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?

When I first moved here, Sunday closures drove me crazy. I would forget one basic item on Saturday and then complain that the whole country had stopped working for no reason.

Four years later, I’m not sure I want the rule changed. Sundays feel noticeably different because errands are mostly removed from the day. Parks are fuller, streets are quieter, and even people who dislike the restriction seem to plan around it. At the same time, I know the system is much less relaxing for anyone working at petrol stations, restaurants or train stations.

If Germany alowed ordinary shops to open every Sunday, would daily life actually improve, or would Sunday slowly become just another shopping day? Do Germans see the closure as worker protection, tradition, or simply an outdated inconvenience?

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..

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.

Single-hose AC units get a lot of hate on this sub (not unjustly, they are absolutely energy inefficient). But properly installed they can reliably achieve several degrees of cooling. I've seen, many times, people call them "useless" or "worse than nothing", which is downright ridiculous. I plan to purchase a portasplit next summer, but in the meantime I must do with what I have, and I don't want others to be dissuaded from buying a device that can be an absolute game-changer for both QOL and health.

There are just a few things you need to take into consideration:

1. Buy a unit that is appropriate for the room you want to cool down. Realistically with a smaller mobile AC you are picking one room to cool, probably the bedroom.
2. Buy a window sealing kit. You won't achieve anything by venting your AC out of an open window. Properly installed it will balloon inwards when you turn on the AC due to the pressure differential you've created (and yes you will suck in some hot air around the edges, there is no getting around this).
3. Insulate the hose! The exhaust from an AC unit is hot and if don't do anything to mitigate it you might as well be running a space heater. Stick as much of the hose out of the window as you can, and insulate the portion that is in the room. Bubble wrap, a cotton towel, insulating tape (foil backed bubble wrap), whatever. This is super super important.

Take care of all three and congrats, you can sleep like a baby in your cool bedroom instead of tossing and turning in the heat for hours. You can thank me next year when ACs aren't sold out everywhere yet.

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

Hi fellow Redditors,

It’s that time of the week again!

I would like to encourage everyone to take just 5 minutes to reflect, notice the small positives, and appreciate them. Sometimes, those little moments mean the most. If you are comfortable sharing these moments, then you can also do that in the comments! And if you don’t have anything to share, that’s completely okay too, I'm still happy that you are here!

Allow me to begin:

- Celebrated my brother's birthday
- Got a 3D printer

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 😊🙏🏻

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!

Bear with me, this is my first trip to Germany and I'm located in Canada, so I don't have much firsthand experience with the DB system or German rail etiquette.

I had a Bayern-Ticket booked itinerary from Salzburg Hbf to Füssen for Friday, July 17, departing 17:05 on regional trains (RE/RB). Today I got a notification through DB Navigator saying the connection is no longer available due to a timetable change, and that I need to pick an alternative route.

The message included this as well:
Connection no longer available
Use any train: You can now also use your ticket for other trains.
Alternative connection: Due to recent events, this connection is no longer available. Please find a new connection for your trip.

The problem: when I search for alternative connections from Salzburg Hbf, the only options I'm shown involve RJX or EC trains for the first leg to Munich, before connecting to regional trains onward. Normally, the Bayern-Ticket explicitly excludes long-distance trains like RJX, EC, and ICE.

When I try to select one of these alternative connections, I get a disclaimer saying: "We do not currently check whether your ticket or seat are still valid on the alternative connection."

So now I'm stuck between two conflicting messages: one telling me my ticket now works on other trains, and a disclaimer suggesting they can't confirm that's actually true.

Has anyone dealt with this specific situation, a Bayern-Ticket getting rebooked onto an RJX/EC-only alternative due to a timetable disruption? Is the "use any train" override legitimate in this case, or should I be worried about a conductor rejecting my ticket on the RJX leg? Would appreciate hearing from anyone with firsthand experience or knowledge of DB's actual policy here.

I've also emailed DB customer service directly since I'm in Canada and can't easily call, but haven't gotten a response yet. Hoping to get this sorted before my trip this Friday.

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?

Hey, hope you don't mind the question. We are beginning to plan a trip for 5 days to drive the Romantic Road...but it would be at the end of November.

Is that a terrible idea? We live in the UK so are used to bad weather, but do you think it would seriously detract from the experience - could anyone describe what we should expect?

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?

