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Everything that changes in May 2020 in Germany

Whether it's businesses reopening, wages rising in some fields and a new public holiday in Berlin, there's a lot changing in May 2020 - and not all of it coronavirus related.

Everything that changes in May 2020 in Germany
A clock in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony. Photo: DPA

Over the last couple of months in Germany, we've grown accustomed to seeing big societal shifts every week – whether coronavirus restrictions getting tightened or loosened, or extra financial help coming through for those most affected.

We break down some of the top coronavirus measures that have already been announced for May, followed by 'non-corona' changes – such as wage increases and a new public holiday on May 8th – which had already been planned long before the days when “social distancing” was a household term.

READ ALSO: What's the latest on coronavirus in Germany and what do I need to know?

What's changing due to the coronavirus?

Hair salons can open again

Feeling in need of a good trim on that overgrown fringe? Hair salons around Germany can open again on May 4th – as long as they observe strict safety precautions. For example, both hairdressers and customers must wear mouth and nose coverings.

As this involves additional time and expense for protective clothing, prices are likely to rise.

A closed hair salon in Stuttgart. Photo: DPA

Relaxation of other rules

Germany-wide social distancing measures are to be extended until May 10th, putting a ban on more than two people who aren’t part of the same family or household being outside together at the same time. 

However, throughout Germany other measures are being relaxed at different timelines, with museums, botanical gardens, zoos and other public institutions poised to reopen soon.

READ ALSO: Coronavirus: Germany poised to reopen religious buildings, museums and playgrounds

Here's a timeline of what we already know is reopening, state by state.

Restaurants and hotels want to resume operations between the middle and end of May, but this has not yet been decided.

For the time being, however, there will be no relaxation for travel outside Germany. The Foreign Office has extended the worldwide travel warning until mid-June.

READ ALSO: Germany extends worldwide tourist travel-warning until mid-June

Students head back to the classroom

Starting at the beginning of May, some students will be able to go back to school. Regular classes will start gradually, so that all grades don’t return at once. Most of the states plan to partially open schools on May 4th. 

READ ALSO: State by state: When (and how) will Germany's schools reopen?

At the moment, Kitas (day care centres) are also closed, although federal and state governments have presented a four-step plan which lays out how to “cautiously” reopen them. For example, only emergency care to parents who most need it will be included in the first part.

A high school student in North Rhine-Westphalia was ready to head back to school with a face mask. Photo: DPA

Deutsche Bahn divvies out vouchers

Those who had planned – but no longer want to take – a train journey over the coming long weekend can exchange their ticket for a voucher.

This applies to long-distance tickets from Deutsche Bahn (DB) with a travel date up until May 4th, which were purchased up to March 13th. The vouchers are available online and are valid for three years. 

For long-distance journeys taking place after May 4th, customers can now use their tickets flexibly until October 31st – provided they were purchased before March 13th. Previously, DB accepted these tickets just until June 30th. This regulation also applies to economy and super saver tickets.

Help for students

Federal Education Minister Anja Karliczek (CDU) wants to help students through the corona crisis with emergency loans. Starting May 8th, students can apply for an initially interest-free loan of up to 650 per month from the state development bank KfW. 

Both current KfW student loans and new applications will remain interest-free for domestic students until the end of March next year. Foreign students can obtain the loan from July onwards. Find out more and how to apply here.

A less taxing process

Anyone who has their tax return processed by a wage tax assistance association (Lohnsteuerhilfeverein) or tax consultant now has a longer time: the tax offices are now retrospectively offering an extension from February 29th to May 31st for 2018 taxes – without stating or checking reasons.

The regular deadline for submitting the 2018 income tax return would have been February 29th, 2020. If late surcharges had already been applied, these will be returned.

READ ALSO: From visas to taxes: These German deadlines have been extended due to the coronavirus

Good news for Kurzarbeiter

For anyone officially placed on shorter working hours (a system known as Kurzarbeit) who earns a little extra on the side, the regulations on additional income opportunities will be relaxed from May 1st until the end of 2020. 

Up until now, anyone who took up a new part-time job during short-time work had this additional income credited in full against the short-time allowance. 

However, in the wake of the Corona crisis, the German government is now temporarily waiving this regulation. With immediate effect, short-time workers have the opportunity to earn additional money without it affecting the allowance.

Non-coronavirus changes

Cheaper parcel prices

Sending parcels is becoming cheaper again. After the parcel service DHL had increased its prices in January, the Federal Network Agency made a successful complaint that the prices had gone up too high.

Now, for example, a medium-sized parcel (up to two kilograms) costs 4.50 instead of 4.79. The shipping of a 10-kilo parcel drops by a whole euro to 9.49.

