TechnologieRegion Karlsruhe TechnologieRegion Karlsruhe

Culturally Senstive Information

Baden-Wuerttemberg welcomes people from a wide variety of cultures with open arms. Indeed, 2.8 million of its citizens – that's 26% of the population – are from a migrant background. Religious life in this region is thus as diverse as the people who live here. The Karlsruhe TechnologyRegion is home to a great many churches, mosques, synagogues, community centers, and other places of worship. 

In addition to listing the region's religious communities, this section provides contact information for the Karlsruhe TechnologyRegion's most prominent cultural and immigrant associations. Since your religious traditions and other customs can influence many aspects of everyday life in Germany, we also hope to offer you some practical tips to help you settle in. We can answer a variety of questions, such as where you can buy halal meat or kosher foods. Did you know that after a period of 70 years, kosher products have once again been available for purchase in the region since 2013?   

Finally, this section also includes an overview of the public holidays observed in Germany. 

Here, we have compiled a list of the religious faiths present in the Karlsruhe TechnologyRegion. Please note that this list should not be considered exhaustive.

Baden-Baden

  • Catholic Church
  • Protestant Church in Baden
  • Protestant Lutheran Church
  • Jewish religious community
  • Jewish Religious Community Baden-Baden
  • Islamic communities
  • Old Catholic Church
  • Romanian Orthodox Church
  • Russian Orthodox Church
  • Protestant Methodist Church
  • Independent Evangelical Church (Baptist) 
  • Free Evangelical communities
  • Evangelischer Verein für innere Mission A.B. e.V. (Augsburg Confession association)
  • Seventh-Day Adventist community
  • Jehova's Witnesses
  • Jesus Haus
  • Neuapostolische Kirche Baden-Württemberg K.d.ö.R. (New Apostolic Church)
  • Treffpunkt Leben (Christian community)

More information

 

Bretten

  • Catholic Church communities
  • Protestant Church communities
  • Jehova's Witnesses
  • Treffpunkt Leben (Christian community)

More information

 

Bruchsal

  • Protestant Church of Christ communities
  • Protestant Church communities
  • Catholic parish
  • New Apostolic Church
  • Free Evangelical community

More information

 

Bühl

  • Catholic Church communities
  • Protestant Church community
  • Jehova's Witnesses
  • New Apostolic Church
  • Gemeinde in der Konkordia (independent Evangelical Church community)

More information

 

Ettlingen

  • Catholic Church communities
  • Protestant Church communities
  • Liebenzeller Gemeinde Ettlingen (Liebenzell community)
  • New Apostolic Church

More information

 

Gaggenau

  • Catholic Church community
  • Protestant Church communities

More information

 

Karlsruhe

  • Catholic Church communities
  • Protestant Church communities
  • Karlsruhe is also home to 11 registered mosques, which we have listed along with their addresses in a box on the side of this page. 
  • Jewish religious community


Rastatt

  • Catholic Church communities
  • Protestant Church communities
  • Islamic communities
  • Adventgemeinde Rastatt (Adventist community)
  • Brücke zum Leben Freie christliche Gemeinde e. V. (non-denominational Christian community)
  • Independent Evangelical Church community
  • Freie evangelische Gemeinde Rastatt (Evangelical Free Church community)
  • Gemeinde Unerschütterlicher Grund (independent Russian-language church community)
  • Missione Evangelica Italiana (Italian Evangelical Mission)
  • New Apostolic Church
  • Jehova's Witnesses

More information

 

Stutensee

  • Catholic Church communities
  • Protestant Church communities
  • Liebenzell community
  • New Apostolic Church
  • Evangelischer Verein für innere Mission A.B. e.V. (Augsburg Confession association)

More information

 

Waghäusel

  • Catholic Church communities
  • Protestant Church communities
  • Jehova's Witnesses

More information

Mosques in Karlsruhe

Moving to a region with a different culture often entails some fairly major changes in terms of one's eating habits. To help you settle into the Karlsruhe TechnologyRegion in this respect, as well, we have put together a list of local businesses and addresses where you can buy halal meat and kosher or vegan food products.  

