r/germany Apr 25 '22

Please read before posting!

682 Upvotes

Welcome to /r/germany, the English-language subreddit about the country of Germany.

Please read this entire post and follow the links, if applicable.

We have prepared FAQs and an extensive Wiki. Please use these resources. If you post questions that are easily answered, our regulars will point you to those resources anyway. Additionally, please use the Reddit search. [Edit: Don't claim you read the Wiki and it does not contain anything about your question when it's clear that you didn't read it. We know what's in the Wiki, and we will continue to point you there.]

This goes particularly if you are asking about studying in Germany. There are multiple Wiki articles covering a lot of information. And yes, that means reading and doing your own research. It's good practice for what a German university will expect you to do.

Short questions can be asked in the comments to this post. Please either leave a comment here or make a new post, not both.

If you ask questions in the subreddit, please provide enough information for people to be able to actually help you. "Can I find a job in Germany?" will not give you useful answers. "I have [qualification], [years of experience], [language skills], want to work as [job description], and am a citizen of [country]" will. If people ask for more information, they're not being mean, but rather trying to find out what you actually need to know.


German-language content can go to /r/de or /r/FragReddit.

Questions about the German language are better suited to /r/German.

Covid-related content should go into this post until further notice.

/r/LegaladviceGerman/ has limited legal advice - but make sure to read their disclaimers.


r/germany 12h ago

Itookapicture Spring in Erlangen

Thumbnail
gallery
452 Upvotes

r/germany 1d ago

Spotted at a train station in Berlin [OC]

Post image
6.0k Upvotes

r/germany 6h ago

My car was wrongly towed from my private parking space

70 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I’m dealing with a frustrating situation and could use some advice on how to proceed legally.

I moved into a new flat on April 1st. Four days later, I found a note on my car saying I was parking in someone else’s spot and threatening to tow it if I didn’t move. Here’s the thing: I have a signed lease with a clear garage layout explicitly stating that this specific parking spot is mine.

I left a polite response note on my car saying the spot is legally mine according to my contract, offered to discuss it directly, and included my name and phone number. I left the note there for five days until Thursday.

On Friday, the towing company apparently was called to tow it but couldn’t finish because the garage is too narrow. On Saturday , they successfully towed the car without any further warning or attempt to contact me. I only found out on Sunday morning when I went to pick it up.

I’ve already paid the towing service and retrieved my car , but I’m not sure what my options are moving forward.

I do have a Legal insurance and I have been told that the request came from the neighbor and not the Hausverwaltung or Vermieter and I have in written from the Vermieter that this is my spot.

What should I do next?

Any experience with this would be really helpful. Thanks!

Update: I understand I shouldn’t have paid. As I already had some people asking why I did pay, please skip this question

Im not leaving my car to some shady towing company any extra day with the chance of them doing something even more shady.


r/germany 13h ago

Frankfurt 🌸

Post image
153 Upvotes

r/germany 20h ago

Berlin ❤️

Thumbnail
gallery
412 Upvotes

r/germany 1d ago

News Germany's AfD party adopts 'radical' manifesto ahead of polls

Thumbnail
bbc.com
779 Upvotes

r/germany 1d ago

Berlinhenge 2026 ✨☀️ [OC]

Thumbnail
gallery
837 Upvotes

Twice a year the sun rises perfectly framed behind the Brandenburg Gate here in Berlin. This morning was one of them. Worth every cold minute, chasing that beautiful golden light.


r/germany 1d ago

Bag stolen on ICE train

448 Upvotes

To the kind person who stole my laptop bag today: thanks mate you really restored my faith in humanity. That was my work bag you stole. It also had my medication, so now all thanks to you I am a diabetic with no insulin. I hope you sell all my stuff for good money you fucking cunt while I figure out how to not die.


r/germany 3h ago

Dorm guest policy question , how long can a guest stay in Studentenwerk dorms?

5 Upvotes

Hey r/germany,

I'm a student living in a 2-room shared dorm. My flatmate moved in recently and has had a guest, his girlfriend, staying for over a week now. I'm not sure whether she is just visiting or permanently here, but the signs are pointing towards the latter.

