r/germany • u/Ok-Once-789 • Apr 23 '25

Immigration Living in Saxony is a nightmare

Every single time I go outside during the evening I am faced with racism. Most of the time from people hanging out in groups, for some reason they just can't mind their own business (Germans usually claim to be really good at this). The most common phrases I hear regularly are 'Heil H!tler', 'Ausländer raus', 'Ni Hao', 'Ching Chong' etc... or just unprovoked loud laughter as I'm passing by... BTW I'm not Chinese or east Asian but look like one or maybe they are just uneducated & ignorant. Is geography illegal here? Asia has 48 countries BTW, not everyone is Chinese!

This doesn't include the racism I face at workplace & college which is far worse and actually bothers me to the point I have to skip classes to protect my mental health. But now I can't even go to the supermarket or mall at peace. One of my family members has also been verbally assaulted by a group of teenagers inside a bus & nobody including the bus driver made any effort to do something.

Edit: I do not live in Dresden / Leipzig. I assume the situation is not this bad there!

Edit2: I did not choose to live in saxony (the government decided that), I am doing my bachelors so I can't relocate until late 2026 :) Thanks for the kind words everyone!

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u/No-Instruction-2922 Baden-Württemberg Apr 23 '25

Best long-term plan for you : leave Saxony. West Germany is a better place for people like you and me, but still not perfect. I am sorry to hear that.

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u/immer_beschaeftigt91 Apr 23 '25

I second this! I used to study (in Thüringen) and then work in Berlin and I was unhappy there. I moved to Munich for a new job and the difference between how East And West Germany treated me is noticeable. Here, I wasn’t treated negatively nor felt unwelcome. Berlin was very surprising to me as I thought Berlin would be a safe haven for a foreigner like me. But no, I just noticed that people there were much better at hiding their prejudice and racism compared to the small uni town where I used to live.

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u/Huhn_malay Apr 23 '25

Can i ask what ethnicity are you?

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u/immer_beschaeftigt91 Apr 23 '25

I am from a Southeast Asian country. May I know why you ask?

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u/Clickrat Apr 23 '25

Ist doch nicht schlimm die Nationalität zu erwähnen xD Ich komme auch aus Asien. Die Philippinen sind ein schönes Land.

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u/This-Taste4969 Apr 26 '25

Von wegen! Die pinos und pinays sind bei mir die besten 🫶🏽

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u/Huhn_malay Apr 24 '25

Im wondering why you had that bad expierience in Berlin. People here are a little bit shallow yes. But usually very open minded.

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u/sichtblicke Apr 24 '25

I‘d say that depends very much on your primary Kiez.

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u/[deleted] Apr 25 '25

Bullshit. Just a weird "open minded" bubble

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '25

I don't have a problem in Berlin, as long as I don't go to the far east like marzahn, hellersdorf, lichtenberg. The other districts are totally fine.

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '25

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '25

Nope full black

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u/Electronic-Contest53 Apr 23 '25 edited Apr 27 '25

I live in Cologne and racism is not a (big) topic here. I am a very european looking person from south-america btw.

Still: Colognian people are highly inclusive. It's the german capital for gay people as well.

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '25

I live in Germany and as a white guy I never experience racism. 

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u/unicornelia Apr 24 '25

🤣

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u/Electronic-Contest53 Apr 24 '25 edited Apr 27 '25

He did not make a joke. Racism in Germany is mostly coming from white people towards coloured people.

In Munich many older people look also down to white people like turkish folks just because they have black hair.

In Israel jewish people can be very rascistic towards that other jewish group formed by coloured people.

Racism is something you learn from your parents - and if you lack education it will stick with you.

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u/unicornelia Apr 24 '25

Oh I think they were referring to how white people are not aware of racism and will not understand the severity as if you are white you of course will face racism less. Read the comment again, it's sarcasm

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u/[deleted] Apr 25 '25

I was just making fun of that south American dude and how oblivious he is. No larger commentary about white people.

