What you need to know about Mannheim

Mannheim is a city in the southwestern part of Germany, the third-largest in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart and Karlsruhe with a 2015 population of approximately 305,000 inhabitants. The city is at the centre of the larger densely populated Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region which has a population of 2,400,000 and is Germany’s eighth-largest metropolitan region.
The city is home to major corporations including Daimler, John Deere, Caterpillar, ABB, Fuchs Petrolub, IBM, Roche, Reckitt Benckiser, Unilever, Phoenix Group, Siemens, and several other well-known companies. In addition, Mannheim’s SAP Arena is not only the home of the German ice hockey record champions the Adler Mannheim, but also the well-known handball team, the Rhein-Neckar Löwen. According to the Forbes magazine, Mannheim is known for its exceptional inventive power and was ranked 11th among the Top 15 of the most inventive cities worldwide. The New Economy Magazine elected Mannheim under the 20 cities that best represent the world of tomorrow emphasizing Mannheim’s positive economic and innovative environment. Since 2014, Mannheim has been a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network and holds the title of “UNESCO City of Music”. Mannheim is a Smart City; the city’s electrical grid is installed with a Power-line communication network.

Population: Population: 299 844 (2015)
Area: 145 km²

Currency

• The official currency of Germany is the Euro (EUR).
• The euro comes in coins of 1ct, 2cts, 5cts, 10cts, 20cts, 50cts, 1EUR and 2EUR. Paper money comes in bills of 5EUR, 10EUR, 20EUR, 50 EUR, 100EUR, 200EUR and 500EUR.
• You can exchange currency at any bank throughout the city, as well as at train stations or at the airport.
• You will be able to use your credit card at most places in Frankfurt, but it is advisable that you carry cash as well. ATM machines will allow you to withdraw cash quickly and hassle-free. There is no general rule to determine which kinds of shops accept credit cards.

Language
Official language of Mannheim is German,

Climate
Mannheim is located in Germany’s warmest summer region, the “Rhine shift”. In summer, temperatures sometimes rise up to 35 °C (95 °F) and higher. The highest recorded temperature was 39.8 °C (104 °F) on August 7, 2015. The daily lows during heat waves can be very high by north European standards (around 25 °C / 77 °F). In comparison to other regions of Germany, Mannheim has a higher humidity in summer which causes a higher heat index. Snow is rare, even in the cold months. Precipitation occurs mostly during afternoon thunderstorms during the warmer period (average days of thunderstorms in a year is 40–50). Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is “Cfb” (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).

Economy
In combination with the support programmes of the State, the Federal Government and the European Union, companies are offered a business-friendly environment with the necessary growth opportunities. The Mannheim Economic Support Department is point of contact and “caretaker” in one hand for all concerns of the economy.

Education
The University of Mannheim is one of Germany’s younger universities. Although founded in 1967, it has its origins in the 1763-established Palatine Academy of Sciences and the former Handelshochschule. Situated in Mannheim Palace, it is Germany’s leading university in business and economics and attracts students from around the world. Described by “Die Zeit” magazine as the ‘Harvard of Germany’ it is seen as the alma mater of German businessmen and women.
The university town also houses one of the medical schools of Heidelberg University, the Hochschule Mannheim, a branch of the Duale Hochschule of the State of Baden-Württemberg and several musical and theatrical academies, including the Pop Academy Mannheim, the Musikhochschule and the Theaterakademie. These institutions draw a large and diverse student body.

Safety
Most parts of Mannheim are safe, but there are a few of districts that have higher crime rates. Examples are Vogelstang, Neckarstadt-West, Jungbusch (night) and some others. Street crime and violence, however, are very rare, so you will be perfectly ok if you simply use your common sense. In particular, it is not dangerous at all to visit the pubs and clubs of the Jungbusch or the Neckarstadt.

Getting Around
The public transportation system is quite extensive. Bus routes cover Mannheim, and the street car system connects Mannheim to Ludwigshafen across the river, Heidelberg a few minutes away, and Weinheim, in addition to major routes across and through the city.
There is also a bike rental system with many stations around the city. Bikes can be rented at any station and can be returned at any station.
Mannheim Hauptbahnhof (central station) is at the end of the Mannheim-Stuttgart high-speed rail line and is the most important railway junction in the southwest of Germany, served by ICE high-speed train system with connections to Frankfurt am Main–Berlin, Karlsruhe–Basel, and Stuttgart–Munich. A new high speed line to Frankfurt also is planned to relieve the existing Mannheim–Frankfurt railway.
Although Frankfurt International Airport is only 65 km (40 mi) to the north, at various times over the years there were daily passenger flights from Mannheim City Airport (IATA code MHG) to London, Dresden, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Saarbrücken. Currently, scheduled commercial passenger flights serve the airports Berlin-Tegel and Hamburg.