Berlin police use water cannons to cool crowds during heatwave

Berlin police deployed two water cannons on Friday afternoon to spray cooling mist at people in central Berlin as a late-June heatwave pushed temperatures sharply higher across the city and much of Europe.

The unusual measure began at about 3 p.m. local time at the Brandenburg Gate, according to reporting from WELT. The planned route also included the Reichstag, Potsdamer Platz, the Red Town Hall and Mauerpark.

The vehicles are normally associated with riot control and crowd dispersal, making their use for heat relief stand out as a rare public-safety response rather than a policing tactic.

A city under heat stress

The deployment came as Germany and surrounding countries faced a broader spell of extreme weather. AP reported that temperatures in Germany were expected to reach about 40C, while heat was already disrupting highways and rail travel in parts of the country.

In Berlin and Brandenburg, WELT reported earlier on Friday that emergency services had already seen more heat-related calls, including circulation problems and bathing incidents. That reporting underscored the pressure the heat was placing on residents, visitors and public services.

The Guardian, citing live coverage from the same day, said the Berlin police had already used 9,000 litres of water twice earlier in the day and were continuing the cooling operation through central locations.

Why it matters

The move is notable because it uses equipment usually reserved for public-order situations to address weather-related risk. In a crowded tourist center like Berlin, the gesture was both practical and symbolic: a visible response to a dangerous heat event that was affecting daily life across the region.

It also fits into a day of wider disruption in Germany, where extreme temperatures contributed to transport warnings, road damage and other heat-related problems.

Berlin police had not, in the reporting reviewed for this article, provided a fuller public breakdown of how long each stop would last or whether the cooling route would be repeated later in the day.