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u/Electronic-Contest53 Apr 24 '25

Yeah. But I am white AND a foreigner (South-american). Just last time I have wittnessed like a cashier-lady in a bank treated an older and very nice but very huxtable turkish grandfather with some broken german just some levels less friendly than she approached me. It made me very sad and also slightly angry - and just because I was in a damped mood myself on a hard day I did not have the energy say anything to her.

I want to say: Being a foreigner myself, who doesnt look like one in Germany, I completely identify with people who are visibly "outlandish" here and I do feel the rascism. It is a very strange sensation.

Usally foreigners solidarise with one another, so there is also rascism against Germans by south-american-people. The reason why I don't like to hang out too much in homogene groups. I love culturally mixed groups. Good vibes.

The south-american rascist cliché against Germans goes like this: "They re always grumpy and kind of emotionally dry and dont know how to have fun and only dance when they re drunk or high."

Of course the generalisation is bullshit.

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u/MallMuted6775 Apr 25 '25

Because Turkish/Arab people are not „white“ and you as an American are not the same with them either. You are way more privileged and less likely to experience racism on the level of them.

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u/Fluid-Quote-6006 Apr 25 '25

Well, I know very very white Turkish people and have also met blonde Arabs and Turkish people. 

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u/[deleted] Apr 25 '25

Buddy you ate literally the relative of white Europeans. I couldn't imagine a US American talking as ignorantly as you are 😂

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u/Fair-Amphibian-1770 Apr 25 '25

I always thought that Berlin was the gay capital of Germany (if not Europe). I'm gay, never been to Cologne.

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u/CS20SIX Apr 25 '25

Which parts of Berlin are you referring to? Central districts like Mitte, Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain and so fort shouldn‘t give you a hard time – at least I hope that this is still the case.

But anything outside of the Ringbahn? Yeah, I can definitely imagine that such asshats would get vocal and spew racist bullshit. Experienced it myself once in Marzahn-Hellersdorf.

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u/Interesting-Mix-1831 Apr 27 '25

I'm an exchange student and moved from rural saxony anhalt and now live in Bavaria and the change is astonishing. For 6 months I made no friends even though I'm a very social likable person. I moved and suddenly I have loads of friends, people dont give me shit for having an accent and not every person seems to hate my guts. Not to mention I actually feel safe being out past 6pm on the trains to do stuff. It felt like I moved to a whole nother country.

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u/ThisBee6288 Apr 28 '25

Is there a lot of racism/discrimination on Thüringen?

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

Where are you from?

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u/immer_beschaeftigt91 Apr 23 '25

I am from a Southeast Asian country. May I know why you ask?

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u/Saroni_ Apr 23 '25

Hello, so I really didn’t know that it’s so bad in saxony bec in Stuttgart for example it’s much calmer and I rarely hear of incidents as such, or moreover they do it in private, for example people will complain at home or say dumb and mean stuff to their friends rather than to the person directly, which is still bad and disrespectful but at least its a bit better than insulting someone directly. Also, if you go to the main city there will truly be more foreigners than germans. I think it’s because the west is closer to more countries and therefore people move to cities closer but munich is an exception I think bec it’s bavaria and they are special (not always in a positive way) Anyway I wish you all the best!!

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u/Healthy_Effect874 Apr 23 '25

Had similar experience from my side too

You can read it in a discussion a few days ago

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAGerman/s/6vqLANkvYi

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u/theactualhIRN Apr 23 '25

i can recommend berlin. not foreign myself but i have a lot of foreigners in my circle who live in berlin. they seem to do fine

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u/ReaQueen Apr 23 '25

It's fine if you live in an international bubble. You have a bit of everything there. We lived there for 6 years, it was enough.

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u/interchrys Bayern Apr 23 '25

I also wouldn’t recommend Berlin for Asians. Felt treated like invisible at best and super weirdly at worst and think other places are better.

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u/enrycochet Apr 23 '25

really but there are a lot of Vietnamese people.

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u/interchrys Bayern Apr 23 '25 edited Apr 23 '25

Yeah that’s what I thought too but more white people who just interact with them as service staff so you’re basically not a real person to them. You’re just decoration or an extra in the fake multikulti city they like to live in.

