Living in Tübingen

Back in the year 1078 the town of Tübingen, situated in the south-western part of Germany, found its first documentary mention. In those days, the most important building was Hohentübingen Castle. The town is still a treasure trove of old houses from the Middle Ages. Situated in the valley of the Neckar River, Tübingen is surrounded by forests and is not far from the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb karst region. Stuttgart, the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg, is located in a distance of about 45 km.

Mean annual temperature is 8░ C, with a mean annual precipitation of 670 mm; about 1,700 to 1,800 hours of sunshine per year can be expected. A usual fixture of wintertime is a covering of snow lasting for several weeks.

The town of Tübingen, with its population of 75,000, is dominated by the presence of the Eberhard-Karls-University founded in 1477 by Duke Eberhard of Württemberg. Back then only some 300 students were enrolled. Nowadays about 23,000 students, among them more than 2,000 from abroad, are taught and supervised by about 700 professors and 1,300 academic associates. Several programs of scientific or scholarly co-operation exist with universities throughout the world.

Living expenses in Tübingen for students amount to about DM 1,200 per month. A severe problem is finding low-priced accommodation. The administration of the International Advanced Studies Course makes every effort to book rooms in student hostels for foreign participants. The use of a small communal kitchen accompanies the renting of a room where everybody has access to a small refrigerator. It is easy in a student hostel to make contact with a number of other students of varying nationalities.

It is possible to spend ones leisure time in a number of ways within Tübingen. There are theatres within Tübingen usually offering German plays. The nearest opera can be found in Stuttgart, approximately one hour train journey away. Musically Tübingen offers a large variety covering most tastes including classical concerts, chamber music, church music and, of course, modern music. Cinemas present a selection of films including the new films. One can meet friends in a cafΘ or in a pub, or visit a disco. For relaxation one can go for a walk along the Necker island, or visit the Schönbuch, an extensive forest area with many prepared rambling ways. A number of buildings are well worth visiting in the vicinity of Tübingen including cloister Bebenhausen and the Wurmlinger chapel, found on a hill between the Necker valley and the Ammer valley and offering expansive views over the countryside, as far as a fairytail type castle called Hohenzollernschlo▀. Nature friends can visit the botanical garden, participants from the humid tropics may wish to wonder through the tropical house to remember their homeland.

There are a number of churches within the area who welcome students and there are also communities for muslims and prayer rooms.

The Sport Institut of the university offers a wide variety of options for those active in sport. Additionally the various sports clubs are always glad to accept new members. Whoever likes to swim can do so the whole year round at the swimming baths and in the open air swimming pool during summer.

Whoever wishes to better their knowledge of English can do so at the university and the DAI, the German-American Institute, which offers various courses and has a large supply English literature.