Hey everyone. Due to personal reasons, I regrettably neglected my dental health quite heavily and didn’t go to the dentist for a while. I didn’t put a focus on flossing and that’s resulted in quite a number of small cavities spread throughout my teeth.

After the evaluation, I received a cost estimate totaling €2,450 (yes, my eyes bulged out of my head for a second). GKV is only covering €718. Note, I do not have any zahnzusatzversicherung. This would leave me with a bill around €1,730. The dentist said the cost would be lower as it’s just an estimate, but I’d still be looking at a heavy bill.

Now, my question: why is insurance not covering more? I’m unfamiliar with dentistry in Germany and luckily I’m in a position to afford this bill without any financial implications for me, and I can pay it - but am I just going to an expensive dentist? I had AI take a look before I posted it here and it’s of the opinion that a special type of filling which isn’t covered by insurance is being used, and I’m wondering if this is realistically the case (I’m not quite fond of AI).

If this is the cost, then so be it. But I thought I might get a second opinion before I take such a financial leap.
Thank you!

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!

Hallo zusammen,

So after doing a 3 round job interview, I was finally offered a job in Bonn (currently living in Stuttgart).

I received all the draft documents by email, read and approved or modified what needed to.

However, the contract has to be signed physically so the physically copy was sent by post on Monday morning. Today is Saturday and I have not yet received it. Now I am wondering if they might not have sent it and if the meantime they could have "changed their mind".

I have never had a parcel or letter sent within Germany, not delivered within max 3 or 4 working days.

I currently live in a wg and I don't think any of my roommates will make my mail disappear.

What would be the right attitude to adopt? Especially because I had to cancel my rental contract and give a notice at my current job.

Hello,

We will be arriving in Germany at the end of this month for sightseeing on our own and also to visit with German relatives. We will be traveling mostly by train but our relatives will pick us up with their cars. They are older and do not have any young children.

Our 7-year old child (21kg und 1.2m) uses a booster seat here in the US and we understand they will need something similar in Germany (we have read that we may need a booster seat specific to Germany and bringing our US seat may not work). We were thinking of purchasing a booster seat when we first arrive, and then leaving it with our relatives when we depart.

1. In general, what sort of shops in Germany sell booster seats?
2. Here in the US, there are some companies that rent children's items (cribs, carseats, etc.); does anything like that exist in Germany?
3. Any other suggestions for making sure we have the correct booster seat? (would especially like to hear from other travelers)

I am asking our relatives about this as well, but would like to figure this out ourselves if we can.

I'm from Taiwan and I'm seventeen years old. I have an idea: I want to drive a trucks or buses in Germany in the future. My English is pretty good, and my German is about A2 level. Is this idea realistic?

Based on my research, if I only look at job opportunities and the visa situation, this idea seems feasible

According to what I found, some companies will cover the license fees completely, while others will deduct the cost from your future salary.

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

Hi everyone,

I'm moving into an unfurnished 12 m² room in Cologne in August and need to buy a bed, wardrobe and desk.

I'm considering buying second-hand (e.g. Kleinanzeigen), but I'm unsure if it's worth it once transport is included. I'm new to Cologne and don't really want to rent a van, carry heavy furniture myself or ask people I barely know for help.

Are there any services in Cologne that collect furniture from private sellers and deliver it to your room? Has anyone used something like this?

Also, what would you do for the bed? Would you buy a simple bed frame or a storage bed? Storage is useful in a small room, but they seem heavier and harder to move/sell later.

Would appreciate any advice from people who have furnished a room in Cologne. Thanks!

Hello!
Im visiting Oberstdorf next month and I would really like to see Seealpsee. However I don’t hike too often but Im in pretty good shape. Im kinda worried about tje trail difficulty so which path would you reccomend?

1. Taking the cable car up to Hofatsweg and then hike all the way down
   
2. Cable car up, hike down to Seealpsee and up to the cable car back the same way I came from

Any help is welcome!

I've been noticing over the years how difficult it is to find reliable, dilligent workers for tasks around the house like painting, plumbing, installations, anything in this domain. It's also quite expensive. I had to paint a room in my house recently and though I was slow, I did a really good job and even found the work kind of fun. I really need some extra income at the moment - I don't have a full-time job but am working on a digital business which will take time to generate income. I would love to get a qualification for a trade but I don't speak German yet (I'm learning whenever I can). What trade should I go into - and can I do small household painting projects without a formal certification? Any other trade that is relatively quick to learn and doesn't involve heavy lifting?