Studying in Bavaria, Germany
Weiden in der Oberpfalz
A small Bavarian city near the Czech border, with a business and technology campus, an ice hockey arena and forest on its doorstep.
Weiden is a city of about 42,500 people in the Upper Palatinate, in north-eastern Bavaria, roughly 100 km east of Nuremberg and 35 km from the Czech border. It is small enough to cross by bike and has a proper old town: a cobbled market, a town hall with a glockenspiel, and a neo-Romanesque church. The Weiden campus of OTH Amberg-Weiden is where business, international management, medical engineering and healthcare-related degrees are taught, several of them in English. The Mensa serves lunch at student prices, dorm rooms cost 383 to 488 EUR a month, and the forests of the Oberpfälzer Wald are close. The trade-off is just as clear: this is a small city, so there are fewer venues than in a big one, and you will lean on your campus groups for much of your social life.
- Trains and roads
- Weiden station has lines to Regensburg via Schwandorf, to Bayreuth and Hof, and towards Nuremberg; the A 93 links Hof, Weiden and Regensburg
- Student transport
- 43 EUR a month for the reduced Deutschlandticket for OTH students
- Dorm rent (Studierendenwerk Oberfranken, Weiden)
- 383 to 488 EUR a month incl. utilities, 165 places in two halls
- Blocked account for a student visa
- about 11,904 EUR for one year (figure quoted by OTH)
Part 1
Living in Weiden in der Oberpfalz
A trading town that became a porcelain town
Weiden is first documented in 1241 and grew as a stop on the Golden Road between Nuremberg and Prague. Count Palatine Friedrich resided here from 1585 to 1593, and the Thirty Years' War and plague then cut the population from 3,600 to 1,800. The railway reached the town in 1863, and porcelain production began in 1881, which is why Weiden still has porcelain makers and a ceramics museum. Weiden has been independent of its surrounding district since 1 January 1919.
The town was bombed in April 1945; on 16 April a train exploded and killed 60 people. After the war the population passed 40,000 as refugees settled here, and it has stayed around that figure since. The old department stores Hertie and Dänner have closed, and the Nordoberpfalz-Center shopping centre opened in 2019.
Weiden is the largest city in the northern Upper Palatinate, and the campus and the railway junction are here.
What to see in town
Everything below is within walking distance of the Oberer Markt, and the Tourist-Info sits in the Old Town Hall at Oberer Markt 1.
Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) ↗
Built between 1539 and 1545, with a glockenspiel and a bust of the composer Max Reger on display. Storks have been photographed on its roof in March.
A neo-Romanesque church finished in 1901, listed by the tourist office as the Art Nouveau church, with an ornate entrance portal. It is the largest church built in the Diocese of Regensburg since the Middle Ages.
Internationales Keramik-Museum ↗
A museum of ceramics in the Waldsassener Kasten at Luitpoldstraße 25, a reminder that porcelain made Weiden known.
Stadtmuseum and Tachauer Heimatmuseum ↗
Both at Schulgasse 3 a. The Stadtmuseum has a Max-Reger-Zimmer; the Tachauer Heimatmuseum covers the Tachau region.
A city park with summer flower beds and a round fountain basin.
Parts of the old fortifications survive, including the upper and lower gates and a walkway along the wall.
In and around the old town
Forest, rivers and weekends
Weiden lies where the Oberpfälzer Hügelland meets the Oberpfälzer Wald, and part of the Nördlicher Oberpfälzer Wald nature park lies close by. The Waldnaab valley, forests such as the Manteler Forst and the Fischerberg, and nine landscape protection areas are listed on the city's page.
The tourist office lists leisure in the Oberpfälzer Wald, hiking on the Goldsteig long-distance trail, and cycling routes around Weiden. The city also has a Stadtbad, the Schätzlerbad and the Weidener Thermenwelt.
Because the Czech border is only about 35 km east, Czech towns are a possible day trip; check the border rules for your passport and residence permit first.
Festivals and the calendar
Weiden's year runs on a handful of local festivals and a classical-music tradition.
Held since 1935, around 1 May.
The big street festival, held since 1973 on the last weekend of June.
Held since 1897 around 15 August.
Max-Reger-Tage and Meisterkonzerte ↗
Weiden honours the composer Max Reger, whose bust stands in the Old Town Hall, with the Max-Reger-Tage festival and a concert series that has run since 1961.
