Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- Germany has now broken its known temperature record on each of the last three days
- Heat wave moves east, storm fronts approach from south and west promising cooler temperatures
- Politicians cannot seem to agree on reforms to nation’s retirement age
- German industry leaders blamed national rail provider DB for billions in losses
- Outgoing Federal Antisemitism Rep says quality of life for Jews in Germany has worsened
Below is the roundup of the news from Germany on the weekend of June 27 and 28.
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Skip next section New provisional record temperature logged on third consecutive day — 41.7 Celsius06/28/2026June 28, 2026
New provisional record temperature logged on third consecutive day — 41.7 Celsius
For the third consecutive day, the DWD German Weather Service has reported a record temperature measurement.
Sunday’s new high mark was recorded in the small rural settlement of Coschen in Brandenburg.
The hottest temperatures have moved east in recent days and now sit over states like Bradenburg and Saxony.
The provisional measurement, which is still subject to a check from the DWD, stood at 41.7 degrees Celsius, or just over 107 degrees Fahrenheit.
On Saturday, a reading of 41.5 degrees Celsius was recorded in Drewitz in Saxony-Anhalt, and that figure was matched again on Sunday in Bad Muskau in Saxony on the Polish border.
On Friday, the first provisional record temperature, 41.3 degrees Celsius in the western city of Saarbrücken, kicked off the wave of new entries.
https://p.dw.com/p/5GCstSkip next section German author Lena Schätte wins top literary prize for ‘What we bear’ 06/28/2026June 28, 2026
German author Lena Schätte wins top literary prize for ‘What we bear’
Lena Schätte has been awarded this year’s Ingeborg Bachmann Prize at a ceremony in Klagenfurt, Austria.
The jury announced their decision on Sunday, honoring the author from the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia for her novel “Was wir tragen,” which could perhaps be translated as “What we bear,” “wear,” or “carry.”
“With great literary power and without complaining the German author tells a story of the friendship of two overweight girls and their societal exclusion,” the City of Klagenfurt wrote announcing the the award.
Schätte’s book was one of 13 in the running for the prize.
Juror Thomas Strässle spoke of the “existential power” of the text, while Schätte said it was a “fever dream” to be named the winner.
Schätte, born in 1993 in the Ruhr Valley in Lüdenscheid, was put on the longlist for the German Book Prize last year for “Father’s Hands,” a book that explores the alcohol addiction of both the narrator’s father and, as it ultimately transpires, the narrator herself.
The Bachmann Prize for German-language literature is awarded each year in honor of Austrian poet and author Ingeborg Bachmann, it comes with a €30,000 (roughly 34,000) prize.
https://p.dw.com/p/5GCYfSkip next section Village in Saxony logs highest overnight low on record in Germany — 29.4 Celsius06/28/2026June 28, 2026
Village in Saxony logs highest overnight low on record in Germany — 29.4 Celsius
Perhaps fortunately, Kubschütz in Saxony is a village of just over 400 people. But those residents are not liable to have slept particularly well overnight.
The eastern German village only cooled to a low of 29.4 degrees Celsius (84.9 Fahrenheit) overnight, according to the DWD German Weather Service.
That’s the highest overnight low temperature on record for Germany, the DWD said.
It’s the third all-time German weather record to be set in short order amid the heat wave, after the two highest temperatures on record were logged in consecutive days on Friday and Saturday.
It’s possible, though perhaps not yet guaranteed, that all hot things come in threes, given the likelihood of cooler temperatures by Monday anticipated by the DWD and other meteorologists.
https://p.dw.com/p/5GCUeSkip next section Forest fires threaten munition-laden ground in Rhineland-Palatinate06/28/2026June 28, 2026
Forest fires threaten munition-laden ground in Rhineland-Palatinate
The high temperatures are contributing to a series of forest fires across Germany, most of which remain comparatively small for the moment.
One, however, in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate is near military training areas where the ground contains spent and sometimes unexploded munitions.
