Tübingen

Tübingen is a beautiful old town, situated in the south of Germany in the Bundesland Baden-Wuerttemberg. It has a population of about 80,000 people. Tuebingen is more commonly known as a university town because of its large student population. The town is located about an hour south of Stuttgart and is easily accessible from Stuttgart by train.

Der Schloßberg 

Tübingen has a long, rich and interesting history. The castle is located in the middle of the 'old town' or 'Altstadt'. There is a spectacular view of the whole town from both the castle and the church 'Stiftkirche'. The viewing point from the church is only open during finer weather.

The old part of the town i.e. 'Altstadt', also the town centre, has lots of character. The whole area is mostly pedestrianised. Walking into the 'Altstadt' is like going back into the past. The streets are all cobbledstone and the buildings date back as far as the 18th adn 19th centuries. During the summer there is a great atmosphere around the 'Altstadt'. Lots of people hang around the market square. At night people gather around and sit on the ground, drink beer, chat to friends and listen to music. You will find most restaurants and pubs in this area so there's always something happening there.

The river Neckar also flows through the town. Tuebingen is also very well-known for its 'Stocherkahnfahren' or punting. You can hire a boat or a 'Kahn' for the day and have a lovely relaxing day on the water. There is a picture of people on a 'Stocherkahn' below. As you can see it's very different to rowing. Instead of sitting you stand. You use a long stick to make the boat move. This is done by dropping the stick into the water (but don't let go of it..otherwise you have to jump in after it!!). Once the stick has touched the river bed, you push against it and in doing so the boat should move. This is by no means an easy task. It takes a lot of practice and firm bi-ceps. Many people barbeque on the river during the summer but if you don't have a boat or a barbeque then you could picnic by the river instead. During the summer the weather is beautiful so it's nice to cool off with a swim. The water at the edge of the town is cleaner than any other part of the river but the open air swimming pool has diving boards and slides which make for a lot more fun!

A Stocherkahn              Hoelderlinturm on the Neckar        The castle        The Neckar in Winter

The university is spread out all over the town. Many faculties are located on Wilhelmstrasse. The Seminar for Sprachwissenschaft is also located on Wilhelmstrasse at No. 113. It is about 15 minutes from the town centre, if you're walking.

Lots of students from all over the world come to Tuebingen to study. You meet people from a lots of different backgrounds. Tuebingen has a lot to offer its students. There's parties on all the time: in town, student residence, student pubs.

Tuebingen is ideally situated in the middle of Europe. Other major cities like Prag, Budapest, Amsterdam, Berlin and so on are only about 10 hours or less on a train. Erasmus provides you with one of the best opportunities, i.e. travel so be sure to take advantage!

Typical Tuebingen Man kommt prinzipiell um mindestens 15 Minuten zu spät. Vor 10h morgens ist nichts los. Das Herz Tübingens ist die Universität. Sie bestimmt den Pulsschlag der Stadt. Viele junge Menschen auf den Straßen, die nach dem Studium die Stadt meist verlassen. Kopieren statt Lesen, Nehmen statt Geben, Streiten statt Kooperieren, Fordern statt Tun. Viele Buchhandlungen, in jeder Wohnung meterweise Buchregale. Eine Bücherstadt. Ständig fragt dich jemand: Haste nich etwas Kleingeld übrig? Die Kleidung ist salopp, die Haartracht gelegentlich auffallend bunt. Die Stadt gehört allen, aber wenige fühlen sich für sie verantwortlich. Es wird zwischen Bürgern und Bewohnern unterschieden. Aber es herrscht meist Harmonie zwischen den verschiedenen Nationalitäten. Positionen und Berufe sind überwiegend weiblich, z.B. Oberbürgermeisterin, StudentInnen. Alles, was nicht zum eigenen Vorurteil passt oder neu ist, gilt als 'politisch nicht korrekt'. Das Kulturangebot ist gut, wenn du nicht die Kritiken im Schwäbischen Tagblatt liest. Die Einheimischen schmeißen alles auf den Boden und beschmieren die Wände mit Graffiti. Die Radfahrer fahren am Gehsteig, die Fußgänger gehen auf der Straße. Die Fußgänger suchen sich ihren Platz so aus, dass sie am meisten im Wege stehen. 'Alle Richtungen' führt dort hin, wo du nicht hin willst. Autos werden so geführt, dass sie ein Maximum an Abgasen produzieren. Radfahrer sind ohne Beleuchtung, Autofahrer blinken nicht, Fußgänger ignorieren rote Ampeln. Du füllst großzügig mit deinem Strafzettel die Stadtkasse. Du triffst nette Leute an Automaten, die auch nicht Bescheid wissen und kein Kleingeld haben. Das Wetter ist in Tübingen besser (wärmer, trockener, sonniger) als in der Umgebung. Tuebingen Insider Tipps