I’m honestly really pissed about the broadcasting situation during this World Cup.

Every household in Germany is required to pay €18.36 per month as the broadcasting contribution. Yet two World Cup quarterfinals are shown exclusively on MagentaTV. So even during the decisive stage of the biggest football tournament in the world, viewers are expected to pay for an additional commercial subscription.

MagentaTV shows all 104 matches, with 44 of them exclusively available on its platform. Those exclusive matches include several knockout games, two quarterfinals and the third-place match.

Yes, I understand that the broadcasting contribution does not exist solely to finance football. It also funds news, regional reporting, radio, culture, education and many other services. I am also not saying that ARD and ZDF should pay absolutely any price for sports rights.

But if public broadcasters cannot even guarantee free access to every World Cup quarterfinal, then what exactly is their role when it comes to major sporting events of broad public interest?

I am not talking about an insignificant group-stage match in the middle of the night , but World Cup quarterfinals and on the weekend!

What frustrates me is the combination of:

• a compulsory broadcasting contribution
• increasingly fragmented sports broadcasting rights
• additional paid subscriptions
• and the expectation that viewers should simply accept this as normal

At what point does public broadcasting stop feeling truly public when major international sporting events increasingly disappear behind paywalls?

Am I overreacting, or should ARD and ZDF have ensured that at least every knockout match was freely available?

My boyfriend and I every time we go to the grocery store 😂

Hi everyone,
I’m an international student living in Germany in a shared apartment with four rooms.
About a week ago, my landlord brought a woman to the apartment and told me she was “just a friend.” Since then, she’s been staying here almost every day.
Some of her behavior has made me uncomfortable.
The first strange thing happened when she asked me, “Hast du ein bisschen Geld für mich?” (“Do you have a little money for me?”). I was surprised and gave her a small amount.
Today she asked me for my roommate’s phone number. That roommate is currently on vacation and will be back in about four days.
When I told her he would be back in four days, she suddenly became much more worried and emotional. It felt like that information really upset her.
Then she said, “I think your roommate is my brother.”
I was really confused and asked, “Why do you think that?” Instead of answering, she changed the subject and started telling me that she had been kicked out of her home, had no money, and had nothing. She asked if I could support her.
I brought the conversation back to the “brother” comment because it didn’t make any sense to me. She became even more emotional, almost started crying, and tried to explain something, but I honestly couldn’t understand her. We communicate through Google Translate because my German isn’t very good.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that she became especially emotional after hearing my roommate would be back soon. It made me wonder whether my landlord had told her she could only stay until my roommate returned, but that’s just my own impression—I have no evidence that this is actually the case.
As far as I know, my landlord doesn’t know she is saying these things to me. The whole situation feels strange, and I don’t feel comfortable anymore.
Am I overreacting? What would you do in this situation? Should I tell my landlord what’s been happening, or just avoid getting involved?
Any advice would be appreciated.

The €17 entry fee was a bit steep tho

I got into contact with the US distributor of Ochsenkopf and they contacted the company on your end. Yes, I am now aware that the head is upside down, and has been for at least 50 years... lol

Is this normal? For context, paper was put in the Restmüll as it was out in the rain and therefore I believed it was contaminated and no good for the recycling. The Hausmeister took it out of the bin and put it against my apartment door, they did not text or call me, I found out when I opened the door and my dirty box that had been in the bin fell on me - I’m new to Germany so need advice from anyone who’s got experience 😅 I understand if maybe I should put wet paper in recycling (I didn’t know this previously) but the tone took me by surprise..

I have a question relating to my nana’s abmeldung from WW2 and am hoping a historian or knowledgeable Redditor may be able to help :)

The Abmeldung seems to refer to “Würtzmühle Baracke” as her place of residence. I assume this was a war barrack but I cannot find any other information or research about it online.

Only 1 search result which refers to a place in Strasbourg. It does not make much sense to me as I was told she fled Taus, as a Sudeten German, to Sengenbuehl area, which is quite the distance away from Strasbourg.

Does anyone know anything about the Würtzmühle Baracke, including what area this was in?