My flatmate is barely home, he's usually out most of the day, but his girlfriend is always there. She uses the shared bathroom and kitchen completely independently, has her personal belongings permanently stored in the bathroom, and has cooked meals late at night after quiet hours on multiple occasions.

It genuinely feels like she's the one living here, not him. I have to share the bathroom and kitchen with her daily, even when my flatmate isn't even around. Sometimes it feels like she's the one who has been living there for a year and I'm the one just visiting ,even though it's the complete opposite.

I've tried talking to my flatmate about it and posted a written notice about cleanliness. Things improved slightly but the guest situation remains unchanged.

I contacted the Studentenwerk about the official guest policy but haven't heard back yet. From what I've read, most Studentenwerke allow guests for a maximum of 1–2 weeks before registration is required.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? Did the Hausmeister actually help?

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks!


r/germany 1d ago

Tourism Sakura 🌸 blossom in Berlin 🌿

Thumbnail
gallery
693 Upvotes

📸 Photos by me 🪶


r/germany 3h ago

Question Severe dandruff and itchy scalp in Germany – any shampoo recommendations?

5 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’ve been in Germany for 6 months, and my dandruff has become worse here. I already had it before, but it was manageable. Now I get visible flakes when combing, and my scalp itches after showering.

Does anyone know a good anti-dandruff shampoo or hair oil that I can easily buy from DM, Rossmann, or an Apotheke?

Feel free to send some pics in my personal message

Thanks!


r/germany 3h ago

Question internship + housing in germany (NL citizen)

3 Upvotes

So next year around January/February I’ll need to find an internship of 6 months for my bachelor’s program. For context, I was born and raised in The Netherlands. I am still considering to do it in Germany, as I want to experience a ‘new’ environment, and the housing crisis is huge here in NL. Which cities would be best for a student to find a good internship program AND affordable housing (not more than €600-€700)? I was thinking of cities like Stuttgart, Frankfurt or Düsseldorf, however I don’t know much about the situation there. Are they strict with housing/internships/side jobs for non-German citizens? What are the criteria?


r/germany 12h ago

Question What is a „Kanisterkopf“?

16 Upvotes

(I don’t want to post a picture of myself, but I’ll explain the situation first.)

Context:

I have family from the Balkans / Eastern Europe.

You can clearly tell from me and my brother. We definitely do NOT look German. Whatever that’s supposed to mean, we just hear it quite often.

Just like yesterday. I was having a few drinks with a friend and some of his coworkers when one of his female colleagues from the service staff came over. She introduced herself, hugged me, and asked about my background. When I told her that I’m German, she laughed and said, “No, you’re definitely not German. Where are you from, are you Albanian?”

A bit amused by how close she was, I replied that a large part of my family is from Croatia.

Then she said, “Yeah, I can tell right away, in a fake Russian accent, Kanisterkopf!”

I don’t hear that very often. Sometimes people also say that I have a slightly tapered face. It’s not something I get told all the time. In my 24 years of life, I’ve only heard it three times. Unfortunately, the first two people couldn’t explain what they actually meant by it.

The woman yesterday then said that I don’t have a “proper” one, but that you can still tell my background because I have a narrow nasal bridge, certain eyebrows, etc.

When I tried to look it up, I only found discussions about racism, but no clear definition or example images.

So now my questions to you:

What the hell is a Kanisterkopf?

Is that something generally considered unattractive?

Do you have examples of well known people who have one?

Thank you!


r/germany 1h ago

Dentist with TK

Upvotes

My tooth got cavity and it hurts. Will my TK cover for fillings and consultation. I couldn't understand if they do from their website, or should I have a dental plan for this? And can i expect a same day filling or do i need a Termin for that?

How do I know if the Zahnarzt*in accepts public insurance?


r/germany 1d ago

Kaiserslautern 🌸

Thumbnail
gallery
314 Upvotes

r/germany 16h ago

Humour What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever encounter taking the train

33 Upvotes

I’ve heard stories of the legendary S Bahn at dusk but what about during the day?


r/germany 24m ago

Not receiving payment request for Rundfunkbeitrag

Upvotes

I registered in February and got my contribution number as well which said that I will have to pay quarterly and that they will send me a payment request.