Film at the Filmbühne, concerts, readings, a weekly farmers' market in the centre and more are listed in the tourist office calendar.
Ice hockey, football and getting around
The Blue Devils Weiden (1. EV Weiden) play ice hockey in the DEL 2 at the Hans-Schröpf-Arena, and SpVgg SV Weiden plays football in the Bayernliga Nord at the Sparda Bank-Stadion. For a town of this size, a hockey night is the main shared event of the winter.
Four railway lines meet at Weiden station, and the A 93 passes the city, so getting to Regensburg, Nuremberg or Hof is straightforward, and the local airfield is a small landing ground, not an airport. The reduced Deutschlandticket for OTH students costs 43 EUR a month and can be cancelled monthly.
Work and employers
Weiden is an industrial and logistics town, so the nearby employers matter if you want a placement or part-time job.
Bauscher and Seltmann Weiden ↗
Porcelain makers; porcelain production in Weiden began in 1881.
A mail-order company based in Weiden.
Crystal glass, with a branch plant in Weiden.
A logistics centre was built in the Manteler Forst in 2006, and the town also has food producers, a philatelic centre of Deutsche Post and retail such as the NOC Weiden shopping centre.
OTH Studien- und Career Service ↗
The university's own service for placements, job listings and career events.
Part 2
Student life in Weiden in der Oberpfalz
Where you can study
Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Amberg-Weiden (OTH Amberg-Weiden) ↗
Founded in 1994 and spread over two campuses: Weiden (Hetzenrichter Weg 15) and Amberg (Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring 23). It has four faculties and offers more than 50 bachelor's and master's programmes. In Weiden you find the Weiden Business School (Angewandte Wirtschaftsinformatik, Angewandte Wirtschaftspsychologie, Betriebswirtschaft, International Business and masters including Digital Business and Logistik & Digitalisierung) and the faculty of Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen und Gesundheit (industrial engineering, technology management, medical engineering, physician assistance, digital healthcare management). Mechanical and electrical engineering, media and informatics are based in Amberg. English-taught degrees include International Business (B.A.), Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship (M.A.) and International Management & Sustainability (M.A.) at the Weiden Business School, plus further English programmes in the university's list such as Digital Technology & Management and Medical Engineering; German A2 is asked for English-taught programmes, and the exact campus is on each programme page. The Weiden Business School alone has about 3,170 students.
International office ↗Student unions, services and groups
Studierendenvertretung OTH Amberg-Weiden ↗
The student representation, with a student convent, a Fachschaft for each faculty, and departments for university politics, events, PR and campus design. Contact is through a form on the page.
International Student Club (ISC) ↗
A student-run club inside the International Office, active in both Weiden and Amberg: International Café, cooking evenings, excursions. You do not have to be a member to come to events.
German students are paired with international students and help with official errands and everyday questions. You register online as a Junior (new student) or a Senior (team member).
Studierendenwerk Oberfranken (Weiden) ↗
Runs the Mensa Weiden and the two dorms in Weiden, and offers BAföG, social and psychological counselling.
A volunteer association that builds simple technical projects for developing countries, with a local group at OTH working on education, waste and energy. About 500 members nationally.
A Formula Student team founded in 2004 that builds a race car each year; students of all faculties can take part.
Evangelical university chaplaincy ↗
A chaplaincy open to everyone at the university, whatever their religion or background.
Stadtverband für Leibesübungen (SfL) Weiden ↗
The umbrella body of more than 55 sports clubs and shooting societies in the city, offering over 40 sports. It helps you find a club.
Campus and study culture
The Weiden campus is compact: the lecture buildings and the Mensa sit together at Hetzenrichter Weg, and the labs of the Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen faculty are at the Weidener Technologie-Campus. The Fachschaften and Studierendenvertretung organise events for each faculty.
Study information runs through MyOTH, Moodle and a Schwarzes Brett (notice board) you can subscribe to by category, also in the OTH app. For new students the university offers a Mathematik-Brückenkurs in September for technical bachelor's programmes, a student-written Quick Start Guide and a video on the WEBIS tool with English subtitles.
The welcome event for first-semester students comes the day before lectures start, with a campus tour, an introduction to your degree and a party with students from higher semesters.
