FAQ after Arrival

Informationen für einen guten Start in Magdeburg

All links have been checked when this list was made. The International Office does not assume any responsiblity for the content and quality of the offerings of these websites.

  1. Where is Magdeburg located and how do I get there?

  2. What forms of public transport are there in Magdeburg?

  3. Where is the University Hospital located (Medical Faculty)?

  4. Which formalities do I have to deal with when I arrive in Magdeburg?

  5. Where are the most important authorities and what are their office hours?

  6. Where can I live in Magdeburg?
    a) Quarters of the town
    b) Accommodation offers

  7. Where do I find cheap (second hand) furniture?

  8. Where do I find a health insurance in Magdeburg?

  9. Where do I find banks? (change, current account, money transfer)

  10. Where do I find post offices and where do I get a phone connection?

  11. Where can I eat at the University/Medical Faculty? How can I use the libraries of the university?

  12. How can I use a computer at the University/Medical Faculty?

  13. What kind of activities (Culture, sports, events, etc.) does the town of Magdeburg offer?

  14. What do I have to do, if I need medical help?

  15. Where do I get help in case of emergencies? (police, ambulance, etc)


 

1. Where is Magdeburg situated and how do I get there?

Magdeburg is the capital of the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt. The city has approximately 230.000 inhabitants.

Magdeburg is located in North-Eastern Germany between Hannover and Berlin. By train it takes two hours to reach Berlin and 1,5 hours to get to Hannover. To the airport Halle/Leipzig you need 1,5 hours by train.

The central station of Magdeburg is Magdeburg Hauptbahnhof (Magdeburg Hbf). The next airports are Hannover, Halle/Leipzig and the airports in Berlin. The train connection between these cities and Magdeburg is good.

Further information on how to get to Magdeburg is available here:

Getting to Magdeburg

On the website of the tourist-information you will find further information on the city of Magdeburg, its history, monuments and important dates:

http://www.magdeburg-tourist.de/index.php?La=2

2. What kind of public transport exists in Magdeburg?

 

Trams and busses

The responsible transport company, responsible for busses and trams, is the company "Magdeburger Verkehrsbetriebe (MVB)".
The ticket office at the main entrance of the hospital is open from Monday to Friday from 00.00 bis 24.00 h.

Further information: www.mvbnet.de

Central Bus Station of Magdeburg (ZOB)

There are international bus connections to and from the Central Bus Station (ZOB) at Damaschkeplatz. There are among others connections to Paris, Minsk, London and Budapest. The ZOB is located west to the central train station. It lies between the western exit of the station (Konrad-Adenauer-Platz) and the tram station Damaschkeplatz.

Information on busses and companies are available at the Service Center of the MVB under this charge free phone number 0800 - 548 1245.

Deutsche Bahn (German Railway Service)

There are many train stations in Magdeburg. The most important is the Hauptbahnhof, abbreviated: Hbf, which means Central Station. This station is located in the north-western part of the city center.
Travel information is available here: www.bahn.de
Schedule information (free of charge) is available under (speech recognition system): 0800-1507090.

Taxis

Taxis are easy to find in front of the station as well as in front of the university hospital. Taxi colour in Germany is beige and they carry a taxi sign on top.

Here are two easy numbers for calling a taxi: 73 73 73 oder 56 56 50, pre-dial 0391 when using mobile phone.

3. Where is the university hospital located?

The Faculty of Medicine is located on the campus of the university hospital (Universitätsklinikum) in the quarter Sudenburg, which is south of the city center. You can reach the hospital with tram 6 (from the central station) and tram 9 (from Universitätsplatz, where the university campus is located). The tram stop is named "Universitätsklinikum".
This is the address of the university hospital/Faculty of Medicine:

Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg
Medizinische Fakultät
Leipziger Str. 44
D- 39120 Magdeburg

Please always add the name of the department or clinic and if known the number of the building to the address when corresponding with the hospital.