Kosher foods

Since 2013, our Jewish fellow citizens have been able to purchase kosher products at Scheck-In Center in Karlsruhe. This opportunity is unique throughout the region for the some 1,000 members of Karlsruhe's Jewish community, who previously had to travel to Strasbourg or Frankfurt for kosher food.

Tip

Scheck-In Center does not stock its kosher products in a dedicated section; they are found on shelves next to similar non-kosher items. The products available for purchase include chocolate cake, wine, milk, olives, and gummy bears made with certified kosher gelatin. Kosher cold cuts and other meats can be found in the frozen foods section.

Vegan foods

Those wishing to adhere to a vegan diet can buy corresponding foods at a variety of locations. A number of health food stores and supermarkets, for example, specialize in selling 100% organically certified goods. You can also purchase vegan products at the region's weekly farmer's markets [side box listing farmer's markets in the Karlsruhe TechnologyRegion) or at specialty stores.        

If you prefer to go out for a vegan meal instead of cooking yourself, you will find more and more vegan restaurants or restaurants that offer vegan food in the region.

And another interesting piece of information for all students in TRK: Did you know that Karlsruhe is one of the most vegan-friendly dining halls in 2019 according to a PETA survey?

Halal meat

Many Muslims are interested in buying halal meat, and doing so is no problem in the Karlsruhe TechnologyRegion. Below, we present an overview of addresses (listed by city) where halal meat is available for purchase. Please note that this overview should not be considered exhaustive

Karlsruhe

ANADOLU GIDA PAZARI

Schützenstr. 65
D - 76137 Karlsruhe
Tel. +49 (0) 721 377 611

BAYBURT GIDA PAZARI

Wilhelmstr. 70
D - 76137 Karlsruhe
Tel. + 49 (0) 721 33201

GAZIANTEP GIDA

Keramikweg 1
D - 76227 Karlsruhe
Tel. +49 (0) 721 495 226

HELAL ET Fleischhandel GmbH

Durlacher Allee 62
D - 76131 Karlsruhe
Tel. +49 (0) 721 698 818

SINDBAD-MARKT

Adlerstraße 36
D - 76133 Karlsruhe
Tel. +49 (0) 721 3844 144

TAURUS LEBENSMITTEL

Seminarstr. 7
D - 76133 Karlsruhe
Tel. +49(0) 721 29412

Bretten

CIFTCI PAZARI

Bismarkstr. 4
D - 75015 Bretten
Tel. +49 (0) 7252 1249

Ettlingen

HELAL ET GmbH

Englerstr. 2
D - 76275 Ettlingen
Tel. +49 (0) 7243 949 750

Contact

Scheck-In Center
Rüppurrer Str.1
D - 76137
Karlsruhe
Telephone: +49 (0) 721 352 580

Would you like to find out more about the cultural associations and international communities that operate in the Karlsruhe TechnologyRegion? The city of Karlsruhe has assembled a list of all registered societies of immigrant organizations within the city and the greater Karlsruhe district.  

The list below represents a small selection of cultural and immigrant associations within the Karlsruhe TechnologyRegion. You can also obtain information on further societies and organizations from the region's integration offices or the integration representatives of local cities (side box with links to integration representatives).

 

Baden-Baden

More information

Circolo Italo-Tedesco
Deutsch-Italienischer
Kreis e. V. (German-Italian group) 

Lichtentalerstraße 64D
76530 Baden-Baden
Telephone: +49 (0)7221 27 15 90
E-mail: italo-kreis@t-online.de
To the website

Landsmannschaft der
Deutschen aus Russland (Germans from Russia, Baden-Baden/Rastatt chapter)

Elvira Enns
D - 76532 Baden-Baden
Telephone: +49 (0)7221 96 74 56
E-mail: elviraenns@web.de

To the website

Türkisch-deutscher Verein
für Kultur- und Bildungswesen (Turkish-German cultural and education association)

Emine Akgül
Rosenstraße 1A
D - 76593 Gernsbach
Telephone: +49 (0)7224 65 53 76
E-mail: akguel_1977@hotmail.com

Baden-Baden and Rastatt's network of interpreters is another offering unique to the region. 

This cooperative involves several partners from the Rastatt district and the city of Baden-Baden. Its founder and coordinator is Diakonie, the social welfare organization of Germany's Protestant churches.

