Offenbach: How bad is it? 

Offenbach is also very popular for students who can´t afford the rents in Frankfurt. Like me. For students it´s a good alternative since the two city cores are only 10-15 minutes apart via S-Bahn. Once you really get to know the city it´s not that bad and i´m actually very happy with my decision to move from Frankfurt to Offenbach since my girlfriend and i now pay around the same rent together than i was paying alone in Frankfurt for a much smaller place. That being said, i don´t know of a single student who plans to stay in Offenbach longer than necessary.

I guess it's quite typical for the Rhine Main area. Wiesbaden, Darmstadt, Rüsselsheim, Aschaffenburg... these are all places which might be ok to live and work at but not really tourist destinations. Also Frankfurt is mostly known for its airport. Seriously have you ever heard anybody say "let's spend a romantic weekend in Frankfurt"? Europe has better to offer.

From a culinary standpoint a visit is actually highly recommended. Check either Yelp or Tripadvisor for Restaurants and you will see a very high percentage of 4,5-5* ratings :) The mixed populace have made for some very diverse restaurants, and the prices are very fair compared to Frankfurt.

I feel like today’s local hero of Offenbach is Haftbefehl.

Very interesting video. I like seeing you not only showing nice cities, or just nice parts of cities, but more like how a city actually is. It is also nice to get your honest opinions about these places. Imho these honest videos that are more like constructive criticism are even more interesting than only seeing the touristy areas. I would love to see more videos about "non-touristy-places" surrounding the touristy cities (like in this case Frankfurt). Heidelberg would also be a good example. It is very touristy, but has several big cities surrounding it that are more like in the background of Heidelberg.

In our stage show we used to tell this joke: "When we first heard about 'fifty shades of grey' we thought it was an architecture documentary about Offenbach."

I like this video even though it was not recommending the city of Offenbach. I'm from America, where we know how to make really ugly cities! (LOL) Also, when I read the title, I was thinking of the French 19th century composer of Gaîté Parisienne (can-can dance)! (another LOL). Offenbach looks a lot like some of the less appealing areas in and around Boston, Massachusetts. We have SOME nice 18th century buildings (i.e. Paul Revere house, Old North Church) but most of the city is an urban sprawl. And, of course, I imagine even the folks in Germany have heard of the famous "Boston Drivers" - where the word "rude" takes on a whole new meaning! I agree, city planning can be a problem. I think Leonardo came up with the idea of walkways separated from streets. While it looked great from ABOVE (trees and parklands) -- as you pointed out, BELOW was a different story. Think of what elevated railways did to city streets (as in New York City, which eventually tore them down.) thanks for the video and PLEASE keep making them. I always enjoy your tourist videos!

You forgot to mention Kickers Offenbach,,the greatest club in the world. And the markets are praised even by most frankfurters,,,other than that it was a fair judgement on this city. Due to the lower rent people can improve their life quality here easier than in Frankfurt

I lived in Offenbach for 2 years about 15 years ago when i was a student and it was ok. It was good for a student couple that didn't have much money but it was a bit boring and some areas of the city were kinda rough.

I'm disappointed that you didn't show Büsing Palais and the nice park next to it. The market is praised even by Frankfurters and the shopping street is a very lively place.

Thank you for talking about that city. In enjoy getting info about all sorts of citys in my country germany :D I didnt even know it was so close to Frankfurt.

Yeah buildings look ugly(and there is no help with that) but city looks like it is well maintained. Maybe it's not great for tourists but for people who want to live in it its amazing. First of all it is city with population of 140k people and you have everything in it...nice gyms, restaurants, all kinds of shops, shopping mall, shopping pedestrian streets...and if that's not enough than Frankfurt's city center is 7.5 km(by car) away and two city centers are connected with S-bahn(cheap and convenient). If you decide to take a bike ride than two city centers (Offenbach-Frankfurt) are just 6.6km away...so that's around 22 minutes on bike. On top of that one of best airports in Europe is just 18km away. And yeah you can easily work in Frankfurt to make more money, and live in Offenbach to spend less.

I used to live in Offenbach for a while before emigrating to Liverpool in the UK. The rents are way more affordable as others have already mentioned in the comment and while I agree with your assessment the city of Offenbach is well connected and one can easily go to Frankfurt, Wiesbaden and Mainz from there.

Offenbachs license plate is OF. That is "ohne Führerschein" (without drivers license) ...

I like that you went to see the city for yourself, made a video and gave an honest and considered opinion. I enjoy the videos you make of everyday trips (like your local area) as it shows a more realistic view of life. Did you make this at the same time as the Frankfurt video, or do you visit regularly?

Always interesting information here!

Offenbach is famous for the staff of the Auslandsamt being fired for demanding bribes in the late 1970’s for Aufenthaltsgenehmigungen. It is the only place I know of in Germany to see Indian cricket played on concrete surfaces. The players were Indians employed at the KWU.

I love your honesty...

Da wahr der Kerl nicht am Hafen da sieht es aus wie in Miami. Kann jeden empfehlen. Die Restorants Offenbachs sind Legendär.

wenn offenbach so schlimm ist, warum brauch es erst einen offenbacher, um frankfurts altstadt wieder aufzubauen?

Die Offenbacher S-Bahntunelstationen sind gestaltungstechnisch egentlich die schönsten der Region.Die Idee den Umgebungsplan als Relief in die Stationswand einzubauen, finde ich schlicht genial. Allerdings gibt halt auch unschönes wie, das an der S-Bahn von Offenbach nach Dietzenbach man Blechplatten an die Isolatoren der S-Bahnoberleitung anbringen musste, weil igrenwelche Schwachmaten die glorreiche Idee hatten, die Isolatoren wiederholt als Ziel für Schießübungen zu benutzen...