In the vicinity of Bad Kreuznach, to the west of Frankfurt and north of Kaiserslautern, the fire first broke out on Saturday afternoon.
Initially a handful of buildings in Traisen near the fire were emptied, but at 2 a.m. people living within a 1-kilometer radius were asked to leave their homes and head to an emergency shelter. Local authorities also arranged hotels for young children, the elderly and infirm.
Explosions had taken place amid the fire, and arms disposal teams were on site analyzing the danger. Authorities said they did not believe there was a risk to the houses in the evacuation area, but said they had cleared the radius as a precaution nevertheless.
Far to the east, near the state borders between Saxony and Brandenburg, firefighters out in larger numbers trying to contain a fire in the Gohrischheide heath.
The blaze was contained to a smaller area overnight, local mayor Mirko Pollmer said. However, with temperatures rising and winds also expected to pick up during Sunday, he warned that the fire was deemed likely to regain strength during the day.
Another fire to the north in Mecklenburg Western-Pomerania has been burning since the middle of the week. On Sunday, firefighters were planning an operation to cool a former Soviet-era tank training area near the blaze that also has munitions in the ground.
Saxony-Anhalt also reported two meaningful forest fires, with emergency services still responding on Sunday.
https://p.dw.com/p/5GCKzSkip next section At least 7 die while swimming during weekend 06/28/2026June 28, 2026
At least 7 die while swimming during weekend
At least seven people have died in swimming accidents in Germany over the weekend, which saw record-breaking temperatures.
The heat sent many people to lakes and rivers, as they attempted to cool off amid the scorching heat.
In the capital, police said two people died in separate swimming accidents. A 42-year-old man was found in the Jungfernheideteich man-made lake in western Berlin, while a 51-year-old man was found at the Tempelhofer urban harbor.
Meanwhile in the south-western state of Baden-Württemberg, a 27-year-old man drowned in the Neckar River near the city of Heidelberg, and a 30-year-old man died in a lake near Mannheim.
A child was also reported missing in the Rhine-Herne Canal in western Germany.
In the central state of Hesse, the body of a 40-year-old man was found from a lake near the financial capital Frankfurt.
And in Germany’s most-populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia, a 45-year-old man was found in a lake near Dortmund. Northward near Hanover, an 8-year-old was found in a lake.
At Lake Constance near the border with Switzerland and Austria, the bodies of two elderly swimmers were recovered on Friday. They had disappeared a day earlier after jumping from a rental boat.
https://p.dw.com/p/5GCL1Skip next section Leipzig halts trams as heat damages tracks and points in the city 06/28/2026June 28, 2026
Leipzig halts trams as heat damages tracks and points in the city
No trams will run in Leipzig until early on Monday morning.
The soaring temperatures have melted asphalt and otherwised damaged the tracks and points in multiple locations around the city.
The Leipzig Transport Authority (LVB) initially suspended services until late on Saturday night, but subsequently extended the stoppage throughout the weekend.
The heat has caused the joint sealant for asphalt and concrete in points and tracks to run and clump together. The company said it was not currently safe for trains to operate.
Buses were still running largely according to schedule in the city of well over half a million people southwest of Berlin.
https://p.dw.com/p/5GC9VSkip next section Hagen fire department battles e-waste blaze overnight06/28/2026June 28, 2026
Hagen fire department battles e-waste blaze overnight
Firefighters in the western city of Hagen near Dortmund worked through the night trying to quench a large fire at a garbage dump.
The fire department said that a “pile of electrical trash” caught fire, with the emergency call coming in at around 3 a.m. Drivers on the nearby A45 highway noticed the flames and called emergency services.
Career and volunteer firefighters cooperated in the operation.
The efforts to control the fire took around three hours. The cause of the blaze was not yet clear, authorities said.
A warning was issued, but later lifted, because of a heavy build-up of smoke. However, the area in question is not very densely populated.
https://p.dw.com/p/5GC6SSkip next section Extreme heat warnings persist as worst of heat wave moves east06/28/2026June 28, 2026
Extreme heat warnings persist as worst of heat wave moves east
The German Weather Service (DWD) is again issuing extreme heat warnings for the vast majority of the country.
