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Everything that changes in Germany in June 2021

From more vaccine appointments to better funding for trainees, here's what's different in Deutschland in June.

Published: 28 May 2021 18:19 CEST
Updated: 8 June 2021 17:22 CEST
Everything that changes in Germany in June 2021
Clock in Rehna, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Photo: picture alliance / Jens Büttner/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa | Jens Büttner

No more vaccine priority list

Starting on June 7th, vaccine appointments around Germany will be open to anyone 12 and over, regardless of whether they belong to a priority group or not.

Currently appointments at vaccine centres are available in most states to groups 1 and 3, which include anyone over 60, certain professions, and those with pre-existing medical conditions. Most states also allow GPs to issue vaccines at their own discretion, although appointments can be hard to come by.

READ ALSO:

Germany’s Deutsche Bahn gets supersized – and refunds go digital

As the state-owner rail operator announced in December, the new fourth-generation high-speed train (XXL-ICE) is scheduled to hit the tracks for the first time in June. With 919 seats and 13 train sections, it will be the largest of its kind to date. According to Deutsche Bahn, the first area of operation will be the route between Hamburg, Cologne, Stuttgart and Munich.

If you book a trip on one of these super fast trains, and it’s still running late, fear not: for the first time in June, Deutsche Bahn will also be offering online refunds that can be issued at just a few button clicks. 

An ICE train in Berlin. Photo: DPA

More apprenticeships

Starting on June 1st, companies that maintain or even expand their available spots for trainees despite major coronavirus-related problems can receive up to €6,000 per training place, twice as much as before. Companies with a maximum of 499 employees – instead of the previous 249 – will be eligible.

School holidays start

For millions of schoolchildren, the second “coronavirus school year” is coming to an end. Children and young people in the coastal states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein will be the first to start their summer vacations – their last day of school is June 18th.

Bavaria will be the last state to start on July 30th. August 1st will then mark the only weekend in Germany when all schoolchildren will be on summer holidays at the same time. 

Gender reassignment surgeries of children

Parents of intersex children may no longer have gender reassignment surgeries performed on their offspring. When the law came into effect at the beginning of June, treatments intended to align a child’s physical appearance with that of the male or female sex were banned. The law was put in place to better allow children to decide for themselves at a later date on the gender they most identify with.

Exceptions are only allowed if the procedure cannot be postponed medically and is approved by an interdisciplinary commission. Estimates put the number of people born with ambiguous gender characteristics in Germany at around 160,000.

Goodbye (free) Google storage space

Google is doing away with unlimited storage space in its photo service. Previously, “Google Photos” allowed users to upload images in reduced quality – the company calls this “high quality” instead of “original” – to the cloud without restrictions. 

Starting on June 1st, they will be counted toward the free limit of 15 gigabytes. Anyone who reaches it will have to buy additional storage space. Users of Google’s Pixel smartphones are excluded.

Digital passport

By the end of June, it should be possible to use a digital corona vaccination certificate throughout Germany, according to Health Minister Jens Spahn. 

The so-called CovPass is planned both as a separate app and as a new function in the existing Coronavirus Warning app.

The digital vaccination pass. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild-Pool | Soeren Stache

The digital vaccination passport will not only certify Covid vaccinations, but also show negative tests or recovery from an infection. It would thus be important proof for all people who are entitled to relaxations. However, it is not to become compulsory: the traditional ‘yellow booklet’ vaccine card will remain valid.

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Changes to travel rules?

New coronavirus virus entry regulations were introduced May 12th and relate to several provisions – for example, the quarantine requirement. This same regulation applies “until June 30, 2021, at the latest,” according to the federal regulation.

At the moment there are strict quarantine and testing requirements in place. 

We’ll find out how the rules will change after this date and make sure to provide you with an update. 

READ ALSO: What you need to know about the latest rules on travel to and from Germany

Member comments

  1. I work in Germany, come from Scotland, live in England and am married to a Danish lady. The Local is invaluable to me with regards to keeping up with ever changing restrictions and news. My German is not great, but I always make the effort. Thank you for providing this great service.

    1. Hi Frank, thank you so much for your lovely comment! We’re glad you find the information really helpful.
      Rachel

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TRAVEL

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.

Published: 5 March 2024 09:17 CET
Updated: 18 March 2024 15:22 CET
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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