For millions of German men it is masculinity's last domain.
But for their wives, girlfriends and partners, it is often the perennial bane of their domestic lives.
The question is now: does a man have a legal right to do what comes naturally and pee standing up?
In Germany, the issue is certainly no matter for jokes. Lavatories in cafes, cinemas and even in private homes are often equipped with red light or "no entry" stickers ordering all male users not to pee im stehen - standing up. They often come complete with graphics showing men exactly how to manage the task of sitting urination.
Men have hit back with the term sitzpinkler, which implies that any man who urinates sitting down is less of a man. Cartoonists have gone further and depicted men inter-preting the "not standing" rule all too literally by lying on their backs on the floor while desperately trying to pee into the toilet bowl.
