Citizens must pay a traffic-light tax (1995). Shkodra residents protested because the city had no traffic lights.
Austria
- Shown on map: No kissing or eating smelly food on Vienna’s trains. Fines were introduced after passenger complaints.
Belarus
- Shown on map: Illegal to drive a dirty car, with a fine of up to roughly €99.
- Other weird laws
  - Can’t keep more than 5 litres of tax-exempt alcohol or 15 litres of alcoholic drinks at home without shop receipts.
  - No beating carpets in apartment courtyards unless special bars are installed.
  - Forbidden to walk barefoot in the metro.
  - Nude sunbathing is prohibited.
Belgium
- Shown on map: Dogs and oxen can be requisitioned to pull army vehicles, under a 1939 military code.
- Other weird laws
  - Bailiffs can’t seize your last cow (or 12 goats), pig and 24 chickens.
  - The national flag is technically unconstitutional, as it doesn’t match the constitution’s description.
  - Only the elderly, disabled, women and children may glean leftover crops, by hand, sunrise to sunset.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Shown on map: Firing AK-47s into the air at weddings is allowed and still common in rural areas.
Bulgaria
- Shown on map: Drivers must carry a fire extinguisher at all times.
- Other weird laws
  - On one-way streets you must park on the left.
  - The horn may only be used to prevent an accident.
Croatia
- Shown on map: Illegal to sleep on a public bench (1,000 kn fine), and the fine doubles if you snore.
- Other weird laws
  - No nudity on your own balcony, because it counts as a public place.
Cyprus
- Shown on map: Illegal to drink or eat anything while driving, including water, with an €85 fine.
Czechia
- Shown on map: Headlights must be on at all times, whatever the weather.
- Other weird laws
  - Taxis have a third tariff reserved for rides after a nuclear explosion.
Denmark
- Shown on map: Drivers must check under their car for children or bodies before setting off.
- Other weird laws
  - Restaurants can’t charge for water, unless it’s served with ice or a lemon slice.
  - If the Øresund freezes, you may beat a Swede crossing the ice with a stick until he goes back.
  - Failing to report a death to the police is fined 20 kr.
  - No honking without an evident reason, so no “goodbye honking”.
Estonia
- Shown on map: Pedestrians must wear safety reflectors at all times.
- Other weird laws
  - All cars must carry two wheel chocks in case they break down on a slope.
  - Forbidden to play chess during sex (Tallinn).
Finland
- Shown on map: Taxi drivers can’t play music for customers without paying a copyright levy of about €14 a year.
- Other weird laws
  - Illegal to buy alcohol after 9pm.
  - TV tax is compulsory even if you don’t own a TV.
  - Hunting guns must be kept locked at a hunting lodge, not at home.
  - Forbidden to freeze a track for ice skating, because the local government would be liable for injuries.
France
- Shown on map: Illegal to kiss on a platform once the train has pulled in, a 1910 railway rule against delays.
- Other weird laws
  - Live snails need a ticket on high-speed trains, as any pet under 5 kg is a paying passenger.
  - No unlimited self-service ketchup, mayonnaise or vinaigrette in school cafeterias.
  - Everyone must keep a bale of hay at home in case the king passes with his horse.
  - A cheque can be written on any paper, even toilet paper, unless your bank refuses it.
Germany
- Shown on map: Forbidden to run out of fuel on the Autobahn. You are fined for stopping without good reason.
- Other weird laws
  - No piano tuning or instrument practice in flats outside 08:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 20:00.
  - Urns can’t be kept at home (Friedhofszwang, “cemetery compulsion”).
  - Saying “Du” to a police officer can cost up to €600.
  - Can’t deny a chimney sweep access to your home, if he asks nicely.
Greece
- Shown on map: High heels banned at ancient sites since 2009, because they damage the stone.
- Other weird laws
  - Smoking while driving is illegal.
  - Indecent behaviour, including mooning, is forbidden and can mean arrest, a fine or prison.
  - Voting is compulsory for everyone 18 and over.
Hungary
- Shown on map: Sex is only allowed with the lights off (Budapest), even at home with your spouse.
- Other weird laws
  - Inflating “intimidating” balloons in public places is prohibited.
  - Baby names must come from a pre-approved list.
  - Photographing someone without their permission is illegal.
Iceland
- Shown on map: Dogs are forbidden. A 1971 Reykjavík ban now requires municipal permission, a fee, and consent from two thirds of neighbours in shared buildings.
- Other weird laws
  - Strip clubs are banned, as companies can’t profit from employee nudity.
  - Children’s names must come from an approved list, with one to three forenames.
Ireland
- Shown on map: Freemen of Dublin may graze sheep on common ground, including St Stephen’s Green. Bono and The Edge invoked it in 2000.
- Other weird laws
  - Witchcraft, sorcery or any “devilish activity” is illegal.
  - Cows may not come into contact with pirates (Brehon law).
  - (Northern Ireland) Technically illegal to attend the cinema on Sunday under the Cinemas Order 1991, with a £50 fine.
  - Students may demand a glass of wine during an exam, under Trinity College rules only.
Italy
- Shown on map: Round goldfish bowls are banned in Rome under a 2005 bylaw that also bans giving animals as prizes.
- Other weird laws
  - Men touching their genitals in public, even a quick scratch, is a criminal offence.
