Kaiser Wilhelm didn’t like that at all: he wanted to be the first with the number plate IA-1. The vehicles in Berlin were marked with IA. One stood for Prussia, A for Berlin. The department store owner Rudolph Hertzog had the 1 on his car. He was probably the first license plate fan in Europe. So much so that he didn’t even want to cede the shield to the Emperor, despite his polite request.
Many years later, a new request fluttered into the Hertzog house – this time from Hitler’s environment. The National Socialist dictator also wanted the 1 on the car – and again the Hertzogs said no. Although they opposed Hitler, no consequences are known.
Today in Germany everyone can have their “desired number plate” – as long as it is free. Around 50 percent of drivers personalize their sign. The surcharge costs only 10.20 euros. Exiles from Zurich drive through Berlin with a B-ZH sign, exiles from Bern drive through Munich with an M-BE number. Unfortunately, “B-ZH 100” is no longer available – that would be an ideal addition to the much, much more expensive “ZH 100” sign that has now been sold.