Last month I packed my personal belongings in a couple of large pieces of luggage, as well as an Ikea bag full of house plants, stepped out of the cosy 1.5 bedroom studio I had been subletting in Sprengelkiez in Berlin’s Wedding district and caught a train to Nuremberg.
In so doing I took the first step in my transformation from Berliner to Bavarian… or Franconian rather.
The move made sense for personal reasons, but wasn't something I was actually 100 percent stoked about. Not because I dislike Nuremberg, in fact I'm actually quite excited about some aspects of starting my next chapter here, but simply because I really liked living in Berlin.
Having stepped about 300 kilometres away from the friends I’d made in the past five years, I knew that adjusting to life in a smaller – and yes, I think it's fair to say more German – city would be a big adjustment.
Perhaps that’s why I found it particularly touching when the city of Nuremberg gave me a bunch of free stuff just for having arrived in the land of Bier and Bratwurst.
Nuremberg’s welcome pack
Shortly after arriving in the Franconian capital I made my appointment at the Bürgeramt to register at my new address – as we all know you must do.
On the scheduled date, I arrived with my documents: passport, residence permit and the letter or approval from my landlord as well as my prior registration form from Berlin just in case.
It’s perhaps worth noting that the email that confirmed my appointment said I should also bring my birth certificate, but that’s not something I have on hand and I wasn't asked to produce it at the appointment itself.
About 25 minutes after my scheduled appointment time, my number was called and I went to the appropriate Citizen Services (Bürgerdienste) desk.
After I had answered all the required questions – confirming my move and new address, also including which floor my apartment is on and that you turn left to the front door from the stairs – I sat back relieved that the god of German bureaucracy had smiled on me and that there was nothing left to do except wait for my crisp new Amtliche Meldebestätigung für die Anmeldung to be printed out.
Then the administrator passed a packet across the desk to me.
“Herzlich Willkommen” was written on the front, along with “Welcome” and “Bienvenido” and a few other translations in smaller font.
Seeing my confusion, the city official told me it was a sort of welcome gift, including some free experiences and services in Nuremberg.
Inside there were eight coupons valid at; one of seven local museums, the city Filmhaus, a planetarium, the public swimming pools, the zoo and more.
There was also a coupon for a free bulky waste pick-up (Sperrmüllantrag), which I can imagine would be very practical in some cases during the moving process.
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Printed inside the packet was a letter, in both German and English and signed by the city’s mayor, which encouraged me to “enjoy the advantages of [my] new place of residence”.
Not only in Nuremberg
I’d not heard of cities giving welcome gifts to new residents before.
I didn't receive anything when I moved to Berlin – there I was under the impression that just getting an appointment at a Bürgeramt within a reasonable amount of time was a gift in itself. (At that time Anmeldung appointments in Berlin were fully booked out months in advance and you had to wake up early to refresh the official website a dozen times, hoping to snag a last-minute cancellation.)
Nor had I heard of cities doing this in the states, or anywhere else that I’ve lived.
But the more I thought about it, the more I figured it’s a brilliant idea. It simultaneously supports some local businesses and city services and, for a relatively small expense in the city budget, new residents are made to feel welcomed and also actively encouraged toward integrating with the local community.
READ ALSO: Five reasons foreigners should move to Nuremberg
Having asked around a bit, I’ve learned that Nuremberg is not the only German city to do this. Apparently some smaller cities in the surrounding region have similar offers, as does Frankfurt am Main, for example.
The only question now is: Will I make use of all these coupons before they expire?
Have you received welcome gifts or other benefits for moving to German city? Share your experience in the comments below.
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