German towns are laid out to a pattern. There's a Marktplatz with a Rathaus on it, a pedestrian zone leading off, a station at the edge of the centre, and somewhere slightly inconvenient, the offices you'll actually need.
This page is the vocabulary for all of it — the buildings, the street furniture, and the signs on the doors. If you've just moved here, the second table is the one to learn first.
Getting Around
railway station
der Bahnhof
main station
der Hauptbahnhof
bus or tram stop
die Haltestelle
underground station
die U-Bahn-Station
airport
der Flughafen
car park
der Parkplatz
multi-storey car park
das Parkhaus
petrol station
die Tankstelle
crossroads
die Kreuzung
traffic lights
die Ampel
bridge
die Brücke
pedestrian zone
die Fußgängerzone
zebra crossing
der Zebrastreifen
cycle path
der Radweg
pavement
der Gehweg / der Bürgersteig
Practice these words
der Bahnhof
Quick notes:
- Der Radweg is often part of the pavement, marked only by a different colour of paving or a painted line. Don't walk on it. German cyclists ride fast, ring their bells, and will tell you what they think.
- Hbf is the abbreviation on every timetable and sign. Larger cities have several stations, and the Hauptbahnhof is the one the long-distance trains use.
The Offices You'll Need
town hall
das Rathaus
citizens' registration office
das Bürgeramt / das Bürgerbüro
immigration office
die Ausländerbehörde
tax office
das Finanzamt
job centre
das Jobcenter
employment agency
die Agentur für Arbeit
registry office
das Standesamt
police station
die Polizeiwache
post office
die Post
bank
die Bank
savings bank
die Sparkasse
hospital
das Krankenhaus
doctor's surgery
die Arztpraxis
pharmacy
die Apotheke
nursery
die Kita
Practice these words
das Rathaus
Quick notes:
- The Bürgeramt is where you register your address — the Anmeldung — within two weeks of moving in. Depending on the town it's called Bürgerbüro, Einwohnermeldeamt or Kundenzentrum. Same office, same form.
- Jobcenter and Agentur für Arbeit are two different institutions with different responsibilities, often in different buildings. Check which one your letter came from before you go.
- Standesamt handles births, marriages and deaths. It's also where civil weddings happen — the only legally binding kind in Germany.
Everyday Places
supermarket
der Supermarkt
bakery
die Bäckerei
drugstore
die Drogerie
hairdresser
der Friseur
library
die Bibliothek / die Bücherei
school
die Schule
church
die Kirche
market square
der Marktplatz
swimming pool
das Schwimmbad
playground
der Spielplatz
park
der Park
cinema
das Kino
museum
das Museum
recycling centre
der Wertstoffhof
old town
die Altstadt
Practice these words
der Supermarkt
Quick note: the Wertstoffhof is where you take anything that doesn't fit in the household bins — old furniture, electronics, paint, garden waste. Every town has one, it has limited opening hours, and most people don't discover it until they're standing in a hallway with a broken microwave.
Reading a German Address
- name: Anna Bauer
- street and house number: Bahnhofstraße 12
- postcode and town: 80335 München
Quick notes:
- The house number comes after the street name, and the postcode comes before the town. Both are the opposite of English.
- Street names are usually one word: Bahnhofstraße, Marktplatz, Schillerweg. The endings tell you what kind of street it is.
Endings and their meanings
- -straße (Str.) — street
- -weg — lane, path
- -gasse — alley, narrow street
- -platz — square
- -allee — avenue
- -ring — ring road
- -ufer — riverside road
Signs on Doors and Streets
entrance
Eingang
exit
Ausgang
emergency exit
Notausgang
open / closed
Geöffnet / Geschlossen
push
Drücken
pull
Ziehen
no entry
Kein Zutritt
one-way street
Einbahnstraße
residents access only
Anlieger frei
roadworks
Baustelle
diversion
Umleitung
no through traffic
Durchfahrt verboten
Practice these words
Eingang
Quick notes:
- Drücken and Ziehen catch everyone at least once, usually at a glass door with people watching. Drücken is push, ziehen is pull.
- Anlieger frei under a no-entry sign means the road is closed except to people who live there or have business there. It's not a suggestion, and it's a common way to pick up a fine.
Words for Parts of Town
city centre
die Innenstadt / das Zentrum
old town
die Altstadt
district, neighbourhood
der Stadtteil / das Viertel
suburb
der Vorort
village
das Dorf
on the outskirts
am Stadtrand
Practice these words
die Innenstadt / das Zentrum
Quick note: in Berlin and Hamburg, your neighbourhood is your Kiez — a word with a lot of local pride attached. In Cologne it's the Veedel.
Three Mistakes to Avoid
Walking on the cycle path. If the pavement has two colours, one of them isn't yours.
Writing the house number first. 12 Bahnhofstraße will confuse a postman. It's Bahnhofstraße 12.
Ignoring Anlieger frei. It applies to you unless you actually have somewhere to go on that street.