Dutch engineers have designed the bowl itself to contain a plateau set well above the normal water level.
The purpose of the shelf is inspection. You're meant to look at the consistency, shape, color, abnormalities, etc. before flushing, and then hope that the rush of water cleans the shelf enough – otherwise, that's what the brush is for.
European toilets use less water (and may have the "dual-flush" option that lets users choose a lighter flush for liquid waste), and there's less splashback and less noise involved.
Energy costs in Germany are much higher than in the United States, which includes the cost of water. Therefore, the shelf toilets were designed to use much less water than their American counterparts - hence the shelf.
Put your used TP in the wastebasket instead of flushing it. (The rule of thumb in those places: Don't put anything in the toilet unless you've eaten it first.)
Most Italian public toilets don't have a toilet seat.
This has to do with maintenance. Since public toilets are often less than spotless, people often climb with their shoes on top of them, not to sit on a potentially dirty seat.
Clean water contributes to a healthy life. In the Netherlands, tap water is so clean and of such high quality that you can actually drink it straight from the tap without worrying about quality or safety.
The Dutch are threatened by flooding from both the sea and from rivers. To keep low-lying land free of water, they use dikes, which are walls that are built to keep water out. Along with the dikes, they use continuously operating pumps. If the pumps stopped, water would eventually seep back into low-lying land.
Public toilets in Sweden are self-cleaning (rotating toilet seats) or cleaned manually on a regular basis, especially toilets in malls and sit-down restaurants, so you don't have to worry about a dirty situation when you go to do your business. Sweden doesn't have many squat toilets either.
Meanwhile, in Australia and Europe, water is used to push the waste down the drain, so the “trap way” can be much wider, and less prone to blockages. It's also why there is much less water in an Australian or European toilet bowl, than there is in a US one.
Those were once free stalls for women created in the 1970s after a demonstration demanded equal public toilet opportunities. Unfortunately they've been closed for years due to improper use—notably drug use—by locals with bad habits.
One of the reasons some countries have always favoured toilet paper, it appears, is the climate. Most countries in Northern Europe are cold for a good part of the year, and although we live in the 21st century and water heating is available today, it's just a habit that's been passed down the ages.
Why is there a sink in the bedroom? It may seem a bit weird to see a sink in the bedroom, but it is quite common in the older parts of the cities! In the good old days, sinks were often in the bedrooms because showers were not in your typical dutch apartment until about 50 years ago!
The U-shape was meant to give ladies plenty of room to wipe without having to stand up or touch the seat directly. That's especially helpful for those of us nesters who like to put down a layer of toilet paper on the seat before we pop a squat.
The Dutch simply put on a rain coat, a “rain suit”, or they get out their umbrellas.
Flood control is an important issue for the Netherlands, as due to its low elevation, approximately two thirds of its area is vulnerable to flooding, while the country is densely populated.
Is the canal water seawater or freshwater? The canals of Amsterdam in contain both saltwater and freshwater: the saltwater enters the cities canals via the Noordzeekanaal, which connect Amsterdam with IJmuiden. The fresh water flows from the river Rhine, via the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal.
It is illegal to sell alcohol to people under 18. This is laid down in the Licensing and Catering Act.
Each of these countries has a food culture where a glass of wine completes the meal. That is why the top three in terms of weekly alcohol consumption is all the more surprising: it consists of the Netherlands (47.3%), Luxembourg (43.1%) and Belgium (40.8%). Almost half of the Dutch drink alcohol every week.
After pooping, Italians use toilet paper on their butt, but not obsessively so. The person will get themselves clean enough then slide themselves from the toilet seat to sit on the bidet and get extra-specially clean.
The main purpose of a dual flush button is to save water. The dual flush button allows the user to control the waste water. The smaller button (half flush) delivers a smaller volume of water than the larger button (full flush).
France and Italy are an exception and have some squat toilets remaining in old buildings and public toilets because they used to be the norm there in the early 20th century. In BMW Welt in Munich, the public restrooms have some stalls with squat toilets.