I live in Offenbach and its a good city

Offenbach was actually a really nice city when I lived there in the 70s up to the 80s... Clean with beautiful flowers along certain streets and full of great parks some old destroyed buildings from the war...but lots of work for anyone that was willing to make a few "marks" people were also somehow friendly, respectful and disciplined....I really don't know what happened to the city budget or who bailed out instead of looking after it...but my guess is to ask some of your politicians...

I'm an Offenbacher, so I am obligated to like Offenbach (although I haven't actually made it there yet).

It seems that it's just a regular city, from your video it looks like, maybe a bit dull, but quite well-kept even. And modernism in urban planning is maybe unpleasant, but I think many of us has an incorrigible modernist inside, who really like this kind of stuff ;)

Living in Offenbach and working in Frankfurt is the best thing that can happen to you.

The worst is the city center. Looks like Baghdad or Islamabad.

Hey Andrew, come to Bad Vilbel. ;) I moved to Germany last year from London and have chosen Bad Vilbel to live. It's a cute and historic city with water springs and a wald as a plus. Any interest in making a video of the city? ;)

Der Grund ist meines Wissens nach nicht das Aussehen der Stadt sondern die verhältnismäßig hohe Kriminalität und öffentlich sehr feindliche Haltung gegenüber Polizisten/Soldaten/Ordnungsbeamten.

I've been living - part time - in Frankfurt for almost 10 years and yes...there are some hidden gems in Offenbach to find (depending on your interests). And you didn't mentioned that in Offenbach the headquarter of Deutscher Wetterdienst is located. Looking from above to your "neighbours" on the other side of the river? Reminds me of the struggle between Cologne and their right side of the Rhein districit of Deutz...often referred to be the "schääl sick" (blind side). This comes from past times when ships were towed uptream by horses whose left eye were covered not to be blinded (and irrritated) by reflections on the water.

2:13 Reminds me of Hanover's Raschplatz :D

Offenbach was also designated the new home of expatriated Silesians from the town of Neusalz an der Oder (today Nowa Sol in Poland) after 1945.

Other realms of clueless drivers: Ennepetal, Nienburg, Lippe, Hildesheim...

Was going to get hotel in Frankfurt but Offenbach hotels were cheaper..

Offenbach is the ghettoooooo

0:48 looks worse than pigeons pooping on Friedrichstraße

Was kommt denn da fürn wüster Krach aus Frankfurt, Darmstadt, Offenbach?

People keep mixing up the name of my birthplace with "Offenbach", but other than that, I don't know much about the city.

...and - are they able to drive in Offenbach...??? :-)

Now that's refreshing! I'm a born citizen of (The [formerly] Free and [even more formerly] Imperial City of) Frankfurt and live in one of it's Wetterau dormitory suburbs, I work in Offenbach.... and guess in what field I ended up despite of 10 years of academic studies? Yes.. (by a rather extended definition...) leather... footwear actually... orthopaedic one that is. However ever since working there and spending my (rather generous) pauses there shopping, eating and generally exploring I found it to be a far nicer place than the looks and traditional resentment suggest. Mind that some of the age old resentments come from the fact that Offenbach was part of Grand Duchy of Hesse Darmstadt and Frankfurt was it's own city state of the Imperial and after the Old Empire just free city state of Frankfurt, seat of the Imperial Diet... so when the German War of 1866 saw Prussia roll over the rest of the Federation, the Grand Duchy, despite of being on the loosing side, got to be a fresh ally of the victors and Frankfurt was swallowed and integrated pretty much against it's will into Prussia... something that the Offenbachers of course did not fail to remind the good citizens of Frankfurt at every turn and chance they got.... and there you see the origins of the ETERNAL feud between Offenbach, ever the proletarian underdog, and the banking and trade fair city of Frankfurt... ;) Best regards Raoul G. Kunz

Offenbach is pretty ugly, but in some places it has its charme. Osnabrück though is just plain ugly and irredeemable. While Offenbach pales next to Frankfurt in terms of city aesthetics and reputation, comparing Münster and Osnabrück, which are also close to eachother, would be a straight up insult to Münster.

And now what is about the OF drivers?

I lived there and liked it

Offenbach is great!

South East Terror

I've always wondered why Offenbach did not just become part of Frankfurt. There is no separating open space between the two cities.

IAM from offembach

Ugly? That's what they say about Gießen and Gelsenkirchen

Offenbach am 🌊 ist die schönste Stadt der Welt 🌍🇩🇪👐🏻🇦🇱

Heftig dort!

Kann ich so unterschreiben. PS geborener Frankfurter

I've never heard of Offenbach

Ja❤

Habt ihr vielleicht schon gemerkt, dass nur Leute ohne Eier, schlecht über Offenbach reden? Und genau dessen Frauen, halten Offenbach FIT 😜

Mehr wie Awfulbach hab ich recht

Offenbach is the best city 069

Erster (1st) :D

Sieht ja noch hässlicher aus als Mannheim :-D Und das fand ich schon hart, bisher meine Nr. 1 unter den hässlichsten Städten, in denen ich war.

Though I live in Frankfurt for almost 4 years, I don't have resssentiments towards Offenbach. I am originally near from Heidelberg. Nevertheless I hate drivers from Offenbach.

Niemand fährt nach Offenbach.

it sure is unattractive!

How bad is Offenbach? Quite bad ... ;-)

Also es gibt auch orte in Offenbach du schön Sind und ich finde Offenbach ist jetzt nicht so schlimm es gibt auch Schöne Orte dort

Many call it "New Islamabad"

It has an even higher ratio of North African and Near East immigrants and descendants of immigrants than Frankfurt proper. To no surprise this doesn't improve the city. Btw even these immigrants themselves (I know some of them personally, as I work in Frankfurt) say it is a crappy place.