Ban on menthol cigarettes

Starting on May 21st, menthol cigarettes may no longer be sold in Germany. According to a new EU-wide tobacco product directive, tobacco-products are not allowed to mask the taste of tobacco.

Wage raise in Germany’s care sector

From May 1st onward, minimum wages in nursing care for the elderly and outpatients will be introduced throughout the industry for the first time. The minimum wages for nursing assistants will be increasing in four stages up until April 1st, 2022 to 12.55 per hour, equalizing the pay in both east and west Germany.

A nurse in Essen preparing a coronavirus test on January 31st. Photo: DPA

“Liberation Day”: Berlin receives an extra public holiday

In Berlin, “Tag der Befreiung” will be celebrated as a day off from work for the first time. On May 8th, the 75 anniversary of the liberation from National Socialism and the end of the Second World War is being commemorated. 

In other European countries such as France, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, “Liberation Day” is already a public holiday.

In addition, Germany has two public holidays in May, both which are celebrated Germany-wide:

-Labour Day on May 1st (Friday).

-Ascension Day on May 21st (Thursday).

READ ALSO: What and when are Germany’s 2020 public holidays?

Increase of the minimum wage for painters, varnishers and stonemasons

There will also be a rise in wages in the craft traded. Painters and varnishers who have not yet been trained will receive at least 11.10 per hour from May 1st instead of 10.85 per hour before. Those with training will receive a minimum wage of 13.50.

Stonemasons and sculptors can also look forward to an increase in the minimum wage. Instead of the previous 11.85, they will now receive 12.20 per hour.

Stricter road regulations

Since April 28th, much stricter rules for both drivers and cyclists have been in force. For example, driving licences will be confiscated for a month if the speed limit is exceeded by 21 kilometres per hour within cities.

 

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10 unforgettable places to stay in Germany

Whether you want to catnap in a castle, sleep in a sportscar or bunk in a brewery, it is all possible on a holiday in Germany.

10 unforgettable places to stay in Germany

In fact, the country has such a wealth of unique and fascinating hotels, hostels and other accommodations that any series listing them could easily extend over several instalments. 

However, for those seeking an introduction to how unique German hospitality can be, here are ten unforgettable places to stay across the sixteen federal states.

Zum Roten Bären
Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg

Let’s start at the beginning. No, really.

Zum Roten Bären, located in the heart of the university city of Freiburg am Briesgau, is Germany’s oldest continuously operating hotel. To be precise, 51 landlords have been welcoming guests since 1120. In fact, archaeological excavations have revealed that the building predates the city surrounding it!

Don’t think the age of the place means spartan conditions – Zum Roten Bären hosts a restaurant renowned in the region, and the rooms boast modern comforts while tastefully honouring the heritage of the beloved inn. 

V8 Motorworld Hotels
Böblingen, Baden-Württemberg

The Stuttgart region gave the world the motor car, and this contribution is honoured at the V8 Motorworld Hotels – the Superior and Classic. 

Both are part of the enormous Motorworld complex developed on the site of the old Böblingen Airport, where revheads come for tradeshows, swap meets and other automotive-themed events.

Each room in the two hotels is outfitted with beds made from original cars and features art themed around motorsports. 

Each hotel also has a restaurant revered throughout the region by local American populations for its offerings, from Tex-Mex to barbecue. 

Baumhaus Dörfle
Seelbach, Baden-Württemberg

This one is ideal for those on a Black Forest break. The three treehouses that constitute the Baumhaus Dorfle, part of the Ferienparadies Schwarzwälder Hof holiday park, are warm and cosy, each with a balcony offering a beautiful view of the surrounding forest. 

Close to the historic city of Lahr and surrounded by some of Germany’s most outstanding hiking trails, there’s everything required for a relaxation vacation, far from the noise and movement of city life.

Hotel Wasserturm 
Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia

Sure, this hotel is built within one of the water towers that used to supply Cologne. Still, Hotel Wasserturm prides itself on offering boutique accommodation and unparalleled views of one of Germany’s oldest cities. 

Once you’ve fortified yourself with a cocktail from Bar Botanik, many of the city’s most fantastic attractions, such as the cathedral, are less than a 10-minute walk away. 

Hotel Adlon
Berlin, Berlin

Infamous as the hotel from which Michael Jackson dangled baby ‘Blanket’, this Berlin icon is so, so much more than that brief event. 

The original Hotel Adlon was opened by hotelier Lorenz Adlon in 1907 and became famous across Europe for its luxury furnishings and impeccable hospitality. 

