Fireworks

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fireworks at Japan Day in Düsseldorf
Sound of distant fireworks

A firework is a pyrotechnical performances , mostly in the night sky, when fireworks are ignited as planned. It is characterized by light, color and pop effects.

Types of fireworks

Pyrotechnic effects include light - (shapes, colors ) noise - ( bang , pipes ), smoke - and heat generation and artificial fog .

In terms of pyrotechnics, a distinction is mainly made between fireworks on the ground and on the elevation:

  • For fireworks ( high fireworks ) you basically counts all fireworks, the effect of which bodies are going through the roof or rise by a self-propelled into the air. Fireworks at height include fireworks such as bombs , rockets and many fireworks batteries .
  • For ground fireworks are firmly anchored to the ground fireworks like fountains , volcanos , suns , fountains and waterfalls , as well as lights images and comets .
    • Since this classic style was very popular in the Baroque period (and is now often burned to baroque music ), ground fireworks are often also called baroque fireworks .
    • Bengal light pictures are a special form. They represent writings, pictures such as hearts and rings (at weddings) or other things.
  • Fireworks, which eject their effects upwards into the air, but do not detach themselves from the ground, occupy an intermediate position between the ground and height fireworks. These include fireworks such as fire pots and Roman lights , smoke and flame effects .
  • If fixed and rising fireworks are burned off at the same time or one after the other during a fireworks display, one often speaks of a combined fireworks display on the ground and on the elevation .

Fireworks joke articles and table fireworks form a special shape and are referred to as small fireworks .

Division into groups and classes

The classification into categories was carried out in the EU in 2009 according to the scope of the effect sets and the resulting dangers - for the higher categories, especially category F4, training as a pyrotechnician is required across the EU - for lower risks, a minimum age or legal age is required. In the EU there are the following categories (the former classifications in Germany up to 2009 are also given, some of which correspond to today's EU directives):

  • Large fireworks (CAT. F4, formerly Class IV in Germany): Fireworks that can only be set off by trained pyrotechnicians.

  • Means fireworks (. KAT F3, the then class III representing approximately in Germany): fireworks, which may be purchased in Germany by persons with an official permit or of pyrotechnics and burned. These are of limited extent, particularly with regard to the height of rise and the amount of the pyrotechnic charge . In some EU countries (see below), acquisition and burning are also legal for adults without pyrotechnic training or special permission.

  • Small fireworks (CAT. F2, in Germany formerly Class II / PII, but the EU regulations extend the category): This category includes fireworks that may be acquired and burned by persons not trained as pyrotechnicians. The individual member states of the EU can determine the age limit for purchasing articles in this category. I.a. In Germany, it is only allowed to be sold to people over the age of 18. in some other EU member states to people over the age of 16. This category is also restricted by some EU members: in Germany, rockets over 20 g of NEM - the EU standard limits this to 75 g in category F2 - can only be purchased and burned by people with official permission or trained pyrotechnicians. The same applies in Germany to floor blasters that contain lightning bolts instead of black powder .
  • Smallest fireworks (. KAT F1, formerly about the Class I / PI respectively in Germany, however, the rates of the EU standard are partly higher): Fireworks joke articles and toys, table fireworks , so-called "youth fireworks" fireworks items by category (eg. Knallerbsen , most sparklers , small fountains and volcanoes) can usually be purchased and used all year round without any legal restrictions.

The exact legal regulations regarding the conditions for delivery, possession and use are different in the individual EU countries. So z. B. in Spain, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Denmark. B. in Germany for F3 a special official permit or training as a pyrotechnician is required to acquire, own or burn down.

Musical fireworks

Fireworks that are choreographed to the music are called musical fireworks . Its development began with fireworks accompanying music from the Baroque era , such as Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks HWV 351. However, it is unknown to what extent the fireworks actually fired in sync with the music at that time. Today, fireworks that are accurate to the beat are technically possible with the help of blasting machines, going far beyond suitable background music.

More types

Other types are sea ​​fireworks (which are shot from rafts or small islands), technical fireworks such as stage fireworks ( theater fireworks ), fire shows , film special effects or pure illumination , i.e. lighting using pyrotechnic effects, sometimes also pop effects.

Special forms:

In addition, the relevant regulations include: Smoke or smoke generating pyrotechnic objects, pyrotechnic signaling devices , Bengal fires and shellac fire as well as firecrackers for firecrackers or salute cannons. An overview of this can be found in the article Pyrotechnic object and in the legal section . The confetti fireworks is a non-pyrotechnic demonstration, it is usually fired with compressed air and is considered a stage effect .

