Myths and facts about Germany's highways
A bill on a road toll for cars using Germany's highways has cleared a final hurdle from regional states despite a lack of exceptions for border regions. The nation's autobahn network is unlikely to lose its attraction.
Oldest highway
Berlin's inner-city AVUS is widely considered to be Germany's oldest autobahn. It was built between 1913 and 1921. Back then, it was only 10 km (6.2 miles) long. And because it was so short, many call the AVUS an autobahn prototype.
'Vehicles-only road'
The first "proper" autobahn in Germany went into operation on August 6, 1932, connecting Cologne and Bonn. Literally translated, the highway was officially called "vehicles-only road." Today, the stretch is part of the A555 autobahn.
Debunking the Hitler myth
Historians make a point of emphasizing that the myth about Adolf Hitler commissioning the building of the first German autobahn is just that - a myth. The highway mentioned in the previous slide was a project initiated by the then lord mayor of Cologne, Konrad Adenauer.
Highway 1 - the champion
A look at national statistics around the globe reveals that Australia boasts the longest highway. Its National Highway (also known as Highway 1) spans the whole continent, having a total length of well over 14,000 km (8,700 miles).
Amazing network
Germany for its part is known for one of the densest highway networks with a total length of roughly 13,000 km (8,077 miles). While this makes up only 6 percent of all long-distance roads in the country, almost a third of total road traffic depends on it.
Looming highway toll
German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt hopes the introduction of a passenger car toll for highways in Germany will wash around 500 million euros ($535 million) into state coffers annually. Opponents argue that's a myth, citing enormous infrastructure costs to collect the toll.