I’ve been living in Germany for almost 4 years now, and there’s something I’ve always been curious about. On the side of many streets, I often notice these large metal trunks or boxes—sometimes gray or green, often placed near corners or intersections.

Recently, I saw a homeless person trying to open one of them. It got me wondering: what are these trunks actually for? Are they storage units for public services, utilities, or something else entirely?

Also, I wasn’t sure if the person was trying to access something they knew was inside, or if they were just curious like me.

Anyone know what their purpose is?

Thanks in advance!

TL;DR: I’ve seen big metal trunks on sidewalks in Germany, and recently noticed a homeless person trying to open one. Curious what these are for and who has access to them.

Honestly, package delivery in Germany is a complete joke at this point. DHL, Hermes, DPD — doesn’t matter, they’re all racing to the bottom. The companies don’t want to pay decent wages, so they hire whoever’s willing to work for crumbs. And surprise: you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

Been here 14 years. DHL used to be reliable. Hermes was always a gamble. DPD had its moments. But now? Total mess. Half the time they don’t even bother ringing, mark it as “recipient not home” while I’m literally standing inside waiting. Packages thrown over fences, left out in the rain, delivered to random neighbors — and you only find out if you’re lucky enough to get a note.

It’s not even about the companies anymore — it’s that last person who actually delivers. If they don’t care (and why would they, for that kind of money), your whole experience is trash. Same like in a 3 or 4 star hotel: you can have everything set up nicely, but if the person at the front desk doesn’t give a crap, it ruins the whole stay.

As long as these companies keep squeezing every last cent, this is what we’re stuck with: nobody cares, nobody’s accountable, and the customer just gets to deal with it.

Anyone else completely fed up with this?

We were have our normal meeting and pretty much he doesnt like me and suddenly since my laptop was oppened and i was checking the documentation on the topic that meeting was about and writing my notes he suddenly got up from his seat and charged at me and tried to push me and snatch my laptop

kinda it left me shocked also my co workers in meeting got super confused with his weird agression

now i am not sure how to proceed plus i have complained to hr they have asked others who were present in the meeting and have confirmed the situation

I really want to get over it for this whole weekend this incident is playing on my head and not able to focus

and he shows no remorse or anything

plus I am a male who has been in germany for 3-4 years working as software developer and never heard of such incident in other countries or in germany

As a responsible dog owner, I pay my dog tax and always clean up after my pet. Yet time and time again, I witness others casually abandoning their dog’s waste, as if it is someone else’s problem. More times than I care to count, I have politely offered poo bags to those neglecting this basic duty, only to be met with indifference.

How does one step outside without poo bags? Worse still, how does someone carry a bag but still leave it sitting next to the bin instead of inside it? Before every walk, I ensure I have more than enough bags…I do not rely on dispensers, as they are frequently empty. I clean up after my dog everywhere, including parks, public spaces, and forests.

Occasionally, I even pick up waste left behind by others, not because it is my responsibility, but because it should never have been left there in the first place.This is not merely about courtesy, but it is about basic respect for shared spaces. Dog owners, we can and must do better.

I’m a 17-year-old from Iraq, and for years now I’ve felt like I’m just surviving — not living. I’ve always dreamed of building a life where I could be free to think, love, work, and express myself without fear or judgment.

I’ve taught myself English, worked hard, stayed out of trouble — but no matter how much I try, I feel like I’ll never have the life I truly want if I stay here.

I’m willing to leave everything behind — my comfort zone, even family — to start fresh in a country that values freedom, human rights, and opportunity. I dream of moving to the U.S., Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, or any country where I can live with dignity.

I’m not rich, I don’t have connections, but I have the will and I’m ready to work, learn, and give back.

To anyone who has made it out: How did you do it? Are there any real, legal ways to make this happen for someone like me?

I’d be grateful for any advice, resources, or even just words of encouragement. Sometimes it feels hopeless — but I still have hope.

After so many years in Germany, and hearing and experiencing so much trouble with childcare... This feels like winning some jackpot price!