In 2015, the Japanese start-up company ALE (Astro Live Experiences, founded by the astronomer Lena Okajima) announced that it would artificially create colored falling stars by ejecting spheres with a diameter of the order of centimeters from a satellite in 400 to 500 km high meridional earth orbit . At a height of 60 km, the small bodies would penetrate the braking earth's atmosphere at 9 km / s much more slowly than natural falling stars, would glow correspondingly longer and, in their entirety, would result in a strip of light. After seven years of development, on January 18, 2019, the Japanese space agency JAXA put a first satellite, which also collects measurement data, into an orbit at a height of 500 km; in 2020 the first cosmic fireworks should be possible.

The colors and shapes of the fireworks

Preparation of a brilliant fireworks display,
Sayn Castle Festival

The color of a firework depends on the atomic properties of certain added substances. The chemical elements , usually metals , which are responsible for the coloring, are added in the form of metal salts . Examples are sodium oxalate for yellow, barium nitrate for a green, copper oxide for a blue color effect and strontium nitrate for a crimson color.

The heat generated by the combustion of the pyrotechnic charge causes, among other things, that the atoms of the chemical elements are excited. This means that a specific amount of energy is supplied to the outermost electrons of the atoms , which raises them to a higher energy level. When falling back to the lower energy level, this additional energy is given off again in the form of photons of a specific wavelength, which the observer then perceives as a colored glow. In addition to what has already been mentioned, other additives for coloring are also common. In general, it requires a chlorine donor z. B. PVC to produce strong colors. In principle, it is possible to mix the colorants, taking into account the chemical properties.

In contrast to a flame, which can be colored in almost any color by mixtures, sparks are severely limited in their color. In contrast to a flame, sparks are hot particles; H. solid or liquid objects. Their light emission is defined by the black body radiation and is dependent on the temperature. Only colors from red / orange through yellow / gold to white / silver are accepted. On the basis of metals that burn in the gas phase, sparks with an intensely colored gas envelope are also known. Sparks from the rare earth metals have even been described, which change their color in flight between the typical yellow gold and an unusually colored, intensely green or pink phase. Here there is a change between black body radiation and element-specific emission in the gas phase.

The type of sparks (e.g. stars and rain) is determined by both the chemical composition and the size of the burning particles. For example, aluminum leads to the creation of stars, while pure magnesium creates special white lighting effects.

generated color required item
Red Strontium (dark red), calcium (orange), lithium (carmine red)
yellow sodium
green Barium (yellow-green), copper (emerald green)
blue Copper (azure)
violet Potassium , mixture of strontium and copper
purple Mixture of strontium and copper
White; silver Magnesium , aluminum , titanium
gold Iron , carbon , titanium

Fireworks hazard

Fine dust pollution from fireworks

According to an earlier publication by the Federal Environment Agency in the 2018 version, fireworks in Germany release around 4500 tons of fine dust annually, a large part of it on New Year's Eve. According to these estimates, this would correspond to around 15.5% of the amount caused by car and truck traffic throughout the year. The Federal Environment Agency's estimates of the amount of particulate matter released by pyrotechnic articles have varied in recent years between 4,000 and 5,000 tons of particulate matter without, according to the Association of the Pyrotechnic Industry (VPI), showing any significant changes in sales of pyrotechnic articles during this period .

In Munich, at the turn of the year 2009/2010 , the monitoring station on Prinzregentenstrasse registered a fine dust load of 1138 micrograms per cubic meter of air one hour after midnight. During the day the value was 17 micrograms. The Federal Environment Agency from Dessau reported in 2007 of fine dust concentrations that can contain up to 4000 micrograms of fine dust in one cubic meter of air. In a residential area in Bonn on New Year's Eve 2007/2008 shortly before midnight, values ​​of over 140,000 micrograms were measured. Compared with the otherwise typical local fine dust concentration of approx. 22 micrograms, this measurement result corresponded to 6300 times the value. At the turn of the year 2017/2018, the maximum value measured in Fürth was reached with 1330 µg / m³. This means that on the first day of the year one of a total of 35 permissible excess days was reached. The limit value for fine dust was set at 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air as a daily average throughout the EU.

