Police detained the driver, later identifying him as a 40-year-old German man who acted alone, the Reuters news agency reported.
Authorities said the suspect did not appear to be politically motivated and there was no broader threat to the public amid ongoing Carnival celebrations in Germany's mainly Catholic western and southern regions, according to Reuters.
Police declined to comment further on the suspect's identity, citing an ongoing investigation.
The incident is the latest in a string of violent attacks in German cities in recent weeks, including deadly car rammings in Magdeburg in December and in Munich last month.
Security measures were heightened for this year's Carnival parades after social media accounts linked to the Islamic State militant group called for attacks on events in Cologne and Nuremberg, Reuters reported.
In 2016, a truck driven by a Tunisian asylum seeker with Islamist ties crashed into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring dozens.
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Source: Reuters, IAR, PAP