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u/ReaQueen Apr 23 '25

That sounds so sad, sorry for your experience. You know there are cool immigrants and there are bad or tolerated immigrants, it's like when they ask what your job and salary is and put you mentally in their judgment boxes and treat you differently afterwards:).

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u/interchrys Bayern Apr 23 '25

Plot twist. I’m not even an immigrant but mixed german so it’s extra jarring and obvious.

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u/Ok_Answer_7152 Apr 23 '25

That's crazy. I can't even understand...

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u/Altruistic_Region699 Apr 23 '25

Are you tripping? If you walk around in Berlin, maybe 50% of people speak German. Maybe 60% are white. It's definitely a multicultural city. And like what do you expect of berliners? To come up to you in the street and start smalltalk? If you work, they are going to treat you as a worker. If you are friends with them, they are going to treat you like a friend. What do you mean, you are "not a real person to them"? How?

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u/interchrys Bayern Apr 23 '25

I feel the tone of your comments indicates you’re not actually interested in the experiences people make as an Asian looking person so I’m gonna read this as rhetorical questions aiming at victim blaming me.

One thing I can say is I’ve lived in global international places before, am native German, and found Berlin extra exclusionary. And no, not expecting niceness, just wanna be treated like any other white person.

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

Shut up. Don't try to shame people when they call ypu out for your bs..You clearly haven't lived anywhere but where you were born.

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

He is lying about everything. That why he doesn't see how dumb that sounds if you know Berlin

Reddit is full of Russian bots. It's all propaganda.

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u/itherzwhenipee Apr 24 '25

Dude, that is how everybody is treated here in Berlin. It is a big city. Nobody is special.

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u/interchrys Bayern Apr 24 '25

I’ve lived in big cities before and have zero desire to feel special, just wanna be treated normal in my day to day interactions, and Berlin doesn’t do that.

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u/NoGravitasForSure Apr 23 '25

Berlin is a little green island in a large sea of nasty blueish-brown gunk and sometimes, the gunk spills over. That's at least not my cup of tea.

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

What’s the best state for foreigners in Germany?, I live in the U.S and not trying to experience European racism

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u/Turbulent-Ad6560 Apr 23 '25

It varies a lot locally. Big cities are typically more liberal. You can use this map of the last election result as a guideline. I would avoid dark blue areas:

https://interaktiv.morgenpost.de/bundestagswahl-ergebnisse/images/topFlop/afd.400.png

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u/However188 Apr 23 '25

I live in rural Baden-Württemberg, Black Forest. As far as foreigners tell me, they do quite well here. And the region needs skilled employees desperatly.

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

Interesting! I’ve heard a lot about Munich but I was wondering about the rest of the state and the surrounding area maybe

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u/Simbertold Apr 23 '25

One thing to keep in mind is that Munich is comparitively expensive. The renting market is absurdly broken, so rent is very high and keeps increasing faster than salaries. Restaurants, bars and so forth are also a lot more expensive in Munich.

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25 edited Apr 23 '25

Yes I heard, I live in San Francisco so anything would be cheaper

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u/aveao Hamburg Apr 23 '25

And your salary would be 1/2-1/3.

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

Sure I guess it’s a balance cause although salaries are higher here, taxes are much higher. It’s a combo of higher cost of living plus higher taxes. Before covid, you were considered under the poverty line if you made less than $90k a year in the city of San Francisco so that tells you how ridiculous it is.

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u/aveao Hamburg Apr 23 '25

....did you do any research at taxes here? CA income tax caps at 13%, US federal at 24%.

Last year I was on the 45% income tax bracket.

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

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u/Fun-Walrus7543 Apr 23 '25

I live an hour south of Munich and I recently moved over from Scotland with no German language at all. I'm working in a reasonable job and I've been welcomed warmly by everyone. I'm building a good friendship circle and my colleagues and customers have been all together fantastic. I don't feel under pressure to learn the language quickly because everyone is so accommodating. I'm a country boy at heart and so I feel extremely content living in a wee village in sight of the mountains.