“The focal point of the heat is gradually moving eastwards,” the DWD wrote in its Sunday morning warning status update.
It warned of a “strong to extreme heat burden in almost all parts of the country … among other things because of only slight overnight cooling and high humidity.”
Extreme heat warning were in place nationwide, expect for the northern, western and southern extremities, on Sunday morning. Most other areas either faces high heat warnings or the threat of thunderstorms.
Additionally, severe thunderstorms, sudden heavy rain and high winds were forecast in parts of Schleswig-Holstein on Sunday morning, while the DWD said that localized storms were possible “above all in the eastern half [of the country] but also in the west.”
Storm fronts were expected to move in from the west and southwest, also breaking the worst of the high temperatures, by the evening.
Here in Bonn, for instance, Sunday’s forecast high temperatures are several degrees cooler than in recent days, albeit still at 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 degrees Fahrneheit) — while Monday’s predicted highs are considerably cooler, down at 27 degrees Celsius.
https://p.dw.com/p/5GC2OSkip next section Greens’ Dröge calls for air conditioning push in public facilities06/28/2026June 28, 2026
Greens’ Dröge calls for air conditioning push in public facilities
The co-leader of Germany’s Greens, Katharina Dröge, appeals in this week’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper for rapid moves to install air conditioning units in key public buildings.
“Germany needs an immediate cooling-off program, to air condition hospitals, care facilities, daycares and schools,” Dröge told the German tabloid on Sunday.
The ecologist opposition party leader called for expanding air conditioning capacities “at full speed” but also “in connection with solar power units.” She said her party would therefore also be advocating a subsidy plan for what she called “air conditioning solar facilities.”
Dröge said this was the combination that “made most sense” — looking to simultaneously install air conditioning but also put solar panels on the buildings in question.
“The heat by day is accompanied by high solar radiation and therefore a particularly high solar output,” Dröge said.
Traditionally Germany, not known as the sunniest country on the planet all year round, had put more resources into wind power than solar. Wind currently accounts for roughly twice as much power generation as solar in the country.
Dröge also advocated using a part of the German government’s so-called special fund for longer-term infrastructure projects, or Sondervermögen, for the purpose. These funds are not subject to some of the more restrictive standard budget rules.
https://p.dw.com/p/5GBzNSkip next section We’re pausing our coverage06/27/2026June 27, 2026
We’re pausing our coverage
It’s past 10 p.m. here in Germany, and we’re putting a halt on our coverage of the news coming out of Germany until Sunday morning. Thanks for sticking with us.
https://p.dw.com/p/5GAzUSkip next section Huge turnout for Munich’s Pride parade06/27/2026June 27, 2026
Huge turnout for Munich’s Pride parade
The annual Pride parade through Germany’s southern city of Munich drew a crowd of tens of thousands.
More than 200 groups took part in the celebrations to promote equality for the LGBTQ+ community, under the motto “Our Diversity. Our Strength.”
Organizers are also concerned about anti-LGBTQ+ crime, which rose 43% in the state of Bavaria last year to 414 incidents, according to the campaign group Strong!
Police said around 30,000 people took part in Saturday’s parade, along with around 200,000 spectators, who lined the route.
Later in the day, many people were expected to join a street festival.
In Germany, the Pride parade is known as the Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade.
It takes its name from the New York street where the 1969 Stonewall uprising took place, a key moment in the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.
Despite temperatures in Munich hitting 36 degrees Celsius, no major heat-related incidents were reported, organizer Conrad Breyer said.
https://p.dw.com/p/5GAtqSkip next section Germany sets record temperatures for second day running06/27/2026June 27, 2026
Germany sets record temperatures for second day running
Germany broke its all-time heat record for the second straight day, with a preliminary reading of 41.5 degrees Celsius (106.7 Fahrenheit), the German Weather Service (DWD) reported.
The new record was measured in the town of Möckern-Drewitz in eastern Germany.