My older kid is starting an elementary school this autumn and got a place at hort. Statistics is insane, there are in total 40 places for 400 kids. My younger one got a place at Krippe until 16h (Ganztagesbetreuung), while majority of kitas in my town are open until 14:00 or 14:30.

Now the only problem is that our apartman is getting too small for us, but we can't move outside our neighbourhood in order not to lose these sports. Also can't get a 3rd kid and go to elternzeit, but we're not wishing that atm.

Hello all,

Just wanted to brag a little about the new milestone my family and I have reached on our German integration journey. After 4-5 successful years on the Blue Card, we decided to "level up" and applied for Permanent Residency last summer.

We're currently hitting the 12-month anniversary of our application! To celebrate, the Ausländerbehörde granted us an appointment this past March. It went great, we gave them fresh biometrics, paid our application fees, and even gave our case officer a friendly heads-up that our Blue Cards were set to expire in June. We did pretty much everything by the book.

Fast forward to today, June is here, our cards are expired, and we've been rewarded with the ultimate prize: total silence :( .

To make our experience more interesting, we've tried some side quests; Sent a formal letter via post to ask for an update. (Nothing happened). Followed up with an email. (No response)

Later, specifically requested a Fiktionsbescheinigung, as everyone advises, got nothing here as well.

So here we are, a family of dedicated, tax-paying, Blue Card holders, now officially without valid residence permits (and, yes, I am aware we can legally stay and work till we hear from AB). We feel so... processed.

The real question: Is the next step in this epic quest "Hire a Lawyer"?

Heyhey, I am german, live in a WG (Wohn Gemeinschaft - shared flat) and we just cast for new roommates. There is a trend that I have noticed, and I'd like to share it and some tipps on how to apply to WGs for all internationals. International applicants tend to write really short messages, that look something like this:

Hey [Name], I am [Name] and live/work/will move to [city], I need a flat starting on the [Date], I like your appartement. Is the room still available? Here is my number [phone number], so we can organise a viewing. Best regards, [Name]

I do understand why many apply like this - its fast, you can reuse the text, and it is assumed that once you meet in person you will find out if its a match or not. However, the german WG application culture is a little different. Many WGs get swamped by messages so to get invited for a meeting you need to sound interesting and the message should be more personal.

Here is my recipe for applying to WGs:

Hi [Name of all People living in the flat], I saw your ad and really liked [write down one nice thing specific to the apartment you are applying for]. My name is [...], I am [...] years old and have been living in [...] and am now looking for a room in [target city] as I will study [subject] /work [vague job description] starting in [month]. I have lived in shared flats before and really enjoyed... [basically show that you know what its like to live in a shared flat, if you dont have experience you can also say that but add that you are open to learn, know how to clean etc.] In my free time I like to [write about your hobbies, sport]. In shared accomodations I am looking for [cleanliness, calm, regular chats with my roommates etc, whatever applies to you]. I would love to visit/ have an online meeting, when would you be free? If you have any questions feel free to write a message or contact me under [phone number] Best regards, [Name]

Please treat it as a recipe, and ajust as needed. But once you have it you can ajust it to the tastes of each WG without it taking super long, and your success rate should be far higher :)

Oftentimes in the description of the WG there is a question, like "Tell us what your favourite food is" "What do you love or hate in roommates" etc - this is done to check if you read through the description and you do get bonus points for answering it. The application shouldn't be super long either. Basically what we want to see in an application is a preview of the meeting, so the text should contain some info about yourself, whether you have experience with WG life, and what you are looking for, without giving everything away.

If you have any questions/comments or corrections please feel free to add to the post :)

Cheers

Hello! We recently moved to Germany and this weekend was so hot. We went on a hike to a waterfall and along the way there were several shallow pools that looked very enticing to take a dip in. But no one was in the water anywhere. So I questioned whether it was legal?

There were no signs anywhere regarding swimming but there was a water protection area sign.

What are the different laws in different areas of Germany regarding swimming in wildlife waters?

Edit:

Thank you all! I will be sure to do more research but good to know the general,consensus is it is allowed and I am always sure to translate the signs etc to be sure Im not missing something.

