Local and national authorities across Europe are considering, and in some cases already placing, restrictions on diesel vehicles in city centers — with one notable exception: Germany. Now, that is changing.

On Thursday, Hamburg became the first city in Germany to put in place any kind of ban on diesel vehicles, after a federal court ruled in February that it was legal for local authorities to prohibit older diesel engines. But the limited nature of the restriction, affecting only a couple of the city’s main thoroughfares, drew criticism from locals and environmental campaigners.

It is a sign that, even though the diesel engine was a German invention, opposition to the fuel is growing in the country. Concerns have mounted over the use of diesel in the wake of a Volkswagen emissions-rigging scandal and increasing evidence of its harmful health and environmental impacts. In contrast to their neighbors in Europe, though, German authorities had thus far been reluctant to restrict diesel vehicles, after decades of lobbying by the country’s powerful automakers.

“We believe this will trigger a domino effect in Germany,” said Ugo Taddei, a lawyer at ClientEarth, one of two environmental nonprofits that took the diesel ban lawsuit to the federal court in Germany. “Many cities are facing very serious air pollution problems, and they will need to set restrictions.”