4. Which formalities do I have to deal with when I arrive in Magdeburg?

First of all - depending on the purpose of your stay - you should go the the Studiendekanat (Office of Student Affairs) or the clinical department or institute that you will be working with. The International Office will give you a first orientation.
Principally, most of the formalities you have to cope with are the same as in other German cities. During the first days it is important to take care of the following matters:

  • get a health insurance valid in Germany, if you haven't got one so far

  • search for a room or appartment

  • registration at the Registration Office (Meldeamt)

  • registration at the Foreigner's Registration Office (Ausländerbehörde)

  • finding child care facilities, if necessary

An overview over the most important authorities and their opening hours is available under Question V.
For dealing with these formalities, there is a lot of helpful information on the web:

5. Where are the most important authorities and what are their office hours?

If you stay longer than three months in Magdeburg, you need to register at the Registration Office (Meldeamt) as soon as you have found accommodation. Then you have to register at the Foreigner's Registration Office (Ausländerbehörde) and get your residence permit there. If you want to get a work contract at the university hospital, you need to apply for a work permit at the job agency (Agentur für Arbeit) first.

Bürgerbüro Mitte, Meldeamt

Bestandteil der Abteilung Bürgerservice
Breiter Weg 222
D-39104 Magdeburg

Phone: (0391) 5 40-43 02
Fax: (0391) 5 40-43 59
E-Mail:

Can be reached with trams 2, 5, 9, 10 - Tram stop: Domplatz

Service hours:

Mo 08:00 - 15:00
Tue 09:00 - 18:00
Wed 12:00 - 15:00 (closed on 1. Wed of each month)
Thu 09:00 - 18:00
Fr 08:00 - 12:00
Sat 08:00 - 12:00 (only with appointment)

Bürgerservice, Ausländerbehörde

Breiter Weg 222
D-39104 Magdeburg

Phone: (0391) 5 40-43 89 (not during service hours)
Fax : (0391) 5 40-43 50
E-Mail :
(Hotline: -115)

Can be reached with trams 2, 5, 9, 10 - Tram stop: Domplatz

Service hours:

Mo 08:00 - 12:00
Tue 09:00 - 12:00 and 14:00 - 17:30
Wed closed
Thu 09:00 - 12:00
Fr 08:00 - 12:00

Agentur für Arbeit (Arbeitsamt Magdeburg), work permit

Hohepfortestraße 37 (At corner to W.-Rathenau-Str.)
39104 Magdeburg

Mailing address:
Agentur für Arbeit Magdeburg
39085 Magdeburg


Phone: 0800 4 5555 00
Fax: 0391 257-14 32
E-Mail:

Can be reached with tram 5 - Tram stop: Askanischer Platz

 

6. Where can I live in Magdeburg?

 

a) Quarters of town

These quarters are surrounding the university hospital:

  • Sudenburg: Sudenburg is the quarter in which the hopital is located. West to the hospital there are old and new building, shops and restaurants. The rents are moderate. Unfortunately, there is no direct public transportation to the hospital, but by car, bike or by foot you can reach the hospital through Lemsdorfer Weg. East to the hopital there are new buildings with affordable rents. There are not many shops or restaurants around there.

  • City Center (Altstadt): This part of town has very beautiful old buildings especially around Hasselbachplatz. It is a lively quarter with lots of cafés and shops. The more central the appartment, the higher the rent. The connection with public transport to the hospital is usually good.

  • Buckau: In the east of Sudenburg there are a lot of free flats in this former industrial and worker's quarter. It is a little bit more difficult to reach the hospital with public transportation from here, but by car or bike you can reach the hospital easily as well.

  • Stadtfeld: In the north-east of Sudenburg the quarter Stadtfeld between the "Großer Diesdorfer Str.", "Westring" and "Liebknechtstr." is very much frequented by students, as there are cafés, shops and nice old houses, which can be rented for sharing an appartment. The nice appartments may be relatively expensive. Public transportation to the hopital is not the best, by bike it takes 15 to 20 min.

  • Reform: This quarter is located south of Sudenburg. There are new buildings and individual houses. It is rather far from the city centre.

