This is the tower of the Railway Station in Luxembourg City, a historical building.
The tower is the main subject of the photograph, there’s no one making silly poses in front of it, it’s no stupid selfie…. and this picture, presented on my humble blog is outlawed here in Luxembourg!
But it’s not only photography of this tower that’s outlawed. You have no right to use photographs of any public buildings, where the building is the subject, and publish it unless you have the authorisation of the architect, his heirs or right holders or the owner if ever the architect is dead over 70 years, and mostly if you pay your dues to them!
Here’s an article (in french) detailing this crap: http://www.lessentiel.lu/fr/luxembourg/story/Attention-si-vous-prenez-en-photo-un-b-timent-21753405
So now I’m a really bad criminal!
Great, Luxembourg. I love those absolutely stupid laws. I love how European countries like Luxembourg are actively killing photography!
Unless you are a licensed photographer, paying your dues to the architect or other, you have no business creating something, even if the buildings are supposedly PUBLIC!
Some time ago, tourists have been intercepted by security personnel of the public baths in Luxembourg / Kirchberg. They were forbidden to take pictures of the fairly recent and admittedly very photogenic building.
Now mix this with restrictions about photographing people or cars an main subject in the streets (yes, cars too as this violates the privacy of the drivers!) and what have we left?
This:
Thank you, Luxembourg, my country!
Guess I’ll start converting to landscape photography….. unless the forests are protected too.
Feeling depressed!
Thanks for reading!
It is not (yet) so bad in Germany but you can get into legal trouble when photographing people. To be really safe, and I am being sarcastic here, it is better only to take pictures of tourists or to make sure that those people in a picture are one of many and therefore extras (“Beiwerk”).
At the end of the day, stupid laws are going to rescinded if ignored by the population at large.
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does this mean you can photograph private dwellings and parked cars as long as they are empty? Maybe pets? How about sections of buildings, not showing the whole building? Just trying to think out of the box if it helps you to continue providing us with great photos Frank.
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Thanks Ian, I think it doesn’t matter if you take partial photographs of buildings…. guess I’ll do business as usual and see what happens 😉
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It´s just ok for people to get surveyed every day by CCTV, through Smartphones, a Smart Home, ob FB, Twitter etc., but if someone is making a picture in a public space to create something artistically, they´re freaking out because of “their personal rights”. It´s just ridiculous! Great post!!!
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Yes, people accept CCTV as it’s ‘for their security’. With all those hyped terror scares, paedophile and other things, photographers are in a tight situation
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Unbelievable!
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Moien Här Lehnen,
Mäin Englesch ass nit sou gutt, dofir schreiwen ech léiwer op Lëtzebuergesch.
Ech sin e grousse Fan vun Äerer Säit, well ech selwer och nach analog fotograféieren, hun virun 2 Joër och digital ugefaangen awer gemierkt dass dat Menges näischt ass, ech si nach ee Fotograf vum aale Schlag (hun 53 Joër).
Dass mir eis hei zu Lëtzebuerg schëlleg maache wa mer öffentlech Gebaier fotograféieren an déi Fotoen publizéieren hun ech awer och nit gewosst, ech hun och schon bei Fotosaustellungen a Concouren matgemeet, mee war mer nie bewosst dass dat ee kriminellen Akt ass!(Am Zesummenhang mam entsprechende Gesetz).
Hei zu Lëtzebuerg get wirklich emmer eng eejen Zöppchen gekacht, an alles probéiert fir engem d’Liewen z’erschwéieren an ze versauen!
Vive de Grand-Duché!
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Richteg, Vive Lëtzebuerg! Wann se wirklech dei Gesetzer duerchsätzen dann hun mir et e besse schweier hei! Zum Glëck get nach net ze vill do kontrolleiert, waat awer mat der aktueller ‘Terrorsituatioun’ keint seier änneren.
Mee all Iwwerwaachungskamera’en gin kommentarlos akzepteiert! Komesch!!
Hun iwwregens och 53 Joer…. as wuel de Grond fir Film!
Komesch, freier war awer alles besser……
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A Merci villmols fir de ‘Fan’!!
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Merci fir Äer schéi Wierder, an dass fréier Villes besser war, mierken ech all Dag méi! Och an der analoger Fotografie hun ech den Androck dass sech emmer méi Leit erem fir déi Fotografie intresséieren, ech hu mer och schon bal all Link op Äerem Site ugekuckt a war erstaunt wéivill nach analog fotograféiert get :-)!
Ech fille lo nit méi sou als “Ewiggestrigen” wéi ech oft vu mengen digitalen Fotosfrënn genannt gin!
Léif Gréiss an e schéine Weekend.
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Ha, d’analog Fotografie dei erem richteg opliewt as wuel daat eenzecht erfreelecht hautzudaags.
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This is shame. Takes people’s rights/liberties.
Anyway, here people seem to be more protective of their property/houses – I would get more trouble shooting private houses compared to people photos.
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People’s rights in Europe are slowly but surely abolished, piece by piece! And no one is noticing or protesting. They all are OK with it!
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Intetesting, I thought it is only happening in Czech Republic… it becomes noticable and majority of people don’t care…
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It’s worldwide!!
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Madness. I hope we never get to the same stage in New Zealand.
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Guess not, unless the sheep band together….
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Wow I did not know this! Seems so crazy to me that you can’t take a photo of a building that is in a public place. I really want to visit Luxembourg but if I can’t take photos of my visit as a memento, I honestly don’t see the point – which is a real shame!
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Guess not every tourist will end up in prison! The ‘law’ is not terribly enforced but some overzealous guard might think he has to be an a…hole.
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I will keep that in mind and try to be stealth 😀
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Otherwise we’re quite a lovable people! You’ll see… 😉
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I am looking forward to visiting! Been a place on my bucket list for a long time 😁
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