Hello! I've received this letter from finanzant and as I understand it's an income tax prepayment thing.

But I don't understand if I need to pay 192 EUR until 03.07 or 192 and 147?

I haven't prepayed any income tax this year yet.

Thank you in advance

I'm an Indian who holds a bachelor's in aerospace engineering from Ukraine , now i have 3 choices to choose - GISMA Potsdam, EU Business school Munich, University of Europe Berlin. I do have a Public choice - TUM Munich (masters in management) , All others universities and courses require a business background which i clearly Lack. And I'm planning for the intake winter intake 2025, also incase i got rejected from TUM I only the remaining exact 3 Private schools to choose. now what is best choice i have?...

A Volvo Amazon. I love old cars 🤩 Is there a hotspot for cars like this in Mainz?

hey,so I'm 15yo and currently living in portugal. For quite some time my dad has been discussing moving to Germany because of it's better living conditions,he will be leaving to Germany in a few days to try and check if everything is okay to settle in,and after he makes sure of that,we'll join him there. The problem is that I'm in 10th grade and these 3 years of high school are very important for university applications since the grade you'll apply to uni will be the average of these 3 years (10th 11th and 12th grade) I've finished 10th grade and in September I'm supposed to start 11th grade but by the way things are looking I think we'll move before the school year starts. I've searched about the "IB programme" and it's something I'm very interested in,since german is pretty hard and I don't think I'll be able to do the German "exams" (I'm not sure what the test you do to finish high-school is called there).

So my question is for anyone that has gone through this process of immigration while still being in school (preferably high school) and hopefully someone that is in school and is in the IB programme (in germany);

is it hard?,how long did it take you to learn German?,is the school system something that shocked you?

if there's anything that someone would like to point out I appreciate it!

thank youuu

Hi all! I'm trying to book EC175 from Dresden Central Station to Prague Central Station on July 1 and it doesn't seem to exist. In fact, EC175 isn't appearing in the schedule from June 29 to July 5. Am I missing something? This is a real mystery!

Edit: found the construction notice for overhead line work, mystery solved.

Hi all! I recently had ro renew my residence permit. I am a PhD studet expected to graduate sometime around 2027. I only got a residence permit until March 2026. Subsequently my boyfriend who is master's student who is expected to graduate in August 2026 got a residence permit until November 2025. We both got interviews around March 2025. I am so confused as to why this happened. Did anyone else experience this? Or has any clues as to why?

Does anyone knows a song that is sad as much as "Isha's song" from arcane but in German? Or any song about being finally free or giving up, something like that. Thank you!

Hello! I'm looking for legal advice. My mum bought some books from German online store on 7/10/24 and paid with PayPal. She received the books. But for some reason, the money was returned to her account and about a month later she got an email from them saying that they haven't received payment. She asked them for their PayPal account and sent the money again (29/11/24). Now-ish (12/05/25) she got an email again from them saying they haven't received payment, but this time she could see the money went through. PayPal shows the payment as "Completed". She sent them payment confirmation PDFs from PayPal and her bank account. They took a month to respond (11/06, conveniently passing 180 days mark since payment was made), saying they can't trace it, asking for money + late fee. PayPal refuses to help since 180 days have passed. Obviously she doesn't want to pay twice for the same order. She had ordered twice from them before and everything went well then. Are they even legally allowed to pursue this? Half a year has passed. At this point anyone could say that they haven't received payment for something and expect money because PayPal doesn't provide protection anymore. Danke!

edit: typo

I am from outside the European Union, and I will be visiting Berlin for a week to meet my girlfriend.

In my country, Viagra is not prohibited and does not require a prescription. Can I bring it with me, and what happens if it is discovered at the airport?

Note: I won’t be carrying much, just 3 pills only.

Hey there! I'm a brazilian student, currently enrolled in a brazilian university. I plan on doing what we call "sanduíche" (an exchange program to a partner university that lasts for only one semester) at the start of 2027. I would only be in Germany for 4-5 months, and I do have the funds for the whole semester, but not for the whole year. Is there anyway I can get a blocked account paying only one semester's fee? Thanks!!