 We recommend to our international students and scientists the quarters Sudenburg, Altstadt and Stadtfeld.

b) Accommodation


Halls of Residence for students:

Rooms in the Hall of Residence are administered by the Studentenwerk (Association of Student Affairs). Except one building, which is located on the campus of the Medical Faculty, but which offers only unfurnished rooms, all the other buildings are located next to the main campus at Universitätsplatz in the north of the city.

The furnishing of rooms varies. Generally, the Studentenwerk rents out unfurnished rooms, but even furnished rooms only have a minimum of furniture. Bedding can be asked for, but dishes, bed-linen and curtains have to be bought. IKUS has a limited amount of dishes and small furniture which they lend to students.

The rooms are between 12-38sqm. Rent varies with size and degree of equipment between € 200 and € 306 per month. A deposit of € 225 must be paid which is refunded at the end of your stay if the room is left in a proper state. Bed-linen can be bought for € 12,78. Usually the kitchen is shared by several students. They are rarely equiped with dishes.

 

Contact Person:
Herr Bock, Johann-Gottlob-Nathusius-Ring 5 (Wohnheim 7), Room 343
Phone: 0391-67 11550
Fax: 0391-67 11570
E-Mail:

Mailing address:
Studentenwerk Magdeburg Wohnheime
Postfach 4053
39015 Magdeburg

Service hours:

Mo 10:00 - 12:00
Tue 10:00 - 12:00 and 13:00 - 18:00
Wed closed
Thu 10:00 - 12:00
Fr 10:00 - 12:00

Can be reached with tram 2 - Tram stop: Pfälzer Strasse and tram 9, 10 - Tram stop: Universität

More information: https://www.studentenwerk-magdeburg.de/en/

Lodging on Campus (Grundtec)

Apart from the Student Union, the company Grundtec Bauregie GmbH rents out fully and partially furnished apartments directly on University campus (dormitory 9 and Campus Tower). Precondition for renting a room is a valid record of study that is submitted at the time of making the rental agreement, for instance:

  • student card
  • enrolment documents

Furthermore, a valid identity card or passport must be submitted.

The dormitories are newly reconstructed and the rooms are equipped with bathroom, kitchenette (incl. electric hob, refrigerator, sink and wall cabinet), furniture, telephone and internet connection, lift. The students have to take care of all other necessary equipment, such as dishes, bed-linen, curtains etc.

The room or flat size ranges from 16 to 41sqm. Depending on size and fittings, the rent varies between € 250 and € 420 per month. You also have to pay a deposit of a monthly rent when you sign the lease/tenancy contract.

GRUNDTEC Bauregie GmbH

Phone: +49 (391) 7 21 41 02

Fax: +49 (391) 7 21 41 04

E-Mail:
(Campus Tower)
(Campus House)

Internet: www.studenten-wohnen.net

Mailing address:

GRUNDTEC Bauregie GmbH

Olvenstedter Str. 33

39108 Magdeburg

Other accomodation opportunities can be found on: www.volksstimme.de or via the universities electronic bulletin board: http://www.mein-uniboard.de/uni-magdeburg?locale=en-us

Temporary accommodation in the Youth Hostel:

The Youth Hostel offers affordable accommodation for the first days in Magdeburg. By the way: not only for "Youth". Accommodation in a room with several beds for adults up to 26 years of age costs 22,50 Euro (B&B) + an annual fee of 7 Euro.
More information: www.jugendherberge.de/jh/magdeburg.

Holiday Home Agency Casamundo: www.casamundo.de/deutschland/sachsen_anhalt/magdeburg.htm

Tourist information:

The tourist information helps you with finding accommodation in BB and hotels. An affordable room would cost between 20-40 Euro/night.

