Short Answer
You must contact the regional police non-emergency line or the central municipal storage facility to locate the specific compound holding your impounded vehicle. Regulating authorities will refuse to release your property until you settle the combined balance of the towing invoice, the daily impound storage fee, and the state traffic citation.
What Most Expats Don't Realize
You left your vehicle blocking a commercial delivery driveway for ten minutes while you ran an errand inside a nearby building. A property manager contacted a private towing operator, who hoisted your car away to a remote industrial compound on the outskirts of the city. You arrived at the compound gate after closing hours and discovered the operators added mandatory weekend storage surcharges to your open account. You lost €480 in immediate cash fees because you left your vehicle inside a designated private loading lane.
What To Do
- Call the local police precinct to establish the exact geographic coordinate of the impound yard.
- Bring your physical bank card or cash directly to the lot because many impound offices reject foreign credit card networks.
- "Wo genau steht mein Fahrzeug und wie hoch ist die Gebühr?" (Where exactly is my vehicle and how high is the fee?) — ask this to the dispatcher to determine the exact cash layout needed before booking transit to the yard.
The Truth
Towing operates as a highly optimized private-public profit machine across urban centers. The police simply sign the clearance paperwork, and the independent operator holds your vehicle hostage until you clear the balance.