Alexandra R

Alexandra Rau is a journalist and section editor (News) for The Munich Eye.

Professionally coming from an administration management background, she used her knowledge of German culture and business practices to help TME grow and reach a larger audience in the wider English-speaking German community.

Alexandra started working for TME in 2012.

Originally born in Baden-Württemberg, Alexandra has lived and worked in and around Munich since her early childhood.

Role: General Editor, News
No. of articles: 160
Email: Please use the contact form to contact Alexandra R.

Okavango Delta Mobile Safari - Part III

This article is continued from Part I, and Part II. Ending our stay in Savuti with a lantern-lit dinner under the stars...

Deutsches Museum becomes fit for the future

Image Max-k muc, Wikipedia, Creative Commons License

The Deutsches Museum in Munich is one of the largest science and technology museums in the world. It has been undergoing...

What to consider regarding Corona when taking out health insurance

When taking out a health insurance policy one must deal with the corona question as an infection can be relevant for the...

Private health insurance for professions

Different professions have different requirements for taking out private heath insurance in Germany. Here is an...

New Lockdown in Germany

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Minister Presidents of the federal states have agreed on more stringent corona...

Flood of pizza boxes in German cities

In urban parks and green spaces, the waste from to-go packaging is piling up. Especially the bulky pizza boxes are a...

Housing construction booming despite Corona

In May 2020, the construction of a total of 32,000 apartments was approved in Germany. According to provisional data, the...

Coronavirus: Avoiding infection in aircraft

There are a number of regulations that must be observed to minimize the risk of infection when flying with SARS...

Six German federal states introduce accommodation bans

Initially the holiday regions in the north of Germany and in Bavaria have issued a ban on accommodation, now the southwest...

The 10 best private health insurance providers in Germany

In a recent study from March 2020, the German Society for Consumer studies (DtGV) examined how good the price-performance...

Bavarian government announces further easing of measures

The Bavarian cabinet elaborated on further easing of the anti-corona measures on May 26. Here are the most important...

Violence against men: Nuremberg Caritas offers shelter

The Nuremberg Caritas needs more housing for men who are victims of domestic violence. The charity has set up a flat where...

Changes coming into effect in May in Germany

From 1 May, several regulations and changes will come into force in Germany that affect the everyday life of many...

Munich Oktoberfest 2020 cancelled due to corona crisis

The Munich Oktoberfest and the Central Agricultural Festival on the Theresienwiese are cancelled due to Corona. This was...

First alleviations of corona measures announced in Germany

After almost four weeks, the first measures to combat the coronavirus in Germany are being loosened - but private and...

Germany Private Health Insurance and Corona

The number of corona infections in Germany is increasing every day - despite efforts by the health authorities to limit...

Additional support for German healthcare

In order to cope with the corona crisis and to protect Germany from possible consequences, the government has agreed on a...

Corona and its Effect on the German Health Care System

The corona virus is testing the health systems of many countries. Hospitals in northern Italy are currently working at the...

School closings in Bavaria: The decisions at a glance

No classes at schools, closed kindergartens, a severely restricted right to visit hospitals and care facilities: Bavaria...

Germanwings Strike Action for New Years

The airline trade union UFO has called on flight attendants of the Lufthansa subsidiary Germanwings to strike. A...

All I want for Christmas is - wood!

If you are on the search for a very special Christmas present or a gift for any other occasion of the year such as Easter,...

Digital Supply Act introduced in Germany

The Bundestag has passed a bill for more digitalization in health care. The so-called Digital Supply Act...

The Long Night of Museums - Die Lange Nacht der Münchner Museen

Die Lange Nacht der Münchner Museen is an annual event held in various cities around Germany. For the price of one...

Debate about gamer scene in Germany

Because the perpetrator of the Synagogue attack in Halle had staged his right-wing extremist motivated attack like a...

Is it worth taking out private health insurance?

In Germany, health insurance is legally mandatory. For residents of the country, there are normally two main types of...

Oktoberfest 2019

The 2019 Oktoberfest season starts again on September 21st and lasts till October 6th. Next to the old-established beer...

MVG warning strike on Tuesday - S-Bahn not affected

Public transport users in Munich will have to adjust tomorrow (July 9th 2019) to the fact that buses, trams and subways...

Japan starts commercial whaling again

In recent years, whales have been hunted by Japanese whalers, at least officially, for research purposes only. After Tokyo...

Munich: S-Bahn main line blocked on the weekend

Due to maintenance work the main S-Bahn line between Pasing and Ostbahnhof will be completely closed from Friday, May 10th...

Referendum against rent increases announced for Bavaria

The Munich Tenants' Association "DMB Mieterverein München e.V." wants to attain a stop for rent increases in Bavaria, and...

Job cuts at Volkswagen

The Volkswagen Group plans to cut an additional 5,000 to 7,000 jobs over the next five years for its core brand VW...

BMW and Daimler team up

BMW and Daimler have just recently merged their mobility services. The next step is now the future cooperation between the...

Save the bees petition kicks off in Bavaria

From today onwards, entitled voters can register in the town halls for the Volksbegehren "Biodiversity - Save the...