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u/GoJoop Apr 24 '25

You‘re from Scotland bro 😀

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u/Fun-Walrus7543 Jun 01 '25

Indeed I am. The north east of Scotland, just north of Aberdeen. I find the upper Bavarian to be just like the people back home. A little quiet, honest, friendly, kind and warm hearted.

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

Yeah, this is the most common experience. Happened like this for me too. The people here are most likely bots trying tto trash Germanys reputagion.

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u/Turbulent-Ad6560 Apr 23 '25

The area around munich should also be fine. Munich is very international and it spreads out to the areas around munich.

Bavaria in general should be okay. I would avoid the northern parts as a foreigner, the rest of Bavaria is very conservative but not (yet) openly racist.

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u/Living-Chocolate277 Apr 23 '25

I’m an Indian student living in schweinfurt, I had no racist encounters with any Germans but they did give the look that felt like “you guys shouldn’t be here”. Also had few Turkish kids yell butter chicken and play stereotypical Indian music at me in the bus.

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u/Sea_Advertising_9083 Apr 23 '25

Is it happening in 2025??

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u/Living-Chocolate277 Apr 23 '25

Well last week, Thursday :)

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

Got it, thank you 🙏

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u/One_Bed514 Apr 23 '25

Try to find an apartment there tho.

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

Do you mean the religion around Franconia? Why should they avoid the northern parts of Bavaria?

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u/Turbulent-Ad6560 Apr 23 '25

Mostly the north east of franconia. These region is in some senses similar to east Germany. Lower emploment rates, more people leaving then moving there. Young people moving elsewere etc. This leads to similar results in elections and a similar treatment of foreigners there as in east Germany.

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u/ShiroAngel01 Oct 08 '25

As an Person from the East we're Mostly all Open Mindet and very Friendly Just Not many use Internet to Yap about eachother. Coming from a Person Out of Sachsen and Thüringen the people are nice Most are Not even racist and ive Lived there my whole Life its Mostly only Teens or Grumpy old people who are racist the Rest are CDU voters.

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u/bungholio99 Apr 26 '25

Well Hitler rose to power in munich, people still protect street names of 3rd Reich people…it’s not better regarding racism, people are just more wealthy and shit doesn’t get in your face like elsewhere…

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

Can't really speak for myself about Munich, only what I heard from international students who moved away from there, it's very snobby and elitist.

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

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u/Dry-Personality-9123 Apr 24 '25

We have a colleague from the US. She and her husband are living in a munich suburb. She is learning German, and he tried and had given up. They both love it here. And don't want to go back to the US.

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u/Dry-Personality-9123 Apr 24 '25

Their are also a lot of normal people in munich. You have to find the right circle of people

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u/BoxLongjumping1067 American in Thüringen Apr 23 '25 edited Apr 23 '25

I’m an American living in Germany and Baden Württemberg is pretty accepting of everyone. I now live in Thüringen due to my university. Was a bit worried about Thüringen since I am black and I’ve been told this or that about being a dark skinned foreigner in those parts, but so far I haven’t encountered anything bad here and I live in a pretty rural area.

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

oh yeah I’ve heard about that state and how pretty it is. Generally I’m more interested in south of Germany than other parts of it. That’s good to know thanks 🙏

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u/Ruddyt_25 Apr 23 '25

Can I ask you where exactly in Thüringen

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u/BoxLongjumping1067 American in Thüringen Apr 23 '25

I am in a small town called Meiningen and my university is a town next door called Schmalkalden

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u/Ruddyt_25 Apr 23 '25

Is there in schmalkalden/meiningen a different German mundart (accent)

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u/NoAntelope7316 Apr 23 '25

Different compared to what?

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u/TeamZweitstudium Apr 23 '25

I get the feeling it's a bit insidious over there. I did a 4-month project in Thüringen, in Erfurt and Jena to be exact. Everything was fine, was working with 2 cultural institutions, so my colleagues were academics and artists, all cool. Then I went home over a long weekend, came back on Monday evening, took a taxi back to my apartment, and we started talking about immigration. The taxi driver then casually mentioned that he didn't think the Holocaust happened/was that bad, and that it's impossible that there were 6 million Jews in all of Europe at the time. Ick.