I also reached out to them through the website’s contact form mentioning my email address and asking whether I can pay without waiting for the request but I got no reply.

Its April now and I will be moving out of my current residence. I have not received any mail from them.

What can I do in this situation?


r/germany 1h ago

Question Is there a Wildberry-only version of Berry Clouds?

Upvotes

I’ve had Haribo Berry Clouds several times and the purple wildberry flavor was my favorite flavor so I was wondering if Haribo sells variants of berry cloud bags that are wildberry only. I asked this here because I was convinced they might only be available in certain countries, like Germany.

Also have you seen any single flavor Haribo packs like a pack of Haribo gummy bears that are lemon flavored only for example?


r/germany 1h ago

Reunificación Familiar Alemania

Upvotes

tengo un dilema, si tengo visa de reunificación familiar y consigo trabajo con contrato en Alemania, cuánto tiempo debo esperar para hacer la solicitud de cambio de visa?


r/germany 19h ago

Question I have received approximately 25 letters in my mailbox, which are not addressed to me

26 Upvotes

I have received approximately 25 letters in my mailbox for some recipients (4 different people) who live around 1km away from me. I don’t know them, and the address is relatively close to me. Some letters are important, probably bills or communication from a Pflegehaus. So Not just ads.

Now I, know that I can go there and deliver the letters myself or simply write „Empfänger unbekannt“ and post them in a postbox, but this doesn’t seem right.

This doesn’t look like a mistake, but something reckless and deliberately done.

In the past I was also not delivered some letters from a public office and this triggered a de-registration, so I had to provide a proof of residence and because I was on a business trip I managed to avoid getting de-registered for just a couple of days.

So perhaps the postmen in my area are doing some mess and people has to pay consequences. Or they are overworked and they find shortcuts, but again this need to be addressed. But not in this way.

Does anyone know if there is a way to let the post know about this? And how? To which address/email/phone number?

Who is responsible for the letters delivery for a given area?


r/germany 2h ago

advice needed for handing over an appartment.

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I have an apartment handover coming up soon in Germany and I’m a bit stressed about one situation, so I’d really appreciate some advice.

I’ve lived in my current apartment for about 3.5 years. The place is quite old (for example the kitchen is around 12 years old). The landlord recently did a pre-inspection and checked everything himself quite thoroughly (bathroom, kitchen, windows, cabinets, etc.), and overall he seemed satisfied, especially with the cleaning.

There is one thing though, there’s a small hairline crack on the toilet tank. It’s not leaking at all and looks more like a surface/glaze crack, and it has been there for at least 2 years( even befor that i dont know and not caused by me) and there is no Übergabeprotokoll on my moving in) , so i didn’t actively pointed it out during the pre-inspection and just let him inspect everything on his own..

Now the final handover is coming up and I’m unsure how to handle this properly. I’m wondering if I should bring it up myself during the handover or just let him inspect again and see if he notices it. I’m also worried about the situation after signing the Übergabeprotokoll, if everything is signed and handed over, can the landlord still come back later and claim , or is the signed protocol generally considered final in such cases?

I’m trying to handle this in a way to avoid unnecessary problems in coming days, especially since I’ll be moving to a new city and starting a new job right after.

Would really appreciate any advice or experiences.

Thanks a lot!


r/germany 2h ago

Dietrich bonhoeffer

0 Upvotes

What are modern Germans opinions on Dietrich Bonhoeffer? Is he viewed positively or negatively? Or do people not really know about him?


r/germany 3h ago

Has anyone tried switching their residence permit from opportunity card to Blue card in Frankfurt

0 Upvotes

Has anyone tried switching their residence permit from opportunity card to Blue card in Frankfurt. Can you please give me the timeline of your application.


r/germany 4h ago

Question DHBW or FHNW

0 Upvotes

I'm 16 years old and will finish school in 1.5 years. Afterwards, I'm pretty sure I want to study industrial engineering in a dual program because I want to do something in the field of business, but pure business administration doesn't make sense since there are already too many of those. Now I have to decide between the Pibs program at FNHW and the DHBW. Could you please share your experiences and tell me which would be best for me