  - Men can’t wear skirts, whether tutu, mini or sarong.
  - (Eboli) No public displays of affection in a moving vehicle.
  - (Eraclea) Sandcastles are illegal.
  - (Capri) Noisy footwear is banned. A couple was arrested for loud flip-flops.
  - (Milan) Smiling is compulsory.
Latvia
- Shown on map: You can buy a new first name for about €70, or free if the old one is truly terrible (e.g. “Gonoreja”).
- Other weird laws
  - No smoking within 10 metres of a public building entrance.
  - Drinking alcohol outdoors is prohibited and fined.
  - Smoking in the presence of a child counts as physical abuse.
Lithuania
- Shown on map: Illegal to check or talk on your phone while crossing the street, with a fine of up to €40.
Luxembourg
- Shown on map: All cars must have windscreen wipers, even if they have no windscreen.
- Other weird laws
  - No law formally bans smoking at work.
Malta
- Shown on map: Illegal to run “violently” in any street or public place.
- Other weird laws
  - Can’t cut grass in any fortification without a permit.
  - Can’t leave a ladder, iron bar or weapon unattended, as it might be used by “thieves or other wrong-doers”.
  - Can’t shoot domestic doves or pigeons belonging to someone else.
  - Nudity or indecent dress in harbours, on the seashore or in any public place is a crime.
Netherlands
- Shown on map: Illegal to lock a burglar in your toilet, because it deprives them of their liberty.
- Other weird laws
  - In-laws remain your family even after divorce.
  - Can’t buy fireworks intending to use them, except in the three days before New Year’s Eve.
  - Can’t take moss, mushrooms or even a fallen acorn from the forest.
  - House-sharing is technically illegal, though almost never enforced.
  - Can’t marry in the Netherlands unless one partner is Dutch.
North Macedonia
- Shown on map: Front-seat passengers can’t be drunk.
- Other weird laws
  - No shop alcohol sales after 7pm in winter or 9pm in summer.
  - Radar detectors are illegal, even switched off.
Norway
- Shown on map: Illegal to pick another person’s cloudberries from fenced land.
- Other weird laws
  - Neutering your dog is forbidden.
  - Dressing as a police officer for Halloween is illegal (“unauthorised use of a uniform”).
  - Reading your partner’s text messages can mean up to two years in jail.
Poland
- Shown on map: Winnie the Pooh T-shirts are banned near schools and playgrounds, because he wears no trousers.
- Other weird laws
  - Drinking alcohol in any public place is illegal.
Portugal
- Shown on map: Illegal to pee in the ocean, to keep beaches family-friendly.
- Other weird laws
  - No piercings under the age of 16.
  - A ring given by a husband must be declared to the tax authority and taxed.
Romania
- Shown on map: Illegal to be dead for too long. A man declared dead in error couldn’t overturn it because he appealed two years late (2016).
- Other weird laws
  - Changing money on the street is illegal.
Serbia
- Shown on map: Foreign visitors must register with the police within 48 hours (hotels do it for you).
- Other weird laws
  - Cars must carry a towbar and 3 metres of rope.
Slovakia
- Shown on map: Noise is banned between 10pm and 6am in Bratislava, and there’s no street drinking in the Old Town.
Slovenia
- Shown on map: Puppies must be fed at least three times a day (twice from 6 to 12 months, once for adults), and dog custody is set on divorce.
- Other weird laws
  - Hazard lights must be used when reversing.
  - Swearing in public is forbidden and heavily fined.
  - Fines are halved if paid within seven days.
Spain
- Shown on map: Driving in flip-flops is fined, up to €200.
- Other weird laws
  - Illegal to name your child “Mandarina”.
  - (Madrid) Walking eight or more dogs at once is illegal.
  - (Seville) Hanging “indecent” items on washing lines, with fines up to €3,000.
Sweden
- Shown on map: You need a licence before repainting your house, and colours must stay similar within city limits.
- Other weird laws
  - Posting a picture of krona banknotes is illegal, as currency is copyrighted.
  - Princes and princesses need government consent to marry or their descendants lose succession rights.
Switzerland
- Shown on map: Illegal to own just one guinea pig, as social animals must have company of their own kind.
- Other weird laws
  - No recycling on Sundays.
  - No mowing the lawn, DIY or late-night baths on Sundays.
  - Forbidden to ski while reciting poetry.
  - Every house must have, or have access to, a nuclear shelter.
Turkey
- Shown on map: Taking antiques bought in souks home is illegal. Exporting or possessing genuine antiquities (including fossils) is an offence.
- Other weird laws
  - Insulting Turkey, the Turkish nation, currency, institutions or national heroes is illegal.
  - Married women need their husband’s permission to work, and forfeit joint assets on divorce.
Ukraine
- Shown on map: Picnics on graves are allowed on commemorative days after Easter.
- Other weird laws
  - Drinking beer in supermarkets while you shop is allowed.
United Kingdom
- Shown on map: Illegal to be drunk on licensed premises, with a £200 fine.
- Other weird laws
  - Carrying a plank along a pavement is illegal, as are flying kites, annoying games and sliding on ice (Metropolitan Police Act 1839, s54).
  - No beating or shaking carpets in the street, though doormats are allowed before 8am.
  - Driving cattle through the streets between 10am and 7pm needs the Police Commissioner’s permission (Metropolitan Streets Act 1867).