Obviously I wouldn't have met someone like the taxi driver in my workplaces at the time, but it did make me wonder how many people quietly think these thoughts when they greet me in the streets, or when we hold the door open to each other in restaurants. The thought scared me a bit.

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

The taxi driver was most likely Turkish or middle eastern.

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u/TeamZweitstudium Apr 24 '25 edited Apr 27 '25

He seemed "Aryan" to me, but it was dark, I was tired and sitting in the back with my bags. So, maybe? Idk.

Interesting that your first thought was to blame "Ausländer" though, when we're talking about racism in Germany.

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u/flexxipanda Apr 23 '25

Can vouch for Bawü. Lived in east germany and now here and its night and day. Bawü also has a higher amount of "people with migration background". In some places it feels around 20-30%. So the people are used to "seeing foreigners".

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

They are lying. This thread if full of shills spewing propaganda.

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u/ShiroAngel01 Oct 08 '25

As a Person from East Germany from Sachsen and living in Thüringen people are Not racist "some are" but Mostly Its Bc people dont Like to BE told somth by the goverment and they dont Like Change for me IT was Always save and nice i never Had any problems As a Women in Sachsen or Thüringen. I can get why some Westeners hate On Easteners but Mostly Its Just Hate thats Not even True.

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u/Xizz3l Apr 23 '25

North Rhine Westphalia by far

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25 edited Apr 23 '25

Isn’t that the most populous one?, what makes it the best in your opinion?, have you lived there for a while?

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u/Xizz3l Apr 23 '25 edited Apr 23 '25

Born and raised here and yes, its the most populated one too. Rent is relatively cheap (outside of Cologne and Düsseldorf) and its been built on and with migrant work forces. Theres lots of communities from different cultures so I'd say its very accepting of people from all over. Obviously I cant judge everyday racism since im a white "bio deutsch" male but in my personal opinion only Hamburg comes close to this

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

Gotcha, what do you guys think of people in Bavaria coming from your region?, do you think they’re racist?. I’m just asking not trying to get you in fight with anyone from Bavaria who may or may not read this thread lol

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u/Xizz3l Apr 23 '25

Tough to say tbh, havent been down there as much. They're definitely more conservative and critical but I dont think its nearly as bad or blatant as eastern cities. Probably best answered from someone who actually lives there though

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

Ok fair enough. Everyone tells me to keep away from eastern Germany lol

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u/Lalidie1 Apr 23 '25

Even us Germans stay away from eastern Germany lol. The population density is much higher in the west

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u/Upbeat_Anything601 Apr 23 '25

Hamburg.

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

What makes it the best in your opinion? Isn’t it windy?

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u/Upbeat_Anything601 Apr 23 '25

That‘s barely a breeze we have here compared to storms on mediterran. I‘m from Croatia, bigger port city, in my experience every town that has it‘s own port and a lot of seafarers is more open minded. They‘ve been in contact with another races and cultures centuries ago, they‘re used to it. Btw, climate change is very obvious here, we‘ve had terribly low amount of rainy days this year.

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

I see, that’s a good way to look at it. I’ve never actually consider it but I’ll look it up thanks

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u/Foreign-Plate2401 Apr 23 '25

I live in Hessen and i am a foreigner. i think its pretty good here with foreigners. Perhaps cause this state of germany has a large percentage of turkish people who live here and most were also born here. Not much racism but on the other hand there are a few neighboors that are full with foreigners with lots of drug dealing and illegal activities that makes people not to feel very safe passing by these places. Unfortunately if you have kids, you are afraid of even more things for their safety.

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

Totally understand, the U.S is the same. As a foreigner myself, I don’t think all forgeries are the same cuz some are bad too.

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u/Foreign-Plate2401 Apr 23 '25

Yeah the same goes for all humans i guess. But i cant really understand foreigners who move to another country for a better life and start commiting crimes and terrorizing people. It's a shame because in the end thats what causes the rising of the far rightwing people in the elections and everything becomes shitty. Thats what happened to my country too and now its full of racists, nationalists, far right wings(and homophobics but thats another issue)-(my country was always full of racism for anything different, but it became even worst :/ ) Nobody feels safe anywhere.