What it costs
- Semester fee (all students)
- 87 EUR per semestersource
- Service fee, non-EU/EEA students starting from winter 2024/25
- 500 EUR per semester, for the whole study periodsource
- Dorm: Wohnanlage Am Postkeller (105 places)
- 437 EUR apartment, 443 EUR single room in a shared flat, deposit 570 EUR, incl. utilitiessource
- Dorm: Wohnanlage Fischerberg (60 places)
- 383 to 402 EUR apartment, 399 to 407 EUR single room, deposit 480 EUR, incl. utilitiessource
- Private rooms listed on the OTH housing board
- about 235 to 460 EUR a month for rooms in Weiden; several listings are old, so check datessource
- Reduced Deutschlandticket
- 43 EUR a month, cancellable monthlysource
- Mensa main course
- for example 3.70 EUR for students for a Wiener Backhendel; prices vary by dishsource
- Proof of funds for a visa
- about 11,904 EUR for one year, as quoted by OTH; confirm with the German mission in your countrysource
Figures as published by OTH, the Studierendenwerk and the city, October 2026. Private listings change quickly.
Housing and food
The Studierendenwerk Oberfranken runs two halls in Weiden: Wohnanlage Am Postkeller at Schirmitzer Weg 2-2c and Wohnanlage Fischerberg at Stresemannstraße 21, 165 places between them, both described as near the Weiden campus. Rooms have internet, washing machines, a lockable bike store and common rooms. With so few places, apply early and have a private-room search going in parallel; the OTH housing board lets you filter by Weiden and by room type.
The Mensa Weiden is at Hetzenrichter Weg 15, open Monday to Thursday from 7:00 to 16:00 and Friday until 14:00, with a warm lunch from 11:00 to 14:00 on weekdays.
Sport, music and nights out
Student life outside lectures is quiet, and a lot of it is in the clubs.
The city lists clubs for football, handball, judo, karate, swimming, tennis, rowing and canoeing, cycling, chess and many more, including SV Anadoluspor Weiden in football. The SfL umbrella body can point you to one.
The OTH choir for students and staff; every voice type is welcome. Rehearsals are on Mondays 17:00 to 19:00 in Amberg, at the other campus.
A cinema offer for students, listed on the OTH leisure page.
A DEL 2 team at the Hans-Schröpf-Arena, the main winter evening out in Weiden.
Concerts, readings, film and theatre in the event calendar of the tourist office.
Your first weeks
- 1
Before you arrive
Apply for a dorm room with the Studierendenwerk and look at the OTH housing board. Arrange health insurance valid in Germany; OTH asks for proof.
- 2
In the first days
Register your address (Anmeldung) at the Neue Rathaus, Dr.-Pfleger-Straße 15, 92637 Weiden. Book a slot at tevis.weiden.de; the office is open Mon, Tue, Wed and Fri 8:00 to 13:00 and Thu 8:00 to 12:00 and 14:30 to 17:30.
- 3
First two weeks
Write to the Ausländerbehörde at aufenthalt@weiden.de about your residence permit; the office is in the same building and does not process walk-ins without an appointment. Book residence-card pickup at tevis.weiden.de.
- 4
Orientation
Go to the welcome event for first-semester students, subscribe to the Schwarzes Brett categories Erstsemesterinfo, Rund ums Studium and Veranstaltungen/Hochschulsport, and sign up for the International Buddy Program.
- 5
First month
Get the 43 EUR Deutschlandticket for students through the VGN online shop, and join the International Café, a Fachschaft event or a club.
Working next to your studies
How many days or hours you may work depends on whether you are from the EU and on your residence title, so read the conditions printed on your permit and ask the Ausländerbehörde before accepting a job. Study in Germany states that on a student job you can earn up to 603 EUR a month without paying tax, and that you do not pay social security if you work no more than three months in a row or 70 days a year. The page also warns that violators can be expelled, so do not guess.
A research-assistant (HiWi) job requires at least six completed semesters. For part-time jobs and placements, use the OTH job listings and the Career Service.
Where you come from matters here
Pick your home country: food, faith, community groups and the consulate that serves you, checked 21 October 2026.
🇮🇳 Living in Weiden in der Oberpfalz as an Indian student
Weiden has no Indian association or temple with its own website. The consulate that serves Bavaria is the Consulate General of India in Munich, and your first local contacts are on campus.
Consulate General of India, Munich ↗
Passport, visa, OCI and attestation services for Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, with appointments booked online.
First information for international students in Weiden and Amberg, by appointment. Applicants from India need an APS certificate before applying through uni-assist.
International Café and cooking evenings in Weiden are a low-pressure way to meet other newcomers.
