Accommodation

The situation on the accommodation market in Marburg is not easy, as is the case in other university towns, but the university assists international students as much as possible to find suitable and affordable accomodation..

Student hostels are the first possibility. The Studentenwerk Marburg maintains 20 student hostels with a total of 2049 places for student accommodation in Marburg. Apart from single rooms there are 129 flats with two to three rooms for married couples. The condition for entitlement to a place in a hostel is registration at the Marburg Philipps University. As a rule single rooms will be reserved for foreign students costing between 250.-- and 300.-- including heating.

In order to facilitate university attendance for people in wheelchairs the student administration equipped the Konrad Biesalski House in 1969, the first hostel in the federal republic for the physically handicapped. The house, in which handicapped live together with those that are not handicapped, offers round the clock assistance. There is a bus service for trips to lectures, to the dining hall, to go shopping and to attend cultural events. Service includes physiotherapeutic exercises and massage baths.

Apart from the possibility to live in student hostels many student live in private accommodation or share flats. The supply in the centre of Marburg, especially in the Oberstadt is limited, the situation on the outskirts of Marburg and in the immediate surroundings is more favourable. There are good bus connections to some parts of the town and to nearby places (bus timetables are available in the customer centres of the municipal department of works in the Rudolphsplatz. Experience shows that there are bottlenecks on the accommodation market at the beginning of each semester (April, October), so that one should start looking for accommodation if possible around the end of the previous semester (February, July). Patience is the necessary condition for success in looking for a flat or a room.

The following sources exist to help find a private room or a room in a shared flat

Accommodation Office of the Student Administration Erlenring 5, Tel. ++49-6421-2960; Office hours: Mon. - Fri. 9.30am - 1pm. Vacant rooms and flats are displayed in a showcase. You can make a note of relevant offers and make contact with the landlord or landlady. This service is free of charge.

AStA (General Student Council) Accommodation Office. Erlenring 5. Information reaching the AStA about vacant rooms and flats is displayed on a notice board in the corridor outside the AStA offices (ground floor of the student house). This information is always accessible. This service is free of charge. Students seeking flats or rooms may also place their addresses on the board.

Notice Boards There are also advertisements for rooms and flats on the notice boards in the dining hall (Erlenring 5).

The following magazines and newspapers contain information about accommodation services for private rooms or flats:

Newspaper Advertisements: The local newspaper "Oberhessische Presse" (OP), Franz-Tuczek-Weg 1, Tel. 06421-409250, publishes advertisements from Monday to Saturday. A national advertising section appears on Friday. The weekly advertiser "MAZ", Bahnhofstrasse 18, Tel. 06421-9620-0, , is delivered to every household every Wednesday free of charge. It is possible to collect the newspaper in the MAZ office after 9am on Wednesday. The paper goes to press on Tuesday at 4pm.The free weekly advertiser "Express - Magazin für Marburg und Gießen" appears in the Marbuch Press, Ernst-Giller-Str. 20, Tel. 06421-31132, with an overview of functions and contributions about the cultural scene in Marburg. The magazine is available in the student pubs on Wednesday evening and on Thursday morning it is also in the shops in Marburg, e.g. in newspaper shops.