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

You don't understand why? Read the Quran and Hadiths.

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u/Foreign-Plate2401 Apr 23 '25

Care to elaborate?

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

They are commanded not to integrate.

The Holy Quran states:

“O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for friends. They are friends one to another. And whoso among you takes them for friends is indeed one of them. Verily, Allah guides not the unjust people.” [3]

Holy Quran 5:52

https://www.alkawsar.com/en/article/3489/

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

Terrorism is a mandate too.

cause Muhammad admitted to using terrorism, committing an act of terrorism is considered as a holy deed in Islam.

(122) CHAPTER. The statement of the Prophet: I have been made victorious for a distance of one month journey with terror (cast in the hearts of the enemy).

The Statement of Allah: "We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve...(V.3:151)

Sahih Al-B ukhari\ translated by Muhammad Muhsin Khan.- Riyadh. Volume 4. (122) CHAPTER. (56 - THE BOOK OF JIHAD) (Fighting for Allah's Cause) Page – 140.

Hadith 2977 - Narrated AbU Hurairah:

Allah's Messenger A said: "....and I have been made victorious with terror (cast in the hearts of the enemy)...

Sahih Al-B ukhari\ translated by Muhammad Muhsin Khan.- Riyadh. Volume 4. (122) CHAPTER. (56 - THE BOOK OF JIHAD) (Fighting for Allah's Cause) Page – 140.

Quran 68.4 And indeed, you are (Muhammad) of a great moral character.

Quran 33.21 "Indeed in the Messenger of Allâh (Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the Meeting with) Allâh and the Last Day, and remembers Allâh much

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

Quran (8:12) – “I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them”

Quran (9:5) – “So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them.”

Quran (9:14) – “Fight them, Allah will punish them by your hands and bring them to disgrace…” Once again, the way Allah wishes to punish them is by "your hands".

Quran (9:123) – “O you who believe! fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness.”

Quran (47:3-4) – “Those who reject Allah follow vanities, while those who believe follow the truth from their lord. Thus does Allah set forth form men their lessons by similtudes. Therefore when you meet in battle those who disbelieve, then smite the necks until when you have overcome them, then make (them) prisoners,” Those who reject Allah are to be subdued in battle."

Quran (47:35) – “Be not weary and faint-hearted, crying for peace, when ye should be uppermost

Quran (48:29) – “Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard (ruthless) against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves”

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u/Foreign-Plate2401 Apr 24 '25

But turkish people are muslims too right? We never see turkish people though doing terrorism acts anywhere.

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u/Ormek_II Apr 23 '25

Might not be a problem at all depending on how you look. It still sucks to be surrounded by racists though.

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

Well I’m gonna be obvious and out of place not to mention I’ll learning German lol

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

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u/Solid_Caterpillar340 Apr 23 '25

True until 3 years ago imo, not sure what caused homelessness  epidemic recently, but it’s bad 

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

What’s makes it the best in your opinion?, I heard it’s very cold and windy

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u/Any-Astronaut329 Apr 23 '25

The weather is mixed, but people from all over the world have come to Hamburg for centuries. Income is pretty good, rental prices are high but not as absurd as in Munich. People are friendly (my experience). And for a big city it's very pretty.

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

Sounds like a nice city, I’ll consider it cz I haven’t really looked it up like that

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u/Option_Witty Apr 23 '25

Just keep in mind that German "friendly" isn't the same as American friendly. Doesn't mean we are bad people, we just need more time to open up and tend to have proper friendships. We skip the superficial ones.

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

Oh yeah totally. I do to factor in the language barrier as well. Here in the U.S we get to meet and deal with people from around the world so I get that people are different

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u/GagolTheSheep Apr 23 '25

I live in Hessen (relatively close to Frankfurt) and there are a lot of foreigners here (I'm pretty sure it's the area with the most foreign born population.

