Public urination is a big problem in many cities. Here’s how a few of them are fighting back….

Mikulov’s YouTube Sign

Mikulov is a small town in the Czech Republic with a lovely church and some gorgeous scenery. It also has a problem with public peeing. That’s why one of Mikulov’s most popular hotels came up with an ingenious solution. The proprietors of the Hotel Marcinčák posted a sign warning peers that they’re on camera. If they take aim at one of the hotel’s walls, the footage will later get uploaded onto YouTube.

Hamburg’s Weeing Walls

This German city is home to St. Pauli, one of the world’s most famous red light districts. For years, city officials have struggled to find a way to prevent many of its 20 million annual visitors from weeing on the walls. Earlier this winter, they signed off on plans to cover frequently targeted spots with a special substance that’s so water-repellent that it causes urine to bounce off the walls and all over the legs and shoes of the urinator. The officials are calling the new system “St. Pauli Pinkelt Zurück” (that means “St. Pauli Pees Back” in German).

Boston’s MBTA Twitter Account

Subways around the world are often used as makeshift pissoirs. Instead of getting mad, the folks who run the Boston subway’s Twitter account got even: they publish snapshots of public urinators.

The Mumbai [Pee] Tanker

If you think all of these anti-peeing tactics are a bit harsh, well, you’d better cancel your next trip to Mumbai. Public urination is a humongous problem in the Indian city. That’s why a large water truck (whose name we had to edit a bit since this is a family-friendly website) now roams the streets looking for urinators. If its operators find one, they hose them down with several high-pressure hoses. They also wear hockey masks in order to further strike fear into their targets. That’s not to say that the operators are totally heartless. A sign on the back of the truck reads: “You stop, we stop.”