site.btaForeign Ministry Advises Caution when Travelling to Giessen, Germany

The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday warned Bulgarian citizens to obtain up-to-date information when travelling to Giessen, Germany, on account of a state of emergency declared there. The advisory has been published on the Ministry's website.

The state of emergency applies to the period from November 28, 2025 to December 1, 2025. Public transport services are expected to be substantially limited, and a number of streets and bridges in the centre of the city are to be closed. Some parking areas in Giessen will be inaccessible on November 29, but the parking area at Neustädter Tor is expected to remain open, the Foreign Ministry specified.

It advises citizens to check the information released by the local authorities about bypass routes and short-notice changes, including on the city's official website and the RMV website and mobile app.

The restrictions are prompted by "anticipated clashes around the founding by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) of a new youth organization this weekend," dpa reported on Friday.

"The AfD is planning to establish a new countrywide youth organization called 'Generation Germany' on Saturday and Sunday in the university town in the state of Hesse," the German news agency specified. "Around 50,000 counter-demonstrators are expected at around 30 events, as well as one of the largest police operations in the state's history," it went on to say.

"The previous AfD youth wing was dissolved following a party conference decision in the spring, after it was listed as extremist by the federal intelligence agency," dpa recalled.