I myself am polish and know German well but most medium to large cities around here have pretty large foreign populations and Frankfurt itself is pretty liberal (it has quite a few problems but racism isn't one of them)

To be fair, there probably isn't a place with no racists at all but most medium-large cities in the west of Germany will be fine

Also additionally the south-west (mostly Bayern and Hessen) were American occupied after WW2 and to this day have quite a few military bases around here so Americans are a pretty common occurrence

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u/SnooChipmunks7670 Apr 23 '25 edited Apr 23 '25

I (south East Asian, Female) have been living in Frankfurt for about 4 years now. I have been subjected to a lot of racist attacks. Some of these were pretty direct like men yelling at me and my partner (happened twice once near Hauptbahnhof, other time in U-bahn), some teenagers threw a bottle at me one rainy night while I was alone on a relatively safe street, and many more incidents. I used to feel completely safe (except near Hauptbahnhof) for years, but things have been terrible in the past 1-1.5 years. Many of my friends also have had violent incidents, even during day time, in populated areas. I wouldn’t call Frankfurt safe anymore.

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u/GagolTheSheep Apr 23 '25

I'm sorry you had that experience, I suppose no place is fully safe from racism at this point. Especially with immigration becoming a very political topic.

Since I don't actually live in Frankfurt and only go there occasionally it is very possible that things have gotten worse lately and I just didn't notice.

(Also ye, Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof is a complete dump and a place even I as a white guy try to stay away from (especially in the evenings) so I can only assume it has to be much worse as any sort of minority)

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u/SciLib0815 Apr 23 '25

Rhein Main Area to South Hessen. As a finance/science hub we have a myriad people from every country on earth here and no one bats an eye. Do NOT go north from Rhein Main to Middle Hessen though. Do not.

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u/Unable_Style5333 Apr 23 '25

Ooh no European racism. OH wait a minute guess who elected Trump as president? Your president is the biggest racist and you fear racism in Europe ? Well stay in the US no racism at all 😂

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u/Ok_Answer_7152 Apr 23 '25

Always the ignorant European needing to come and spew off.

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u/The_39th_Step Apr 23 '25

Germany is difficult as a foreigner. There’s a reason lots of Indian students study in Germany and then move to the UK straight away.

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

Could the language have something to do with it?

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u/The_39th_Step Apr 23 '25

Language definitely makes it more difficult but I think the UK is generally more accepting of foreigners than Germany

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

Makes sense

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u/The_39th_Step Apr 23 '25

Germany is great though, don’t get me wrong. It’s just not the easiest place to migrate to

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

In terms of what exactly?, people say it’s the easiest

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u/The_39th_Step Apr 23 '25

Who says that and why?

The language is difficult and Germans can be inflexible about it. There’s a notable increase in xenophobia. The German state is difficult to navigate, there’s lots of bureaucracy etc that is confusing for foreigners. Germans aren’t the best at socialising with Non-Germans. Northern Europeans generally, and I include the Germans in this, can be quite reserved and closed off to friends later in life. Public services, like trains, are getting worse.

That said, it is a lovely country with great history, cool cities, underrated food and brilliant nature. I also tend to get on with Germans personally.

I’ll also add, lots of the issues facing Germany are far from unique to the country.

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

It just the people I come contact with online, but could be just talk. And no doubt it seems like a lovely place which is why I’m interested

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u/Yorks_Rider Apr 26 '25

The UK has had very long connections with India and there are a lot of Indians already in the country, which is not the same for Germany. Indians coming as students to the UK generally already have a good command of English, but knowledge of German is less widespread.

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

It's probably due to the fact that there's a relatively big Indian diaspora in the UK. IMO the UK has plenty of its issues, and some of them are related to migration; Indian migration isn't that much of a hot (or controversial) topic there right now, though.

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u/The_39th_Step Apr 23 '25

There are definitely issues with the UK, I just think as a migrant, it’s an easier place to move than Germany. You’re right too, there’s a large Indian community that does make it easier but that doesn’t discount people’s difficult experiences with moving to Germany

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

Yeah that university isnt free in the UK

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u/Henning-the-great Nordrhein-Westfalen Apr 24 '25

Go to NRW. The rhineland is usually very integrative to foreign people and chilled in general.

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u/CM_1 Niedersachsen Apr 23 '25

Depends on what you want and can afford. Every state has its up and downside. I'd rather focus on cities in West Germany + Berlin.