In an overall view of the dust pollution from traffic, industry, agriculture and other sectors, around 220,000 tons of PM 10 particulate matter are emitted in Germany each year . Based on current estimates by the Federal Environment Agency, the proportion of fine dust released by fireworks is around two percent. In Switzerland, too, the proportion of the total annual pollution is around two percent.

Due to the spread of fine dust through fireworks, a general ban on private fireworks and the sale of fireworks, including New Year's Eve, is sometimes required; The state delegates' conference of Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen in Berlin decided on a corresponding demand for Berlin on April 6, 2019.

On New Year 2019, “ only at 18 of the more than 300 measuring stations across Germany ... the permissible daily mean value of 50 micrograms per cubic meter (for fine dust) was exceeded ", which means five measuring stations more than in 2018. In the hour after midnight, the highest fine dust value in Berlin-Friedrichshain was measured at 853 micrograms. The total amount of particulate matter released by fireworks on New Year's Eve is about a seventh of the amount caused by all car traffic per year.

According to a new study commissioned by the Association of the Pyrotechnic Industry , in which the Federal Environment Agency was also involved, and which is based on concrete measurement results in the laboratory, fireworks release significantly less fine dust than previously estimated by the Federal Environment Agency. Accordingly, fireworks on New Year's Eve 2019 caused "around 1477 tons of fine dust in Germany", instead of the previously estimated 4000 - 5000 tons. According to the current (December 2020) publication of the Federal Environment Agency, the fine dust emissions released by fireworks in the course of a year amount to approx. 2050 tons, of which "around 75% ... arise on New Year's Eve".

According to the Max Planck Institute for Human Development , the dangers of fine dust emissions from fireworks at the turn of the year were "greatly exaggerated by the press as early as 2017."

Heavy metal pollution from fireworks

In fireworks, different metals or their compounds such as barium, copper, strontium, and in the past even lead, are often used to color the flames, which can then be detected in the environment. In Germany, the use of elemental metals in pyrotechnics is prohibited.

Danger from falling objects

Hearing damage

Loud explosions of fireworks can cause hearing damage if illegal fireworks are used and / or if the legally prescribed minimum distances are not observed (8 m for category F2 items) .

Historic fires and explosions related to pyrotechnics

With mostly improper handling and misuse of fireworks or during production, storage or trade in countries with often (at that time) inadequate dangerous goods regulations, accidents with up to hundreds of deaths occurred repeatedly in the past.

  • April 27, 1749: In Hyde Park , London , fireworks set the wooden backdrop on fire, killing 3 people.
  • May 30, 1770: At a fireworks display, which ended the two-week wedding festivities of Marie-Antoinette of Austria-Lorraine and the later French King Louis XVI. was planned, some missiles fired crosswise; over 130 people died in the ensuing mass panic.
  • December 18, 1941: Explosion in the Hamberger fireworks factory, Oberried am Brienzersee . 12 dead.
  • June 30, 1959: Explosion in the Hamberger fireworks factory, Oberried am Brienzersee . 10 dead.
  • January 1, 1998: A signal ball shot by a neighbor accidentally lands on a plexiglass dome at the headquarters of Volksbank Wels . The building burns down and has to be demolished. ATS 150 million (around EUR 11 million) property damage.
  • May 13, 2000: Explosion of the fireworks factory in Enschede , Netherlands. 23 dead.
  • December 29, 2001, Lima , Peru, The demonstration of a firework causes a fire in a shopping center and neighboring apartments. 282 dead.
  • November 3, 2004: Kolding , Denmark, explosion in the Seest fireworks factory. Almost 300 tons of fireworks explode in an accident, killing a firefighter.
  • January 1, 2011: On New Year's Eve 2010/2011, several fireworks hit the nave through a choir window of the St. Nikolaus City Church in Aachen and set the high altar on fire. There is damage to property amounting to several million euros.
  • September 4, 2013: Explosion in the Hamberger fireworks factory, Oberried am Brienzersee . 2 dead.
  • On November 17, 2014, in Kapfenstein , Southeast Styria, the illegal, grossly negligent manufacture of firecrackers caused a strong explosion that kills 2 people, the producers.
  • Oct. 30, 2015. The fire disaster in Bucharest , Romania, was triggered by unauthorized fireworks during a concert in the Colectiv Club , which was overcrowded with at least 300 people and only allowed 80 people. There were 64 deaths as a result of the smoke development and the mass panic. Of the 64 fatalities, however, at least 13 died in hospitals due to multi-resistant germs from diluted disinfectants.
  • April 10, 2016, explosion in Paravur , India: Large fireworks explode in a warehouse that was not built in accordance with the instructions after visitors set off fireworks or burning objects in or around the Devi - Hindu temple . There were 106 dead.
  • December 20, 2016: Fire in the largest market for pyrotechnics, San Pablito , a special administrative area in Mexico, near Tultepec - 33 dead - At least 8 explosion accidents have occurred in the Tultepec market in the last 20 years: 1997 (3 deaths), 1998 ( 12), 1999 (1), September 15, 2005 (0, 128 injured), 2006 (market destroyed), 2007 (market destroyed), 2010 (3 dead) and 2012 (1).
  • January 1, 2020: A sky lantern lit on New Year's Eve 2019/2020 goes down on the roof of the Monkey Tropical House in Krefeld Zoo and sets it on fire. The zoo building burns down completely; more than 50 animals die. The property damage amounts to a sum in the tens of millions.