🇳🇬 Living in Weiden in der Oberpfalz as a Nigerian student
Weiden has no Nigerian community organisation with its own website. The city has several free churches, and the Nigerian Embassy is in Berlin.
Neue Jakobstraße 4, 10179 Berlin. Passports go to the embassy; visa applications go through the visa application centre at Zimmerstraße 68, by online appointment.
Freie Christen-Gemeinde Weiden ↗
A Baptist free church at Hammerweg 108, open to anyone. Its page does not state the language of services, so write to ask.
Lebendige Quelle Mission e.V. ↗
A free church at Regensburger Straße 95; the site is in German with an English version.
🇻🇳 Living in Weiden in der Oberpfalz as a Vietnamese student
Weiden has no Vietnamese association or pagoda with its own site. The Vietnamese Embassy's consular section is in Berlin.
Consular section for passports, legalisation and consular fees. The embassy began issuing electronic passports on 1 April 2026.
The Fachschaften run events for each faculty and can introduce you to students in your degree.
🇧🇩 Living in Weiden in der Oberpfalz as a Bangladeshi student
Weiden has no Bangladeshi association with its own site; the nearest official contact is the embassy in Berlin, which takes consular requests only by appointment.
Embassy of Bangladesh, Berlin ↗
E-passport, visa, certificate and attestation services, all by prior appointment through the embassy's website.
City of Weiden integration officer ↗
A contact point for newcomers and local networks: integration@weiden.de, phone 09 61 / 81 - 10 04, in the Neue Rathaus.
🇳🇵 Living in Weiden in der Oberpfalz as a Nepali student
Weiden has no Nepali community organisation with its own website. Nepal's embassy is in Berlin.
Guerickestraße 27, 10587 Berlin. Passports, visas, travel documents, power of attorney and document attestation.
A German buddy at OTH who helps with official errands during your first weeks.
🇵🇰 Living in Weiden in der Oberpfalz as a Pakistani student
Weiden has no Pakistani association with its own site. The city lists three mosques, and the Embassy of Pakistan is in Berlin.
Passport and attestation services, including a digital power of attorney, with details on the embassy's consular pages.
The city lists the Arabisch-Deutsche Moschee (Hochstraße 5 a), the Selimiye Camii (Weidingweg 61) and the Yeni Cami (Frühlingstraße 4). Ask which languages services use and whether they welcome students.
🇨🇲 Living in Weiden in der Oberpfalz as a Cameroonian student
Weiden has no Cameroonian association with its own website. The Embassy of Cameroon is in Berlin, and the city has Catholic and Evangelical parishes.
Ulmenallee 32, 14050 Berlin. Passport pre-enrolment, consular card, power of attorney and birth-certificate transcription.
A Catholic parish whose church is the Art Nouveau landmark of the town, with a parish office at Bürgermeister-Prechtl-Straße 15. Its site mentions no English-language services, so ask the Pfarrbüro.
Evangelical university chaplaincy ↗
Open to all members of the university, whatever their background.
🇨🇳 Living in Weiden in der Oberpfalz as a Chinese student
Weiden has no Chinese association with its own website. The Chinese Consulate General in Munich is the nearest consulate, and OTH asks applicants from China for an APS certificate.
Consulate General of the People's Republic of China, Munich ↗
Passports, travel documents and notarial services. Details on the consulate's site, mostly in Chinese.
Contacts for incoming students and advice on the application process.
English-taught programmes in Weiden in der Oberpfalz
Soonest open deadline first. Every entry links to its official source.
- Digital Technology and Management (BSc)Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Amberg-Weiden (OTH) · Weiden in der OberpfalzbachelorSee sourceCheck source
- Industrial Engineering (BEng)Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Amberg-Weiden (OTH) · Weiden in der OberpfalzbachelorSee sourceCheck source
- Information Systems & Management (MSc/Professional Master's Programme)Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Amberg-Weiden (OTH) · Weiden in der OberpfalzmasterSee sourceCheck source
- International Business (BA)Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Amberg-Weiden (OTH) · Weiden in der OberpfalzbachelorSee sourceCheck source
- International Management & Sustainability (MA)Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Amberg-Weiden (OTH) · Weiden in der OberpfalzmasterSee sourceCheck source
- Medical Engineering (BEng)Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Amberg-Weiden (OTH) · Weiden in der OberpfalzbachelorSee sourceCheck source
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