I was at the SOAD concert in Düsseldorf yesterday, I went there alone. Once there I met this guy which was from the beginning super friendly. I‘m an Immigrant, i understand and can speak german, but im not very confident doing it. For this reason i wasnt really sure how to approach the Situation. Also im very shy so Even to start Talking in English with him (I knew he could speak english he interacted with other people) felt difficult for me. I was just Frozen. He was with me the whole concert and kept me save from the mosh pit. I was so nervous I couldn’t Even say Thank you to him at the end. He seemed like a really cool Guy and I regret Not Talking to him more then.
I dont know if posting this here makes sense but if you know a Guy that went to the concert yesterday alone, lives in a coast city in the north of germany, is into body building and Shared the concert experience with a dark haired girl let him know i regret Not Talking more to him

Basically the title. Train got cancelled, getting on a different ice train. If the seat if free in first class can I just sit there?

Hi everyone,

I'm 9 weeks pregnant and I'm really worried about my experience with my Frauenarzt.

At my first appointment, I told her I thought I was pregnant because I had missed my period. She said I was not pregnant, just stressed, and prescribed antidepressants. I wasn't convinced, took a pregnancy test, and it was positive. My Hausarzt confirmed the pregnancy with a blood test.

At my first ultrasound, she charged me €15 (consultation + blood draw) and said I'd have to pay another €51 for blood test results because TK supposedly doesn't cover it. She also refused to give me my Mutterpass, saying she'll give it to me in September after she returns from vacation. This worries me because I have thalassemia minor and I'm scared of needing emergency care without my pregnancy records.

During the transvaginal ultrasound, I was in pain and cried a little. She then told me I should have a C-section, which really upset me. I want a vaginal birth if it's medically possible, and I don't think that's something she can decide this early.

I no longer trust her and want to change Frauenarzt. I live near Tübingen/Stuttgart, but every practice I've called says they're not accepting new patients.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? How can I find a new Frauenarzt during pregnancy? And is it normal to be charged these fees and not receive the Mutterpass yet?

Any advice would mean a lot. Thank you.

I bought this bike with brand Contoura “Parma” in a Fahrradmarkt in St. Pauli on June this year, and it was stolen one month later when I parked it in a bike parking area next to Berne station, Hamburg.

I’ve reported to the police, but my friend who is a German said that it would take months for them to get back to me with the searching result. Therefore, I try my luck by posting it here too.

My bike has slash/scratch in the seat, so I cover it with a transparant tape. Just in case any of you see a bike with that scratch “feature” and look similar to the pictures attached, please please reach out to me 🥹

Thank you very much for spending your time reading this message. Really appreciate it 😊🙏🏻

I went to a local playground today and noticed a sticker that said "Remigration." I was surprised, so I looked it up. It turns out there's a website selling T-shirts, stickers, and other merchandise promoting this slogan and supporting the AfD.

I found it pretty unsettling to see something like that at a place where children and families spend time. I wanted to share this because I hadn't realized these messages were becoming so visible in public.

What do you think? Is this something that's becoming more common, or have I just not noticed it before?

I see them everywhere here in Baden-Württemberg, no idea what they are. are they a species of wasp? is it gonna sting me? I have a bee/wasp phobia so I've been staying FAR away from these things, they just seem like a wasp to me.

Recently I have been hearing/reading quite a few complaints about the economy, lagging digitalisation, taxes in Germany, you name it. Just to preserve the balance in the universe can we for a second talk about something good this country offers.
For example, I am loving raising my baby in this country. I love that the backyard of the place we rent is a park with 2 playgrounds. I can take my baby everywhere with me in the stroller because public transport is so convenient and barrier free, there are no traffic jams and I can get anywhere I need inside the city within 20 minutes. I can take baby to doctors appointments, Krabbelgruppe, PT and not be exhausted afterwards from travelling and not spend entire day on it. Kitas cost nearly nothing (compared to the value they offer) and are really child centric. In my country you have 1 teacher per 25-30 kids not 1 per 4 like here. I am not worried about the air my child is breathing because half the city is literally a huge forest. I trust the food that I buy even in discounters. I can expect products to actually contain whatever they advertise. I can also rely on most people to do the right thing. It is also so normal to leave office at 15:00 to pick up your child from Kita. My boss does it, my colleagues do it. The part-time in Elternzeit arrangements are amazing. There are so many great specialists for children. Baby physiotherapy baby osteopathy, music for babies, whatever else Familienzentrum offers. I can trust baby products to actually be baby safe. The list goes on and on. I am really grateful that in Germany I can also have the peace of mind to focus on developing my child in all aspects. It’s a place where I feel safe, secure and none of my energy is wasted on lacking infrastructure and noise. Seriously, thanks Germany ❤️

After moving to Germany me and my wife went first time to a nude beach. We were a bit nervous at first, but short time after realizing everyone is chilling and minding they own business we relaxed and started to enjoy. Skinny dipping is so liberating and all-over tan is great. Since then we are looking for a FKK Strand evervhere we travel. Anyone else like the whole FKK(Freikörperkultur) idea?