Address:
Tourist-Information Magdeburg
Ernst-Reuter-Allee 12
D-39104 Magdeburg

Phone: 0391 - 8380-402
Fax: 0391 - 8380-430
E-Mail:
Internet: http://www.magdeburg-tourist.de/Start/Tourism-Leisure/Accommodation?La=2

Service hours:

October to April

 
  Mo - Fr: 10:00 - 18:30
  Sa: 10:00 - 15:00

May to September

 
  Mo - Fr 10:00 - 19:00
  Sa: 10:00 - 16:00

Can be reached by trams 2, 5, 9, 10 - Tram stop: Alter Markt

Gästeetage (guest house) for scientific staff and guests:

The university guest house is located in building 18 directly above the International Office at Universitätsplatz. It offers individual rooms for rent to scientific staff and guests. Bath room and kitchen are shared with other guests. Bed-linen and towels are inclusive. The kitchen is equipped with dishes. Rooms can also be rented for single days. Please contact Frau Beck via email to ask for current rents.

Contact Person: Frau Beck
Tel.: 0391 67-51467
Fax: 0391 67-11238
E-Mail:

Address:
Gästeetage
Universitätsplatz-Campus, Haus 18
39104 Magdeburg

More Information on the guest house

International Meeting Center (IBZ):

The International Meeting Center lies next to the university campus and offers apartments for international scientists. The apartments are completely furnished. They include bed-linen, towels and dishes. The rent varies between 200-700 Euro/months - depending on the size of the appartment. It is rather difficult to obtain a flat here, though. The apartments have to be booked for at least one month.

Contact Person: Frau Voigt
Phone: 0391 67-11752
Fax: 0391 67-11239

Address:
Otto-von-Guericke Universität
"Internationales Begegnungszentrum"
Ernst-Lehmann-Straße 1
39106 Magdeburg

More information available at: http://www.ibz.ovgu.de/ibz/en/

Further accomodation options

 

7. Where do I find affordable furniture?

IKUS furniture market for international students:

http://www.ikus.ovgu.de/ikus/en/The+IKUS.html

http://www.ikus.ovgu.de/ikus/en/Offer/Rental+Services.html

Caritas-Möbellager

Jugend- und Sozialzentrum "Mutter Teresa"
Am Charlottentor 31
39114 Magdeburg
Phone: 0391-818 58 - 39
Fax: 0391-818 58 52

Can be reached with Tram 6 - Tram stop: Am Cracauer Tor/Tram 5 - Tram stop: Am Heumarkt

Opening hours:

Mo 8:00 - 14:30
Tue 8:00 - 17:30
Wed 8:00 - 14:30
Thu 8:00 - 14:30
Fr 8:00 - 11:30

 

Wertstoffhof der AQB

Mittagstr. 1a
39124 Magdeburg
Phone: 0391-72726 140

http://aqb-md.de/moebel-und-hausratservice/

Tram 1, 8, 9, 10 - Tram stop: Mittagstr, by foot in direction Magdeburger Ring in front of Diakonie.

Opening hours:

Mo, Fr 9:00 - 14:30
Tue-Thu 9:00 - 16:00

 

8. How do I find a health insurance in Magdeburg?

A list of health insurances is available here:

http://branchenbuch.meinestadt.de/magdeburg/suche?words=krankenversicherung

Some big providers of mandatory insurance are:

9. Where do I find banks in Magdeburg?

Please check the available amount of money for your stay in Magdburg before coming to Germany. You will need at least 643 Euro/month.

The travel bank is specialized on international money transfer. It is located directly in the Central Station. But there are also other banks which offer this service. We cannot recommend any bank in particular.

Travel Bank (Reisebank) at Central Station (change, traveller checks, money transfer, etc.)

Bahnhofstrasse 69
39104 Magdeburg
Phone: 0391 5 41 09 03
Telefax: 0391 5 41 09 03

Can be reached by tram 6 - Tram stop: Hauptbahnhof //Tram 1 - Tram stop: City Carré/Hauptbahnhof

Opening hours:

Mo - Fr 08.00 - 19.30
Sa 08.00 - 12.00
Sundays and holidays closed

Internet: https://www.reisebank.de/die-reisebank/

Here is a list of banks in Magdeburg:

Further information on finances:

10. Post Offices, Telecommunications and Telecafés

Post Offices:

At the post office and in some other shops (with the yellow post sign), you will get stamps and you can send letters and parcels.