Private Health Insurance in Germany - Pros and Cons

The choice between private and statutory health insurance (public health insurance) and the specific services depends on...

Japan Travel Guide: Nara

In preparation for Japan 2020, we take a look at various elements of Japanese life and culture, as well as travel tips,...

Self-employed in Germany can finally afford health insurance

For self-employed and small businesses, health insurance has been an expensive nuisance. Many fled to private insurance...

Fujitsu cuts 1,800 jobs in Germany

As announced today, the Augsburg Fujitsu site will be closed by September 2020. A total of 1,500 jobs are affected in...

German Private Health Insurance Explained

Health insurance in Germany is an insurance against the risk of diseases and their consequences. As an independent branch...

Oktoberfest 2018

This year the 185th Munich Oktoberfest will take place from 22 September to 07 October 2018 with both brand new...

Bye Bye, Obikes!

Rental bike provider Obike from Singapore has started to withdraw a large part of their fleet from Munich. From the end of...

Olympiaturm Turns 50

Munich's Olympic Tower was opened exactly 50 years ago - on February 22nd 1968 - for the first time. With its exactly...

Top 10 Sledging Hills for Kids in Munich

If you're looking for a sledging opportunity in Munich where you can easily take your kids without much fuss, here are...

DB Sprinter Hits Technical Issues

It should have been the glorious end of a long and expensive journey; after more than 25 years of planning, political...

Second S-Bahn weekend maintenance closures

For the second - and last - time of the year, the S-Bahn Stammstrecke (main line) will be out of service due to repair and...

Munich Students Win Hyperloop Contest

Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and the aerospace company SpaceX, launched the "Hyperloop Pod Competition" in 2015. The...

Stolen Dachau KZ-gate Now on Display

The historic main gate of the former concentration camp at Dachau was stolen in November 2014 and recovered at the end of...

Municipal security guards for Munich

Following a city council decision from 2016, the Kreisverwaltungsreferat (department of district administration) submitted...

Biergarten Season Finally Arrives

It´s summer in the city and most Munich people can be found in what they call their second living room: their favorite...

Teenage girl drowns in Eisbach

The surfing-wave in English Garden is a popular highlight with both tourists and locals. A reminder of Munich's relaxed...

Topshop and Topman Coming to Munich

The British fashion labels "Topshop" and "Topman" will open a shop in Munich this summer. The collections for women and...

Munich Airport 25th anniversary

25 years ago, on May 17th 1992, Munich's Franz Josef Strauss airport went into operation. The anniversary will be...

S-Bahn Weekend Maintenance Closures

Starting on Friday, May 12th 2017 at 10:45pm and ending on Monday, May 15th 2017 4.30am, the S-Bahn Stammstrecke (main...

Frühlingsfest (spring festival) 21.04.2017 - 07.05.2017 Theresienwiese

The 53rd "Mini-Wiesn" is currently taking place at the Theresienwiese München, providing young and grown-up visitors with...

Munich OEZ Mall Attack: crazed gunman right-wing minded

According to the official inquiry report into the Munich OEZ mall attack on July 22nd 2016, the gunman - 18 year old David...

On Mobile Safari in the Okavango Delta - Part II

This article is continued from Part I, located here. On day 4 of our mobile safari, the camp was broken up by the staff...

Beautiful Botswana - On Mobile Safari in the Okavango Delta

Endless space, in the middle of wilderness, pure nature around you, special encounters, fascinating animal observations,...

Online contracts easier to cancel from July 1

Consumers in Germany will find it easier to cancel contracts they have concluded online from July 1. This is the result of...

Top 10 things to do Victoria Falls

If you are ending up on the Zimbabwean side of the Victoria Falls after a mobile camping safari like we did, or happen to...

Train Drivers' Union GDL goes on strike

The train drivers' union GDL has decided to go on strike at Deutsche Bahn. In the union's ballot, 95 per cent of the...

Reuse of FFP2 masks for private use

FFP2 masks are used in healthcare sectors where there is an increased risk of infection. Designed as a single-use product,...

Corona brings health insurance companies to their financial limits

The costs of the corona crisis are a burden on health insurance companies. The Techniker Krankenkasse health insurance...

Most Christmas markets in Germany cancelled for 2020

Until recently, Germany was still looking good in terms of running Christmas markets in 2020. Many cities, organisers and...

Warning strikes in the public sector

LATEST: Commuters will have to be prepared for warning strikes in public transport (ÖPNV) nationwide on Tuesday...

Nationwide warning day

A nationwide warning day will be held for the first time on September 10, 2020, and from then on will be held every second...

IGel-Report 2020 of the health insurance association

Three out of four patients are familiar with individual health services (IGeL) in a doctor's practice. IGeL, which can do...

Tourism in Upper Bavaria: Munich is not yet recovering

Upper Bavaria is still a popular travel destination. A study by the tourism association now shows: the rural regions are...

Police chase gun nut in Black Forest

An armed man threatened police officers in Oppenau in the Black Forest on Sunday and took their weapons. The 31-year-old...

