A Comprehensive Guide about Living in Mannheim

Life in Mannheim

Home to almost 300,000 people, Mannheim is the third largest city in the Baden-Württemberg region of south-west Germany. It has a thriving business sector and is home to the headquarters of a number of large international brands, making it ideal for expats looking to maximize their employment opportunities after moving to Mannheim. The city is also a melting pot of cultures and was named as a UNESCO City of Music in 2014.

Culture and Leisure

Expatriates who consider moving to Mannheim are sure to be impressed by the city’s rich heritage, nightlife and leisure options. As well as having a number of festivals throughout the year, the city hosts the famous Mannheimer Messe each spring and autumn. Held in Neuer Messplatz Square, this fair attracts people from all around Germany and features hair-raising rides and a variety of shows.

Visiting the Fernmeldeturm Mannheim is the best way to get a good view of the city and surrounding regions. Standing more than 212 meters, the concrete tower was originally built as a radio transmitter but it is now one of Mannheim’s main attractions and has its own observation deck with a revolving restaurant.

As a UNESCO City of Music, there are many places to visit if you wish to enjoy an evening of entertainment. The 15,000 capacity SAP Arena regularly holds concerts from the world’s leading recording artists, while many clubs in the city center host live music nights. Mannheim has always played a role in the music business. The term ‘Mannheim School’ still refers to methods used by the orchestra at the Mannheim Palace in the late 18th century. Today, the palace is mainly used as premises for the city’s university, but its grand rooms can still be visited.

Mannheim has some major sports teams, including the SV Waldhof Mannheim and VFR Mannheim soccer teams and the Adler Mannheim ice hockey team. The city is also home to the Mannheim Tornados, the oldest baseball club in Germany.

Transportation in Mannheim

Mannheim is one the best-connected cities in southwestern Germany as a series of autobahns (motorways) link it directly to Frankfurt, Saarbrucken, Karlsruhe and Nuremberg. It is also easy to get around the city using public transport as there are regular bus services operated by Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr and 11 tram lines that also connect to Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg.

Mannheim City Airport is located in the southeast close to the Neckar River and does offer some international flights, but it is a relatively small aviation hub focusing primarily on national flights. The nearest international airport, and one of the largest in the world, can be found in Frankfurt, approximately 40 miles north.

Education in Mannheim

Access to a good standard of education is usually high on the priority list of most expats moving to Mannheim and the city has many schools with excellent ratings. Those located in Heidelberg and Neustadt in the Rhine-Neckar region tend to be popular choices for expats.

In terms of higher education, Mannheim is one of the youngest university cities in Germany. The University of Mannheim was only founded during the 1960s but has built a solid reputation for itself and now has more than 11,000 students. Many of its alumni have gone on to business and political prominence in recent decades, earning the university the nickname ‘Harvard of Germany’.