The network seeks to promote equality in education and society at large for families and individuals from immigrant backgrounds. It supports parents and their activities at educational institutions by providing trained interpreting services free of charge. 

The network's volunteer interpreters can assist you in the following areas:

  • Schools and kindergartens
  • Information centers
  • Public authorities

Languages covered by the network:

  • Albanian
  • Arabic (Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Eritrea)
  • Bosnian
  • English
  • French
  • Croatian
  • Kurdish (Kurmanji/Bahdini, Sorani)
  • Makua (Mozambique)
  • Persian
  • Polish
  • Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal)
  • Romanian
  • Russian
  • Serbian
  • Spanish
  • Tamil (Sri Lanka)
  • Tigrinya (Eritrea)
  • Turkish
  • Ukrainian
  • Hungarian

Bruchsal / Landkreis Karlsruhe

Stadtteilmütter (mothers' integration association) 

Bürgerbüro Bruchsal
Rathaus am Holzmarkt
Fridays, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (midday)
First office door on the left

To the website

Karlsruhe

Deutschsprachiger
Muslimkreis Karlsruhe (German-speaking Muslims) 


Rintheimer Strasse 15
D - 76131 Karlsruhe
Telephone: +49 (0) 721 22307
Fax: +49 (0) 721 22304
E-mail: info@dmk-karlsruhe.de
To the website

Verein für Dialog und
Völkerverständigung
in Karlsruhe e.V. (association for international understanding) 

Annur Moschee
Pfannkuchstr. 7
D - 76185 Karlsruhe
Telephone: +49 (0) 721 678 685
Fax: +49 (0) 721 678 779
E-mail: info@annur.de
To the website

Spanischsprachige Christen
in Karlsruhe (Spanish-speaking Christians in Karlsruhe)

Am Wald 02  
D - 76149 Karlsruhe
Telephone: +49 (0) 721 352 9100
E-mail: rene@encuentro.de
To the website

Iranisches Kulturzentrum (Iranian cultural center)

Kaiserallee 12d
D - 76135 Karlsruhe
Telephone: +49 (0) 172 722 7704
(Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 – 7:00 p.m.)
E-mail: info@ikzka.eu

Deutsch-Pakistanische
Gesellschaft Karlsruhe e.V. (German-Pakistani society) 

Vorholzstraße 8
D - 76137 Karlsruhe
Telephone: +49 (0) 721 858698
To the website

Bretten

DAF-Internationaler Freundeskreis (association for cultural understanding)


Ruth Weida
Otto-Hahn-Str. 16/1
D - 75015 Bretten
Telephone: +49 (0) 7252 42017
E-mail: RuthWeida@web.de
To the website

DITIB Türkisch Islamische
Gemeinde zur Grüne Moschee e.V. (Turkish-Islamic association) 

Bismarkstraße 2a
D - 75015 Bretten
Telephone: +49 (0)176 6475 4232

Italienisches Zentrum
Centro Culturale Italiano (Italian cultural center)


Am Husarenbaum 39
D - 75015 Bretten
Telephone: +49 (0)7252 562 2107

Sundays and public holidays are afforded special protection in Germany. A related law (Feiertagsgesetz, FTG) prohibits publicly conspicuous activities that would disrupt the tranquility such days are meant to provide.

The FTG designates the following as public holidays:

  • New Year's Day (January 1)
  • Epiphany (January 6)
  • Good Friday
  • Easter Monday
  • International Workers' Day (May 1)
  • Ascension Day
  • Whit Monday
  • Corpus Christi
  • All Saints' Day (November 1)
  • Christmas and Boxing Day (December 25-26) 

Based on German federal law, October 3 is also observed as German Unification Day. Those holidays for which no date is specified fall on different days every year. A simple online search is enough to find out when a particular holiday will be observed in a given year. 

If you belong to a religious community other than Christianity, you may be able to have your child (or children) excused from school on the religious holidays you observe. This applies, for example, to Muslims – the largest religious minority in Germany – who celebrate Eid al-Adha. Since this is not a public holiday in Germany, only the first day is observed in most cases. It is possible, however, to have Muslim students excused from school for this initial day. To do so, their parents (or legal guardians) must submit a corresponding request in due time to their children's class teachers.