About an arm's length seems to be a typical distance in personal interaction.
And, in some cases, between cars while traveling at 100 miles per hour on the freeway.
Frankly, you can do whatever you want, just don't cozy up to a local member of the Hell's Angels or a band of skinheads.
Germans, including all the Southern and Eastern Europeans and middle Easterners living here, usually require a lot less personal space than Americans.
People don't line up nicely at public transport stops, brushes will happen.
More importantly, there are usually no sanctions if you unintentionally violate "personal space" and do not linger or grope.
This is in stark contrast to standing in line in England or in the U.S. The Germans have something of a hybrid model between the free-for-all of their Latin neighbors and the rigidity of the Anglos.
This being said, I have seen young kids being barked at by some German relic when the kids did not offer a seat on the train to a spry, in no way needy old guy.
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