I am considering moving to Germany and was told that regions in the south are more conservative, so much so that an acquaintance ex-pat said they would never want to live there. Looking online there are some sources to support this notion but nothing concrete. I am wanting to move mostly because I loved the country and the people I met while traveling (specifically in Munich and Freiburg) but was hoping to land somewhere that queer folks are more accepted. I didn’t get any bad vibes while traveling but that was nearly a decade ago now.
Another German friend recommended moving to Berlin for these reasons and I’m wondering if German conservative is anything remotely close to US conservative. The conservatives near where I live now fly Trump and confederate flags, love to put those “I did that” Biden stickers on the gas pumps when prices go up, and the local schoolboard managed to pass anti-trans bathroom policies that affected something like 5 students in the entire district. Is it anything like this in parts of Germany?
German here. Lived in Hamburg and Munich for about half my life each. They call Bavaria the Texas of Germany, but that’s just in relation to the rest of Germany politically. German conservatism is nothing like American conservatism, thank God. Right-wing disinformation cancer is spreading in Germany, like it is anywhere else (AFD in the east). Any LGBTQ folks don’t need to worry in any big cities. I’d recommend Munich over Berlin, but that’s personal preference (Berlin is like Germany’s London, loud, dirty, exciting, more crime than any other part of Germany, which is still less than most places in the US). Like, you won’t ‘feel’ the difference between Hamburg and Munich politically. In Berlin you might find a few more people openly displaying their left or right leaning tendencies. It’s also much cheaper than Munich, not sure if that matters.
That’s encouraging to hear. I’m just worried about moving across the world to a place I really loved only to get crooked looks from neighbors when they see my partner and I together, which is exactly the sort of thing I want to get away from. I’m a software developer so I’ll likely need to move to a city to find work regardless, but really do enjoy the more rural settings. Thanks for the insight :)
How is your German? In Berlin you’ll be fine with English. In the other big cities, you’ll already notice less proficiency. You’ll be fine, but you’ll notice it from time to time and English speaking jobs will be few and far between. Rural areas are hopeless lol
You know I went to Europe for the first time thinking I was hopeless when it came to foreign languages. But after spending a week in Germany I could use basic greetings, numbers and was starting to understand some common phrases; a very fun experience honestly. I regret not continuing to learn formally, but if we commit to Germany then I’ll have a few years to take lessons beforehand.
Ideally I want to live rural and work remote, same situation I have here, but I understand that is a rare privilege and hard to find everywhere.
So keep in mind living rural and working remote may be harder here. Fiber networks are very uncommon and internet is nothing like in the US.
Also as others have mentioned German conservatives are more like conservative democrats in the US. AfD is more like our republicans.
Just a point to keep in mind Berlin, Munich, and Stuttgart are some of the most expensive cities in Germany. I am living in the Stuttgart area and renting is only about 20% less than D.C… But fibre internet is common and English is more common due to the US military presence.
It’s becoming better. Around here, they’re digging holes to install fiber every day.
You could look into anywhere near the Rhine since even though the west is pretty industrialized, it gets very rural very fast unlike the US. That way you’re not giving up the bonuses of urban areas.
It’s also about the people though. Been living in the south for some time. Hard to talk to people, even harder to make friends, very rural for the most part. I even would describe a city like Stuttgart as rural. At work people approached me and said „hey you also aren’t from the south right? I noticed“ and were happy to have someone to chitchat with.
Just my own experience… I’m very happy to have made the decision to move away again.
Maybe it’s easy if one isn’t a German since there are kind of expat communities? I don’t know.
Did you hear about AfD’s anti abortion policies that’s taking light ? Or even the ones were the criminalise LGBTQ communities as pedophiles and put up posters for the same ? German right wing is just as nutty ad American (or polish) right wing.
AfD is similar to Trump and DeSantis, no doubt. Difference is, Trump became President, DeSantis Governor. AfD is far away from that kind of power.