“It can’t be ruled out that temperatures could approach 42 degrees Celsius,” the service, which issued a red alert for most of the country on Saturday, said.
The previous record was set only a day earlier, when temperatures reached 41.3 degrees Celsius in the southwestern city Saarbrücken.
The figures published by DWD are still preliminary and could be revised.
https://p.dw.com/p/5GAZGSkip next section Industry leaders say Deutsche Bahn problems costing them billions in new report06/27/2026June 27, 2026
Industry leaders say Deutsche Bahn problems costing them billions in new report
Leaders and representatives from the steel, chemical and automobile industry called out Germany’s beleaguered Deutsche Bahn (DB) Saturday, saying the rail provider is costing their businesses billions as the result of ongoing track closures.
In a report published by Germany’s Welt am Sonntag (WaS) newspaper, industry reps say rotting DB infrastructure has increasingly forced them to shift transport of their goods and materials to highways over the past several years, pointing out that truck transport is far less efficient than rail.
The steel industry, which transports nearly 50% of its products and raw production materials by rail, is being especially hard hit.
A speaker from Germany’s Salzgitter steel company told the paper, “we’ve had to throttle steel production.”
And a representative at ArcelorMittal said ore reserves at the company’s Eisenhüttenstadt steel works had reached “critically low” levels.
Germany’s chemical industry, which transports some 25 million tons of products and materials via rail annually, has also been hit hard.
Wolfgang Große Entrup of the Chemical Industry Association (VCI), told WaS the Deutsche Bahn needs to “urgently adjust” its planning, coordination and prioritization,” adding, “freight transport must take precedence on detour routes” when construction is taking place.
https://p.dw.com/p/5GAL8Skip next section Former president calls for more political courage in face of needed reforms06/27/2026June 27, 2026
Former president calls for more political courage in face of needed reforms
Wesley Dockery Editor
As politicians in Berlin debate serious structural reforms, Germany’s former federal president, Joachim Gauck is imploring them to put nation before party, saying citizens “expect resolve.”
“Every true reform demands sacrifices. We need political leadership that can muster the strength to explain to the public why these sacrifices must be made,” said Gauck in an interview to be published Sunday in the Welt on Sonntag (WaS) newspaper.
Gauck warned against avoiding difficult political decisions, saying doing so erodes the very “core of democracy.”
Gauck’s statement comes as politicians seem unable to agree on longterm reforms, chief among them, those revolving around retirement and pensions.
The current tug-of-war comes as the government prepares to vote on proposals put forth by a special pension commission.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Labor Minister Bärbel Bas promised quick passage of the entire 33-point list of reforms earlier this week.
The fate of the legislation, however, remains unclear with voices in Merz’s conservative CDU, such as Pascal Reddig, calling for passage and quick implementation; and others in Bas’ center-left SPD, such as Manuela Schwesig and Franziska Giffey, arguing instead for slower, partial reforms.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5GAD2Skip next section German Weather Service forecasts more record-breaking heat for Saturday06/27/2026June 27, 2026
German Weather Service forecasts more record-breaking heat for Saturday
Germany’s DWD weather service is forecasting another day of record-breaking heat.
“This Saturday temperatures of more than 36 degrees (96.8 Fahrenheit) can be expected across the country, with only some coastal regions being slightly less hot” said DWD meteorologists who warned that temperatures, “may climb as high as 42 degrees (107.6) in some places.”
On Friday, Germany registered its highest temperature ever when the mercury rose to 41.3 degrees in southwestern Saarbrücken at 5:00 p.m. local time (1500 GMT).
The DWD said “tropical nights” remain in the forecast, calling the lack of cool temperatures at night especially strenuous.
Forecasters said people in Germany should expect little relief, however, with high temperatures holding until at least Monday, when thunderstorms are expected to drive temperatures down to below 30.
The DWD warned that isolated thunderstorms arriving from the west will begin Saturday evening and continue through the remainder of the weekend, adding that residents should prepare to see “the full program — from heavy rain to high winds and even hail.”
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