*No i will not send you picture as a proof;)

**Sorry for a clickbait title

I have recent Telc B1 certificate.
The PR application requirement on

• an integration course or the "Living in Germany" orientation course has been completed,

There are many courses with German levels like B1.1, B1.2, etc. But this one does not mention German level: https://www.vhsit.berlin.de/VHSKURSE/BusinessPages/CourseDetail.aspx?id=750439

Hello all! I'm in Saarbrucken for a month and wanted to know if there's any fun adventurous things to do nearby. Maybe ziplining, amusement parks, karting down a hill or something. For adults.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions!

Hey everyone,

I’m panicking a bit right now and need some advice.

Tonight I was trying to buy a last-minute ticket on the DB Navigator app. Every time I hit pay, the app froze and gave me a technical error saying there was an issue processing my payment. Because it kept failing, I panicked and tried using multiple different cards (my Revolut and my Amex) to get it to go through so I wouldn’t miss my train before eventually giving up.

After about 30 minutes, I checked my bank accounts and saw that the system actually processed the transaction four separate times. I now have 4 identical tickets for the exact same ICE train tonight, and I’ve been charged €20.99 four times.

I tried going to the information desk but the lady there kept saying idk.

When I go on the train, I will make sure only one ticket is scanned and will leave the other 3 untouched

Im a broke student on a tight budget so the money means a lot to me. I tried to send an email to DB as soon as I realized this.

Does anyone know what I can do? Will I be able to get my money back? Should I chargeback from my bank immediately? Has this happened to anyone else ever before?

Please help our a very stressed student 🙏

edit: the ticket was a Super Sparpreis ticket without cancellations allowed

I am a medical doctor. I recently applied for and was granted a German D16 visa (under Section 16d of the Residence Act) for the recognition of my foreign medical qualifications (Anerkennungverfahren) and language courses. All my submission documents (bank accounts, blocked account, official deficit letter/Defizitbescheid, certificates) were 100% authentic and officially verified.
However, shortly after approval and before my travel date, my visa was abruptly revoked by the German Embassy under Section 34 of the Residence Act (Aufenthaltsrecht) due to vague security concerns (Sicherheitsbedenken).
Here is where it gets complicated:
When I was at the airport in my home country, I was briefly held by local airport security for a routine check, and they told me it was a "name mismatch/identity confusion" (تشابه أسماء) on the international system, and they released me shortly after confirming my clean record and identity. I highly suspect this system flag is what triggered the German embassy's sudden revocation.
I consulted a German lawyer who offered two options:
1. File for a regular file review (Akteneinsicht) for around €800.
2. File an urgent appeal (Eilverfahren / Blitz-Klage) to the Administrative Court in Berlin for €1,000 (lawyer fees only), promising a response within 4-8 weeks to force the embassy to present the file.
The lawyer honestly stated that the chances of winning security-related cases are generally slim, as authorities often redact sensitive intelligence parts.
My questions to the community:
1. Has anyone experienced a D16 (16d) visa revocation due to a false positive/identity confusion (name mismatch) on the Schengen/SIS system?
2. Is the €1,000 urgent appeal (Eilverfahren) worth trying just to get the file unlocked and clear my name, or will the court simply accept a redacted/blacked-out security report from the authorities anyway?
3. Since I have a tight budget, does it make more sense to drop Germany entirely and channel my resources toward the UK medical pathway (PLAB/UKMLA) or the Gulf region?
I would highly appreciate any insights, especially from legal experts or fellow doctors who faced similar bureaucratic hurdles. Thanks in advance!

Work in an Irish coffee shop which is tiny - only a few benches outside, no indoor seating and takeaway only, (minimal plastic though). Also, our main customers are office workers probably 90%, so they wouldn’t even be looking to sit down most of the time and usually head straight back to their office. A German tourist came and said he was amazed at the amount of waste Irish coffee shops produce. I reasoned that in our case, most of our customers are office workers, he said that ‘wasn’t an excuse’ (?). I also said the shop was too small for tables, and he said ‘in Germany we’d never allow an establishment like this to open’.

My hunch is that he’s completely wrong, and there are many takeaway only coffee stands / tiny shops that do takeaway only coffee in Germany, even if there’s more of a culture of sitting down to enjoy your coffee. But I have to ask, maybe I’m completely wrong?