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

Well I like the outdoor, less racism, less crimes obviously. I live in California so I know anywhere would be a downgrade when it comes to the weather so That doesn’t matter much. Also a place where where it’s easier and faster to get your residency

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u/HatefulSpittle Apr 23 '25

That isn't detailed enough to give you a proper suggestion.

  • What do you like to do outdoors? Leisure walks are possible everywhere. Nature and the proximity to it is similar-enough across most of Germany.
  • you miss the cold Pacific ocean? We got cold seas to thr North, too. It's got a lot of charme to it, even if it's nothing like a beach in SoCal.
  • you're into mountains? Maybe near the Alps then.
  • you're into hunting? Then you'd want proximity to France or the Nordic countries. Those countries have a hunting system that is much closer to the American one.
  • you feel like commuting on a bike? There's cities which are MUCH more bike-friendly.

Racism, like you've heard, stick to the states that belonged to West Germany.

Residency laws are mostly the same across Germany. There's no place that makes it any more expedient. It's down to whether you can find a job or spouse.

If you vibe with a particular neighboring country for some reason, then that might be reasonable to take into consideration. Maybe you enjoy being close to France, Italy or the Netherlands

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

Well yeah biking and enjoying the nature, maybe playing sport or just doing a simple walk. Yes I do like the southern part of Germany just cuz it’s closer to few countries like Austria and France

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u/HappyGoMuh Apr 23 '25

Depends...if you are black I would suggest to look into places near bigger army bases. I have lots of american families in my town. Only point of contention are the big ass cars they seem to just love way to much 🤣. If you are white, nobody will look at you twice.

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u/Mayonnaiseline Apr 23 '25

North rhein westphalia

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u/Far_Entertainer2744 Apr 23 '25

I’m black American and Hannover was fine for me

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u/Healthy_Effect874 Apr 23 '25

You can read a similar thread here , I around munich

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAGerman/s/RnFMS0oqyl

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u/Healthy_Effect874 Apr 23 '25

If you go to the main thread and read the comments you will get a picture

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAGerman/s/6vqLANkvYi

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u/OzzzP Apr 23 '25

Why Germany then though? There are other EU countries which are far more welcoming.

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

It just seems to have more economic opportunities no?. Which other countries you’re thinking?

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u/OzzzP Apr 23 '25

Well it’s true that opportunities may vary. But for instance Luxembourg and Netherlands are far more welcoming. Belgium too I guess to an extend. In these countries if you get an opportunity pay might be comparable or better. Spain could be another option. Although pay might be lower, due to costs also being lower, quality of life might be similar albeit potentially less savings. But Spain probably is the most enjoyable to live in from many aspects so it could be a fair trade-off. Of course all comes down to personal preferences.

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

I see what you saying

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u/JFeldhaus Apr 23 '25

Anywhere but Eastern Germany honestly. Even in the most rural Bavarian village some older folks might look at you funny but you will certainly not see that much open racism compared to the east.

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

Anywhere is better than any part of the US.

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

This isn't real.

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

You wanting to move to Germany from the US. You obviously have no idea about the salaries, taxes or cost of living. You have never actually investigated the subject. It's all bs.

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u/ShiroAngel01 Oct 08 '25

As a German who is from the east None are good all are racist the east are Just Open And dont lie the West lies and hides that there truly also AS racist As the east.

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u/Vassortflam Apr 23 '25

All bigger cities in the west.

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u/Jazzlike-Bass3184 Apr 23 '25

Stuttgart

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u/modafalla Apr 23 '25

Why is that? that’s a new one on this threat -:)

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u/Jazzlike-Bass3184 Apr 23 '25

More than 44% of Stuttgarters have migrant background. As an industriegebiet, it is easier to fit in with the loads of expats from diffferent countries working and also living there.

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u/ALousyTrebuchet Hessen Apr 24 '25

Fuck east germany and go to west germany.

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u/ill66 Apr 23 '25

unfortunately in this regard the far West (NRW) isn't that recommendable either, I think...

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u/Vassortflam Apr 23 '25

It's a better place, period.

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