Legal

2-dimensional rosettes

This section deals only with the legal situation in relation to fireworks. For more information on legal regulations, see: Pyrotechnics (classification into hazard classes ), ADR (transport), pyrotechnicians (job description).

General legal regulations

While individual effects and smaller fireworks of categories F1 and F2 can also be set off by private individuals in Germany, large fireworks of categories F4 can only be fired by trained pyrotechnicians in the context of officially approved events. When all pyrotechnic articles are burned, regulations and special safety measures apply.

The increase in fireworks on a wide variety of occasions and the resulting disturbances and accidents as well as concerns about environmental protection have increasingly resulted in a critical view of pyrotechnics and lead to stricter legal regulations. The availability of articles on the Internet proves to be a particular problem : the legislature only makes trained specialist personnel responsible for their submission (age restrictions, fireworks permits, certificates of proficiency); illegal burning can then hardly be controlled. In 2011 37,040 tons of fireworks were imported to Germany and 3,460 tons were exported. From 2005 to 2015, spending in Germany on the New Year's Eve fireworks rose from 96 million euros to 129 million euros.

National legal situation

Germany

The sale of fireworks of category F2 to private individuals is only allowed on the last three working days of the year, usually from December 29th to 31st. If December 29th falls on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, sales are permitted from December 28th. Fireworks of category F2 may also be sold to private individuals with a special permit in accordance with Section 24 (1) of the 1st Ordinance on the Explosives Act - usually within the framework of a permit to set down a Cat.F2 fireworks on a special occasion - even outside the times mentioned above .

The import of approved fireworks of the categories F1 and F2 is permitted all year round. Fireworks of category F2 may only be introduced by people over the age of 18. No customs declaration is required when importing from another EU member state.

Category F2 items according to Section 23 (2) of the First Ordinance on the Explosives Act (1. SprengV) may only be detonated on December 31st and January 1st. Cities and municipalities can further restrict or generally prevent the ignition of pyrotechnic objects of category F2 with an exclusive bang effect for these 48 hours in terms of time or for fire protection reasons ( § 24 1st Explosive Ordinance). According to Section 23, Paragraph 1 of the 1st SprengV, it is forbidden to burn pyrotechnic objects in the immediate vicinity of churches, hospitals, children's and old people's homes as well as particularly fire-sensitive buildings or systems. Thatched and half-timbered houses were explicitly mentioned beforehand, which has been changed to “particularly fire-sensitive buildings or systems” based on experience from the application of the regulation by the responsible authorities. Allocating a house to the thatched or half-timbered house type does not automatically increase the risk of fire, since the overall assessment of the property is decisive, so the reason for the change.

Private individuals who want to set off category F2 fireworks outside of New Year's Eve / New Year's Eve must apply for a corresponding exemption from the locally responsible authority ( Section 23 1. SprengV), which is only issued for special occasions and if there is evidence of a suitable burning location. These approvals relate to a time window, i. H. the fireworks may not start before a certain time and must end at a certain time at the latest.

Acquisition and burning of pyrotechnic articles of category F2 is only allowed for adults , i. H. People over 18 years allowed. Category F1 items, on the other hand, may already be given to and used by people aged 12 and over. Bringing fireworks from abroad by private individuals has been a criminal offense in Germany since 2005, with the exception of category F1 and F2 articles with a valid CE number .