The Hotel Adlon was a celebrity watering hole throughout the twenties and early thirties – Marlene Dietrich and Josephine Baker were regular guests. Even the arrival of the Nazis couldn’t dim its light, with many party luminaries spending their evenings there. 

Largely destroyed in the dying days of World War II, the hotel managed to operate in part until 1984, even behind the Iron Curtain (only metres away, as the Brandenburg Gate divided the two Berlins). 

In 1997 the entire complex was rebuilt and reopened by the Kampinski group and has only thrived since as Berlin booms.  

Hotel Gotisches Haus
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria

Starting as a food storage house for nearby monks, this unassuming building was rapidly spotlighted in the 15th century.  

Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich III and his son, the future Emperor Maximilian I, came to stay for two weeks in 1474 – Friedrich published edicts. He received visitors in the Gotisches Haus while Maximilian partied and enjoyed the local nightlife.

This gave the place a bit of a profile boost, and the building served as the home of several wealthy figures throughout the centuries.

In 1969, as tourism began to take off in the storybook-perfect town, it was purchased and renovated as a boutique hotel. 

Now, each of the eleven rooms echoes the grandeur of the 15th-century Holy Roman Empire, albeit with subtle differences in design. 

Hüttenpalast
Berlin, Berlin

If the extravagant surroundings of Hotel Adlon aren’t to your liking, but you still want to spend a night in comfort, head to the hipster hotspot of Neukölln, where Hüttenpalast offers caravan stays in a renovated factory.

Each caravan across two halls has been renovated and brought up to provide a comfortable and unique experience for visitors – although they don’t have their own toilets and showers, they’re provided communally. 

Still, being a short walk away from trendy Kreuzberg and fifteen minutes away from the action in Alexanderplatz, this quirky hostel offers a typical Berlin experience. 

Burg Hotel Stolpen
Stolpen, Saxony

Part of the Burg Stolpen complex, Burghotel Stolpen sits on the same basalt protrusion on which the ruined 15th-century castle is situated. 

Originally a castle protecting the lands of the Bishops of Meissen, the castle came into the hands of the Dukes of Saxony, where it enters popular myth and legend.

Burg Stolpen was, for over forty years, the prison in which Anna Constantia, Countess of Cosel, was imprisoned by Duke August the Strong between 1716 and her death in 1765. 

An intelligent, quick-witted woman, albeit conceited, the Duke’s mistress had ruffled one too many feathers and had tried to interfere in strategic pairings. 

Hotel guests can explore the tower in which Ana Constantia was held and learn more about her scandalous life in a small museum. 

Luckily, they also have a much wider choice of rooms – and a stunning restaurant in which to dine.

Still, the place can’t have been all that bad. Many legends in the region speak of Ana Constantia never really leaving the castle – she’s been spotted wandering around her former digs, albeit in a less-than-corporeal state. 

Kloster Hornbach
Hornbach, Rhineland-Palatinate

Kloster Hornbach – or Hornbach Abbey – is old. First founded in 741, it was one of the region’s most potent monastic foundations and was a pilgrimage site, for it was where the remains of Saint Pirmin, a Merovingian missionary, were kept. It drew the faithful from hundreds of kilometres around for hundreds of years.

Unfortunately, as with most large institutions so close to the French border, Kloster Hornbach was either raided, burned or used as target practice by the French at several intervals over the centuries, despite efforts to maintain a school on the grounds after the monastery closed in the 16th century.

In the early 21st century, the abbey buildings were turned into a hotel, Hotel Kloster Hornbach, meant to evoke the peace and tranquillity of the monastic lifestyle – albeit with everything you’d want from a modern boutique hotel. 

After touring the local vineyards, playing golf, and perhaps straying across the border into France, visit the Abbey Museum. There, you can learn about several locals, including Hieronymous Bock, who has been called ‘the Father of Botany’. 

Brauerei Fassla
Bamberg, Bavaria

You didn’t think we’d get through this list without a beer-themed hotel, did you?

With a UNESCO-protected Old Town unsurpassed in its preserved state, Bamberg was also once home to more breweries than almost anywhere else in the former Holy Roman Empire. 

It’s mainly well known for Rauchbier – smoked beer. It’s an acquired taste but quickly addictive.

Here’s one thing they need to tell you about many of Bamberg’s breweries: they offer room for travellers. 

While less luxurious than many hotels, they’re very comfortable, clean, and great value. Best of all, you’re close to the action.

Brauerei Fassla offers rooms and is close to all the city’s attractions. Of course, it also has a brewpub and a restaurant where you can recharge after a long day of sightseeing. You can rest assured of the quality too – these guys have been doing their thing since 1649!

Do you have any recommendations for unforgettable stays in Germany? Let us know in the comments! 

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