Being a student in Erlangen/Nürnberg
Welcome to Germany’s Mannathan. What comes to mind when you think of Mannathan? Isn’t it giant blocks with streets that cut each other perpendicularly? Erlangen is known as the Mannathan of Germany. Not with its giant blocks (the buildings are usually 3 storeys high) but with streets that cut each other perpendicular to each other and blocks that are not high. We haven’t had the chance to go here yet but I have heard and read a lot about it.
Erlangen has a similar layout to its older brother in the US, where people can easily get disoriented and lost. The streets are so similar to each other that those who don’t go there very often can easily get lost. Actually, it is not a very big place. Already a quarter of the total population of 110 thousand is students. It is a very typical student town. But being only 16 km away from a big city like Nuremberg (it takes 20 minutes by public transportation and 10 minutes by car), it has not developed much. Due to its proximity to the big city, the university campus has already spread to Nuremberg.
Being such a small town, it is also troublesome for students in terms of housing needs and many students prefer to live in Nuremberg because of the cheaper prices and social opportunities. It is very easy to get to and from school because it is close. Therefore, I think that Nuremberg can be preferred in terms of accommodation (I am of one mind).
Nuremberg and Erlangen are located in the region known as Franconia and belong to the state of Bavaria. The locals are very sensitive about this issue and define themselves as Franconians, not Bavarians. If you live in Germany, you will often hear the term Bavarian in and around the state of Bavaria. Interestingly, Bavarians do not consider themselves to be fully German and have not been able to fully unite with the rest of Germany. Their Catholicism and their loyalty to the Pope have a lot to do with this, but the fact that northern Germany was under Prussian rule for a while and the nationalist movements that developed as a result of this had a big impact. The Bavarians are still closer to Austria than to Germany, with their dialects, culture and local food, which are different from the other states of Germany (the Franconians are generally Protestant and therefore do not like the Bavarians much). Anyway, this topic is deep enough to be the subject of a different article, let’s continue with Franconians. (Update See Germany Regional Differences) The region around Nuremberg is highly developed in terms of industry and has attracted technology companies such as Siemens, Bosch and DATEV. With the contributions of these companies to the city, Nuremberg 3rd metro line was built as the first driverless metro line in Germany.
Erlangen is a small city and a bicycle city because of its flat geography and excellent network of bicycle paths. In front of every public building, especially the university, mountains of bicycles are piled up. The opposite is true for car drivers. Parking spaces are limited and very expensive, the streets are one-way and there are many traffic lights, so driving can be a serious problem (reminds me of Amsterdam).
LIFE IN ERLANGEN OR NÜRNBERG
I have already mentioned that Erlangen is small and has a lot of students. As you can see in many other university cities in Germany, there is a student economy in this and similar cities. Since there is not much alternative for many students coming from outside, it is very likely that you will encounter relatively high prices compared to other cities. That is why many of the students live in Nuremberg. When I searched for accommodation options for students who do not want to travel, it seemed possible to find a single room for around 500 Euros. But consider that when I did this research, it was the pandemic period and most universities were doing distance education.
Although the rents for Nuremberg are a bit lower, the main reason why students prefer this place is the social facilities and other living costs. Besides, you will definitely have more apartment options in Nuremberg. Nuremberg has one of the lowest crime rates among the cities in the state of Bavaria, with the majority of the foreign population living in the southern part of the city. Especially in Galgenhof.
The Studierendenwerk actually provides accommodation for around 3700 people. There are 12 dormitories in Erlangen and 6 dormitories in Nuremberg with prices starting from 180 Euros. Of course, there are also private dormitories and you can find a list here and here.
ERLANGEN BY THE NUMBERS
| City Population | 111.962 |
| Number of Students | 28.538 |
| Student/resident ratio | % 25 |
| Number of beds provided by Studierendenwerk | 3700 |
| Rents for accommodation provided by Studierendenwerk | 180-327 € |
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