Several German cities expressly protect their old town through a general ordinance in order to prevent old town fires such as in Tübingen or Constance. In particular, the historic city center, consisting of a large number of half-timbered houses and narrow streets, is particularly at risk of fire. For example, a firework ban was issued in downtown Ravensburg, Konstanz and Cologne. The city of Düsseldorf also justifies its ban on the basis of dangers and relatively frequent personal injuries in the past at these well-frequented places.

Ban on leasing fireworks in Germany in 2020 and 2021

In addition to the existing regulations, there was a nationwide ban on ceding fireworks of category F2 to consumers on New Year's Eve 2020/21, on the grounds that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospitals are relieved by fewer emergencies due to injuries from fireworks on New Year's Eve wool. In Hamburg, it was forbidden to burn down Cat. F2 fireworks at the turn of 2020/21. In Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria , burning was only allowed on private property due to the night curfew.

In the federal-state conference on December 2, 2021, a ban on the use of category F2 fireworks was also decided for the turn of the year 2021/22. The corresponding amendment to the Explosives Act was passed on December 20, 2021 and published in the Federal Law Gazette on December 23 . It came into force the following day. Pyrotechnics manufacturers and dealers as well as a buyer filed urgent requests against this sales ban. They argued that there was a lack of valid data that a significant proportion of the injuries on New Year's Eve were caused by approved fireworks. However, the sales ban was confirmed by both the Berlin Administrative Court (December 28, 2021) and the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court (also December 28, 2021). The 6th Senate of the Higher Administrative Court admitted that the sales ban restricted the applicants' fundamental rights, but emphasized that the aim of the regulation prevailed, namely to prevent additional burdens on hospitals during the pandemic.

Austria

Category F1 items are freely available from the age of 12 years, those of category F2 can be purchased from the age of 16, category F3 and category F4 can only be acquired or owned by trained persons with proven expertise or specialist knowledge and only may be used with the approval of the authority (district authority, police headquarters, magistrate).

With the Pyrotechnics Act (PyroTG) of 2010 there are additional special categories for stage pyrotechnic (T1, T2), other pyrotechnic objects (P1, P2) and pyrotechnic sets (S1, S2). Of these, T2, P2 and S2 may also only be owned and used by trained persons. In the past, the proof was provided with the so-called "§6 notification" - this has given way to the pyrotechnic ID card since 2010, which, similar to the driver's license, provides information about the acquired authorizations of the pyrotechnician.

There has been a general ban on the use of (now Cat.-F2-) fireworks in the local area since 1974. In general, every citizen without a pyrotechnic ID card can apply for a notification for a private Cat. F2 fireworks display in the local area, but then, depending on the conditions, location, etc., must expect official requirements (which are quite expensive or complex), as are customary at major events.

In principle, the mayor can authorize the burning of cat.-F2 fireworks in the local area on certain occasions (e.g. New Year's Eve) by means of an ordinance. There is no general permit for the setting down of F2 fireworks in the local area on New Year's Eve in Austria.

According to §38 PyroTG, the use of pyrotechnic objects and sentences “inside and in the immediate vicinity of churches, places of worship, hospitals, children's, retirement and recreation homes as well as animal shelters and zoos” is prohibited. It must also be ensured that “there are no endangerments to life, health and property of people or to public safety”. Also, no fireworks may be set off in the vicinity of petrol stations or "in the vicinity of highly flammable or explosive objects, systems and locations".

In response to the persistent drought, after Lienz and Innsbruck, all districts of Tyrol banned private fireworks with objects of class F2 and the making of fires to protect meadows and forests on December 29, 2015. The same applies to numerous municipalities in Carinthia. In Vorarlberg, approval is required from the respective municipalities. Fireworks planned for the public have been canceled in several places, for example in St. Anton am Arlberg and Mallnitz , unless there is unexpectedly heavy rain. However, the fireworks for Mountain New Year's Eve in Innsbruck's old town were fired.

Switzerland

As of July 1, 2010, the sale of Category I fireworks to people under the age of 12 has been banned. The minimum age for the purchase of category II articles is 16 years, for category III and G1–3 an age of over 18 years is required. The sale and use of fireworks on the floor is generally forbidden, but in Switzerland, the free purchase of Cat. III articles means that effect fireworks are more popular from the age of 18.

Burning down and selling fireworks is generally permitted in the days up to and including the Swiss National Holiday (August 1st) and before or on New Year's Eve / New Year's Eve. Official approval is usually required for using fireworks outside of the turn of the year and the national holiday.

