I bet, most of you never heard of „Otto-Stadt“ also known as „Magdeburg“, which is a petty, because this city has so much to offer and is a perfect choice if you think of doing an exchange semester in Germany.
The city is located in east Germany, 1 hour drive south from Berlin. It is the capital of Saxony-Anhalt, one of the 16 states of Germany. The magnificent Elbe River, which also crosses Hamburg flows through the city. There are 250,000 inhabitants, of which 25,000 are students, spread over two universities. Magdeburg has been shaped by an eventful history, which traces are noticeable even today. Otto, the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, made Magdeburg his imperial seat and brought money and fame to the city in the 1. century AD. He also let build the Magdeburg Cathedral, which is still in use today and a piece of tangible history.
The luxurious villas and ornate buildings partly still existing in Magdeburg are a sign of what Magdeburg might have looked in the Middle Ages and shows how wealthy the city must have been. Because of or despite large parts of the city have been destroyed in WWII. the city has a diversified feel of historic and modern quarters and streets.
Apart from Magdeburgs rich history and beauty of the city, which makes it very interesting for international students the costs of living are low compared to metropolitan areas such as Berlin or Munich. You can easily rent a room in a shared apartment for less than 400€ in popular neighborhoods like Stadtfeld Ost or Hasselbachplatz. Also you can live in campus housing for less money and live right next to the university.
These neighborhoods are also known as popular living spaces for students, so you will easily manage to make friends. National and international, because there are a lot of international students in Magdeburg. Also the „smaller“ size of OVGU makes it easier for you to stay in touch with the
Even if Magdeburg sometimes seems to be a small town you have a plenty of opportunities to spend your free time. There are a lot of festivals in summer, parks, shopping, cinemas and so on. In the unlikely event that you do not find anything to do, you can hop on the train and drive to Berlin, Hamburg or Leipzig in a very short time. From there you can easily go by plane to other german or european cities.
Another really important advantage of Magdeburg is its university „Otto-von-Guericke Universität“, it is one of the newest of its kind. It has a big variety of english study programs for bachelor or master degrees, so there is no need to speak or understand german.
If you are planning to stay in Germany or would like to do an internship etc. Magdeburg offers a lot. It is geographically near to „Europe’s Silicon Valley“, where a lot of Tech Start ups are located, the INTEL Group will open there location in Magdeburg in the next years, also there is a lot of logistic industry near Magdeburg, not to mention Wolfsburg close to Magdeburg, where the world largest automotive company „Volkswagen“ is located.
As you can see Magdeburg has a lot to give for your personal, academic and professional life. It is really worth it to consider this really beautiful and vibrant city as a place for your exchange semester.