The most famous and infamous German kisses

In celebration of International Kissing Day on Friday, the latest Local List collects some of the most famous German smackers - historical, embarrassing, or just a bit slurpy. Pucker up.



If you are one of the five percent of Germans who are thought to be allergic to kisses, or indeed the 13.8 percent who consider kissing nothing but a "carrier of bacteria and viruses," you might not want to go outside this Friday.

International Kissing Day is meant celebrate the kiss in its own right - not as a social convention, or the prelude to a good old agricultural roll in the hay, but as a simple oral gesture of affection.

But surely the power and fascination of the kiss comes from its very ambiguity. It can be an astute political move, a signal of historical import, a piece of frolicking subversion, or just … erm … an unfortunately named sweet treat filled with weird sticky sugar foam.

The Local's latest list has an example of each of these and more, all culled from Germany's troubled association with the kiss - so put on your favourite snog tune, close your eyes, and lean in…