These post offices are centrally located or near the main campus:

Deutsche Post
Breiter Weg 203 - 206
39104 Magdeburg

Opening hours:

Mo-Fr   9:00 - 19:00
Sa    9:00 - 12:00

Deutsche Post
Universitätsplatz 11
39104 Magdeburg

Opening hours:

Mo-Fr   9:00 - 12:00 and 14:00 - 18:00
Sa   9:00 - 12:00

 

Phone connections:

In most flats a land line is available. To use it you have to sign a contract with a phone company. Possible options in Magdeburg are MDCC (Magdeburg-City-Com GmbH) or Telekom, but there are many others you can find online and check their availablity in Magdeburg.

MDCC: www.mdcc.de

Telekom: www.telekom.de;     www.t-home.de 

Please note: It happend more than once that international students or staff signed phone or internet contracts in German, because they were informed orally in English about the conditions. Later they got very high invoices and discovered that they had signed conditions they did not agree with. Please take any contract home before signing to read and translate them carefully and make sure that you have understood all conditions, especially regarding out of country tarifs. 

Telecafés

In these Telecafés you can make calls to other countries and use the Internet:

Internet-Telecafé Kodat
Breiter Weg 39
Am Theater
39104 Magdeburg
Tel: 0391\4002769
Mon-Sun 10:00-22:00
Tram stop: Theater
Medya Fonshop
Einsteinstr 10
39109 Magdeburg
Phone: 0391\5639181
Tram stop: City Carré

11. Where can I eat at the Medical Faculty or the University? How can I use the libraries?

There is a student cafeteria (Mensa) at the main campus as well as at the Medical Faculty.

The student cafeteria on the medical campus is in building 42.
The student cafeteria on the main campus is in building 27.

There are several other small cafeterias on both campuses.

Both student cafeterias are located next to the libraries. To use the libraries, you need to register at the library. A proof of an address in Magdeburg is required for the registration.

Central Medical Library (Medizinische Zentralbibliothek): building 42
University Library (Universitätsbibliothek): building 30

12. How can I use a computer at the Medical Faculty / the university?

You can use the computers of the university, if you have applied for it at the computer center (Rechenzentrum).

There is a computer center at the Medical Faculty and one at the University.

13. What kind of attractions and spare time activities does the city of Magdeburg offer?

 

General information:

Activities at the University:

Weitere Links:

14.  What do I do if I need medical help?

In Germany you can chose your doctor. There is an overview of medical practice in Magdeburg in the "yellow pages":

www.gelbe-seiten.de

Or you can do a search on http://arztsuche.kvsa.de/arztsuche where you can choose among other things for specialty and language spoken by the doctor.

Except for the specialties ophthalmology, dentistry and gynecology you need to consult you general practicioner first. There you will get a transfer slip to specialised doctors.

In case of medical emergency you need to dial the number 112.

Mandatory Insurance:

If you have a mandatory insurance, your visit to the doctor is free of charge.

If the doctor prescribes you drugs, usually you will have to pay a fee in the pharmacy, which does not correspond to the full price of the drug, though.

Some providers of mandatory insurance are:

Private insurance:

If you have a private insurance you need to pay the full fee for the doctor and for the drugs at the pharmacy. Your insurance will refund you later.

EHI (European Health Insurance)

Nationals from EU-member states or other countries that have an equivalent agreement with Germany do not have to get an additional insurance here in Germany. If you are a holder of the EHIC (European Health Insuranc Card) you can directly visit a doctor, though only emergency treatment will be provided in that case. Screening and preventive diagnostic measures are not covered by the EHIC.

15. Where do I get help in case of emergencies?

 

Emergency services

Fire Brigade/Medical Emergencies 112
Police: 110

Directory enquiries (subject to charge):

  • Germany: 11 8 33
    • english 11 8 37
    • turkish 11 8 36
  • Abroad 11 8 34

Operator (directly connecting you to number you want to call, subject to charge!): 0180 200 10 33

Last Modification: 27.05.2022 - Contact Person:

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