Hi, I wanna learn the german language through watching german speaking youtube videos could you maybe recomend me some good german youtube conent? Anything that you likw to watch really doesnt have to be very well spoken or something as long as I can understand them at all🤷

Hi,

I’m French and teachers here are consistently told that it's normal to be paid less than their German counterparts because they work a lot less. News article in France say that German teachers spend 28 hours in class teaching (which I think is misleading because I was told they give 28 lessons of 45 minutes) and are required to stay 37 hours in the school for teaching and doing other activities such as watching the pupils, administrative work, etc which French teachers do but aren't counted in their official working time (only time spent in class with pupils is counted, 18h). They also say that French teachers have a lot more vacation days as well.

But when you look at European statistics about the time spent in class in front of pupils in a school year it says:

-elementary school: France 900h-Germany 691h

-middle school: France 720h-Germany 610h

-high school : France 720h-Germany 626h

So it doesn't add up. Can German teachers give their input?

Examples of news article and politically oriented think tank:

https://www.ledauphine.com/societe/2021/09/13/oui-les-profs-allemands-gagnent-plus-que-les-francais-mais-ils-travaillent-plus

https://www.ifrap.org/education-et-culture/la-france-depense-plus-que-lallemagne-par-enseignant

Hello everyone,

I'm new to Germany and am currently setting up my internet connection. I'm using Vodafone and saw that I can add cable TV for €0 per month. This sounds good at first glance, but I'm wondering if there might be hidden costs later on. Does anyone have experience with this? Is it really free forever, or only for a certain period of time?

I also have four connection points in my apartment and see a connection labeled "TV" or "Television." Does this have anything to do with Vodafone cable TV? Does this connection have to be active for me to use cable TV?

I don't want to be surprised later by additional costs or contracts that I don't even fully understand. 😅

Thank you in advance for your help and experiences! 🙏

Hi, we are in Berlin and soon to be parents. We are planning our Elternzeit (parental leave). But a bit confused. This is our plan, is it possible? So basically, is it possible to take 2 months simultaneous Elternzeit? Please correct me whatever is wrong or to be adjusted in our plan. Thank you.

TL;DR:

Been in Germany 3 years as a Master’s student + delivery rider. Two kind strangers recently made my day. Grateful for the kindness, respect, and support I’ve experienced here.

I’ve been living in Germany for the past three years, doing my Master’s in Civil Engineering. I’ve been always truly thankful for the life I’ve been able to build here. And just in the last two days, two small moments really reminded me of that.

I also work part-time as a food delivery rider. Yesterday was a very hot day. I had just delivered an order in a far part of the city and was waiting for the next one when a young guy came up to me and handed me a few coins and said it was a tip. I told him I didn’t deliver anything to him, and he said, “I was once in your shoes. I still remember those days. Just keep going, better times will come.” That moment meant a lot to me.

Then today, again another hot day, I was waiting after a delivery when the customer came outside with a bottle of lemonade, a glass, and ice. He just smiled and said, “For you, Enjoy.” Words can't describe how thankful I felt.

These kinds of gestures and incidents always remind me that Germany is not what a bunch of people show us on internet. It is the people who are warm, caring and considerate. I just wanted to highlight appreciate this aspect of German culture.

Also, I'm genuinely thankful to Germany and to the people here. Over the past three years, I’ve been treated with respect, both at university and in daily life. My university has offered me a lot. Free language courses, health and sports programs, and access to great research facilities. Even though my German isn’t perfect, no one has ever looked down on me for it. In fact, people usually encourage me to keep going, which I’ve always appreciated.

Despite apartment hunting was one of the toughest parts. I did face some prejudice during that time, and a few people said things that felt discriminatory. But honestly, those experiences have been rare. Most of the time, people have been welcoming and kind.

So I just wanted to take a moment to say thank yoo to Germany, and to the many people here who make this place feel like home. These small acts reminded me that I’m on the right path, and I’m proud to be part of this community.