Netherlands

The Consumentenvuurwerk (fireworks for private use) may only be sold on the last three working days of the year and used from 6 p.m. on December 31st to 2 a.m. on January 1st. The exception is the so-called joke fireworks of category 1, which can be purchased and burned all year round. Only fireworks that are marked for private use and have descriptions of effects and instructions for use in Dutch are permitted. Fireworks may only be sold by dealers with a special license in sales rooms to which very high safety regulations apply. Fireworks of category 1 may only be given to persons aged 12 and over, category 2 only to persons aged 16 and over, and category 3 only to persons aged 18 and over. Only articles may be sold to private individuals who are assigned to the 1.4G or 1.4S dangerous goods class in their original packaging. Fireworks rockets are limited to a maximum of 40 g net explosive mass , category 2 floor blasters must not contain more than 2.5 g black powder .

Fireworks ban in the Netherlands in 2020 and 2021

After there was a general ban on the sale of fireworks in the Netherlands in 2020, the burning of fireworks on New Year's Eve was also banned for 2021 in order to counteract a possible overload of the health system. In 2020, the number of injuries, which was around 1,000 people on New Year's Eve, fell by 70%.

Slovenia

In Slovenia , fireworks of category 1 are prohibited to people under 14 years of age, category 2 to people under 16 years of age, and categories T1 and P1 to people under 18 years of age. Pyrotechnic products of categories 3 and 4 as well as T2 and P2 may only be acquired, owned and burned by persons with the appropriate permission. There are exceptions to this, however, for category F3 battery fireworks up to 1000 g and fountains up to 750 g net explosive mass, which, if they meet certain standards, can also be acquired and burned by people aged 18 and over without specialist knowledge. The use of articles of cat. 1 and 2 is also allowed under the supervision of an adult under 14 or 16 years of age.

Since 2008, sale, possession and use of fireworks in categories 2 and 3 with mainly bang effect, in particular soil firecrackers , generally prohibited. This also applies to tourists and is intended to prevent damage to property and health.

Fireworks in the past and present

The Deeds of Hercules , performance with fireworks on the Rhine in front of Düsseldorf on the occasion of the wedding of Johann Wilhelm von Jülich-Kleve-Berg with Jakobe von Baden-Baden in 1585, copper engraving by Frans Hogenberg
Le feu d'Artifice sur l'Arno
engraving by Jacques Callot , 17th century
Fireworks , watercolor by Ernst Oppler , 1911

The first fireworks were probably seen in China during the Song Dynasty (960-1270). They were not characterized by light, but by bang effects. The Chinese name for fireworks is煙花 / 烟花, yānhuā  - "smoke flower" or煙火 / 烟火, yānhuǒ  - "smoke fire". Fireworks were developed into an art form, especially in Japan , where they are called hanabi ( Japanese 花火, literally “ fire of flowers”).

In the west, in the late 14th century in Italy (first mentioned in Vicenza , 1379), the use of black powder developed into an independent art of fireworks (carried out by gunsmiths ), which then spread throughout Europe, since the early modern era - were important names for this Amédée-François Frézier (1682–1773) and Perrinet d'Orval - used for courtly representation and developed into a separate type of event in the Baroque era. The focus was always on the political, representative character.

In America and Europe in the 20th and 21st centuries, fireworks are fired mostly around the New Year . In addition, fireworks are set off on national holidays such as American Independence Day , Austrian or Swiss national holidays and mass events (major sporting events , funfairs , music festivals, etc.). In Asia, fireworks are usually fired in summer. In southern European countries, fireworks are set off , especially at Easter .

World famous are the Fallas in March in Valencia (Spain) with loud daylight fireworks ( Mascletà ), the mighty fireworks in Las Vegas , the aforementioned Hanabis in Japan , in German-speaking countries for example the Rhine in Flames , Cologne Lights , the fireworks of the Danube Island Festival or the fireworks for the Züri Fäscht with up to two million viewers each.

Internationally renowned competitions are the Montreal Fireworks Festival L'International des Feux Loto-Québec, also known as the "Fireworks Olympics", which has been held since 1985, and the Berlin Fireworks World Championship Pyronale, which has been taking place since 2006, and the international pyrotechnics festival 'Le Festival d'Art Pyrotechnique 'in Cannes.

