The story of Germany on Google Street View has been a frustrating one. Google initially released coverage for Europe’s most populous country in the summer of 2010, but the outrage among Germans regarding privacy invasions led Google to cancel its trek through the country and decide not to publish any coverage beyond those it captured from Germany’s 20 largest cities.
The current state of Street View in Germany, with most of the country lacking of coverage
But street view aficionados can rejoice, as an article on Google’s blog announced that Google will replace Germany’s limited coverage with much more substantial and updated imagery because many of its images on street view have not been touched in 13 years. The existing blur requests will also be removed in the process; new requests will have to be done if anyone still wants to blur their home.
Currently derisively deemed “Blurmany” because of its unprecedented number of blurred buildings, Germany should soon join most other European countries in receiving widespread coverage and continual updates.
Google will begin driving in Germany on June 22 and plans to release the coverage around mid-July with images from 2022 and 2023.