Guten Tag! In my last post, I gave you some vocabulary to describe where in the country you are, and what sort of place it is (you can read that post here!). Following on from that post, I thought it’d be useful to include a selection of signs and notices you might come across when out and about in Germany – both the type you’d find somewhere städtisch (urban), and the type you’d find somewhere ländlich (rural).

Note: I haven’t included the genders of the words as I usually do, because you don’t tend to see them on signs. If you’d like to learn more about German word genders in general, try this post!

German City And Countryside Signs

City signs

When you’re out exploring a city, town, or other urban area, here are some signs you might come across – some more common than others!

Bahnhof – Train station

Stadtmitte – City centre

Parkplatz – Car park (also represented by a big P on a blue background)

Toiletten – Toilets

U-Bahn – Underground train system (also represented by a big U on a blue background)

S-Bahn – Suburban train system (also represented by a big S on a green background)

Gleis – Platform (at a train station)

Bushaltestelle – Bus stop (also represented by a big H on a yellow & green background)

Ausgang – Exit

Eingang – Entrance

Einkaufszentrum – Shopping centre

Radweg – Cycle lane

Rathaus – Town/city hall

Polizei – Police (police station)

Schwimmbad – Swimming pool

Schloß – Castle

Flughafen – Airport

Krankenhaus – Hospital (also represented by a red cross)

Bibliothek – Library

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Now here are some less obvious, but nevertheless important, signs and notices you may spot:

Straßensperrung – Road closure

Gesperrt – Closed

Umleitung – Diversion

Streik – Strike

Maskenpflicht – Mask requirement (a very new, topical sign, obviously!)

Mit Parkschein – With parking ticket (only those with a valid parking ticket may park here)

Bewohner – Residents (only residents may park here)

Parkscheinautomat – Parking ticket machine

Straßenschäden – Street damage

Radwegschäden – Cycle path damage

Dachschäden – Roof damage

Gewegschäden – Pedestrian path damage

 

Countryside

Arguably more important than city signs – because you’re often out in the middle of nowhere, with no one to ask for help! – here are a selection of German words you may come across on signs when out hiking in the wilderness of Germany:

Willkommen in unserem Wald – Welcome to our forest

Wanderweg – Walking path

Hauptwanderweg – Main walking path

Rundwanderweg – Round-trip walking path

Waldhaus – A restaurant/pub/hotel in the forest, usually prefaced or followed by a place/company name eg. Zwieseler Waldhaus.

Bergspitze – Mountain top

Halt! – Stop!

Lebensgefahr – Danger of death

Betreten auf eigene Gefahr – Enter at your own risk

Privatgrundstück – Private grounds/area

Küstenabbrüche – Coastal erosion/unsteady cliff

Wasserfall – Waterfall

Betreten/Durchgang verboten – Access forbidden

Vorsicht! Freilaufender Bulle – Be careful! Bull running free

Wölfe – Wolves

Zecke – Tick

Achtung Loipe – Warning, cross-country ski slope (this may be accompanied by follow-up warnings, such as ‘Kein Fußweg’ (No walking path), and ‘Die Loipe ist kein Wanderweg’ (This ski slope is not a hiking trail’)).

Zum Strand – To the beach

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I hope you find this useful!

Bis bald (see you soon),
Constanze