See also

Portal: Pyrotechnics  - Overview of Wikipedia content on the subject of pyrotechnics

literature

  • Urs von Arx: Fireworks - Environmental Impact and Safety Aspects . Federal Office for the Environment , Bern. Umwelt-Wissen No. 1423, 2014, 139 pp.
  • Suzanne Boorsch: Fireworks! Four Centuries of Pyrotechnics in Prints & Drawings. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Volume 58, No. 1, New York 2000. - Download as PDF
  • August Eschenbacher, A. Vandrovez: The fireworks . Vienna 1920 (Reprint: Survival Press, Radolfszell 2003, ISBN 3-8311-2743-3 )
  • Eberhard Fähler: Baroque fireworks. Studies on the public festival and its literary interpretation from the 16th to the 18th century . Metzler, Stuttgart 1974, ISBN 3-476-00276-4 (also dissertation, University of Göttingen 1974).
  • Karl Gelingsheim: The modern art fireworks. A guide for amateurs . Stuttgart 1913 (Reprint: Survival Press, Radolfszell 2001, ISBN 3-8311-2946-0 )
  • Arthur Lotz: The fireworks. Its history and bibliography . Edition Olms, Zurich 1978, ISBN 3-283-00010-7 (sources on the history of fire brigades and fireworks; 2).
  • Ernst von Meyer: The explosives and the fireworks . (= Handbook of Chemical Technology; 6th volume, 3rd group, 2nd department). Vieweg, Braunschweig 1874 ( digitized version )
  • Franz Sales Meyer : Fireworks as a hobby's art . Leipzig 1898 (Reprint: Survival Press, Radolfszell 2002, ISBN 3-8311-4012-X )
  • Karl Möseneder : Fireworks , in: Reallexikon zur Deutschen Kunstgeschichte , Vol. 8, 1983, Sp. 530–607
  • Michael S. Russell. The Chemistry of Fireworks . The Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge 2000, ISBN 0-85404-598-8 .
  • Kevin Salatino: Incendiary Art. The Representation of Fireworks in Early Modern Europe . 1997, ISBN 0-89236-417-3 ( online as PDF )
  • Gereon Sievernich, with the assistance of Hendrik Budde: The book of fireworks art. Fire of colors in the sky of Asia and Europe , ISBN 3-89190-617-X , Nördlingen 1987
  • Takeo Shimizu: Fireworks. The Art, Science and Technique . 1912 (Reprint: Pyrotechnica Publications, Post Falls, Id. 1981, ISBN 0-929388-05-4 )
  • George W. Weingart: Pyrotechnics . New York 1943 (Reprint: Survival Press, Radolfszell 2002, ISBN 3-8311-3270-4 )

Web links

Wiktionary: Fireworks  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Commons : Fireworks  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Fireworkers want to conquer space: Sternspucker 2.0 , ORF.at, July 2, 2015.
  2. Fireworks in space : start-up plans shooting stars to order , derstandard.at, July 2, 2015, 8:22 am.
  3. Susann Kexel: Artificial shooting stars to order - soon a reality in Japan? In: Knowledge & Environment. Deutsche Welle, February 12, 2019, accessed on December 29, 2019 .
  4. ^ A b Felix Lederle, Jannis Koch, Eike G. Huebner: Colored Sparks: Colored Sparks . In: European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry . tape 2019 , no. 7 , February 21, 2019, p. 928-937 , doi : 10.1002 / ejic.201801300 ( wiley.com [accessed February 22, 2019]).
  5. Felix Lederle, Jannis Koch, Wolfgang Schade, Eike G. Hübner: Color-Changing Sparks from Rare Earth Metal Powders: Color-Changing Sparks from Rare Earth Metal Powders . In: Journal of Inorganic and General Chemistry . tape 646 , no. 2 , January 22, 2020, p. 37-46 , doi : 10.1002 / zaac.201900300 ( wiley.com [accessed March 2, 2020]).
  6. Federal Environment Agency (December 2018): At the turn of the year: When the air is “for cutting”
  7. a b Excess particulate matter from New Year's Eve fireworks . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , January 2, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  8. Opinion of the CPI on the figures given in the studies by the Federal Environment Agency with regard to fine dust pollution.
  9. merkur.de : Fireworks on New Year's Eve: Fine dust in Munich 22 times above the limit! , January 1, 2010
  10. New Year's Eve: particulate matter record through the fireworks , December 27, 2007, STERN.DE
  11. 6000 times the load: The fine dust explodes on New Year's Eve , on Donnerwetter.de, from February 7, 2008, accessed on January 3, 2016
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