No subway between Universitaet and Muenchner Freiheit for ten weeks

From Monday, 13.07.2020, the switch system at Münchner Freiheit will be renewed. Due to the construction work, the...

Remdesivir receives approval in Europe

The active ingredient Remdesivir is approved in Europe for the treatment of severe cases of Covid-19 under certain...

No boat trips on the Isar

Due to the heavy rainfalls of the last days, the water level of the Isar river has increased dramtically. Furthermore, the...

Ban on accommodation in Bavaria

Since Thursday (25 June), a ban on accommodation has been in force in Bavaria for people from particularly affected...

PKV for self-employed and freelancers

The self-employed and freelancers can choose freely between the statutory health insurance and the private full health...

Germany implements 130B Corona recovery package

The federal and state governments are launching an economic stimulus package worth 130 billion euros to combat the...

Bundestag decides further corona financial aid

The German state has decided to provid even greater support for working parents, employees on short-time work and...

Corona outbreak after restaurant visit in Lower Saxony

Despite the hygiene and distance concept, seven people have apparently become infected with the coronavirus during a...

Coronavirus probably also contagious via air

Droplets flying through the air when sneezing and coughing spread the corona virus Sars-CoV-2, but tiny droplets floating...

Tax collapse due to corona pandemic in Germany

Taxes are collapsing because of the Corona pandemic. According to tax estimators, the federal, state and local governments...

Bundestag decides corona bonus and expansion of tests

As promised, employees in geriatric care are to receive a Corona bonus this year. This was decided by the Bundestag. In...

Latest Corona Developments in Germany

On April 30th 2020, German Chancellor Angela Merkel presented newely adapted corona rules. First of all it was announced...

Flu vaccination: penultimate wave was deadliest in 30 years

The flu season starts again: time for at-risk patients to get vaccinated! This year, the health insurance companies are...

Masks compulsory from 27 April

With the first reduction of the corona restrictions in Bavaria, Minister President Markus Söder announced today in the...

Bavaria loosens restrictions slightly

Following yesterday's announcements by the German Federal Government, Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder today...

Corona Crisis: many industries desperately seeking employees

Shops and restaurants have closed, events are cancelled, factories lack supplies for their production. The corona crisis...

Sister Act: Bavarian nuns donate toilet paper

During the corona crisis, many affected countries face various problems. Most of these issues are similar, such as exit...

Extension but no tightening of Corona measures in Bavaria

As Bavarias Prime Minister Markus Söder announced in a press conference today, the restrictions on public life that are...

Corona Crisis and its costs for the German Health Insurance System

Politicians, virologists and the leading health institutes in Germany expect 60 to 70 percent of the people in the country...

Immediate financial aid for small businesses

The Bavarian State Government has set up an emergency aid program aimed at businesses and freelancers who have been faced...

Corona Crisis: Germany decides financial rescue package worth billions

To mitigate the consequences of the corona crisis for businesses and citizens, the German federal cabinet has decided on...

Corona Crisis: Drastic Restrictions Nationwide

The German federal government and the federal states have today adopted Germany-wide "guidelines" to limit social contacts...

Coronavirus: New Rules in Bavaria

Prime Minister Markus Söder has declared an emergency in Bavaria because of the corona virus. What this means, which...

International Motor Show (IAA) to take place in Munich from 2021

Munich has been awarded the contract for the largest motor show in Europe, the International Motor Show IAA, as the German...

56th Munich Security Conference from February 14th to 16th

When politicians from all over the world come to Munich for the security conference next weekend, around 3,900 police...

Introduction of the Skilled Immigration Act

Germany facilitates immigration for skilled workers from abroad with the introduction of the Skilled Immigration Act,...

Financial support for artificial fertilization in Bavaria from 2020

From 2020, unintentional childless couples in Bavaria can count on a government grant for the costs of artificial...

Ban on New Year's Eve fireworks in many German cities

This New Year's Eve will be different for many, as a lot of the big cities in Germany set stricter guidelines in terms of...

Munich to host European Championships 2022

Munich is hosting another major event in the summer of 2022: the city has been awarded the contract for the European...

Lufthansa flight attendants on strike again

The flight attendant's union UFO has again called for a two-day strike at Lufthansa. Affected are all departures from...

The system of statutory health insurance in Germany

The central principle of the statutory health insurance system in Germany is the solidarity principle: all members pay...

Lufthansa strikes latest

The union UFO has called flight attendants in Munich and Frankfurt out on a five-hour strike next Sunday. For updates...

Health Insurance for Foreigners in Germany

In Germany health insurance is an obligation: Everyone who is resident in Germany must be able to prove they have health...

Health insurance for foreigners in Germany

Since 2009 it is mandatory for every person with a permanent residence in Germany to have health insurance. Health...

Two billion euro program for innovation in Bavaria

Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) has presented a two-billion-euro program to expand research and innovation in...

Number of gun licenses in Germany rising

Everyone in Germany who wants to carry irritant and signal weapons or a deterrent pistol, needs a so-called small arms...

Oktoberfest Rules

If you are planning to attend this years Oktoberfest, then here are the golden rules every visitor should know: 1....

Police call for witnesses in suspected murder case

According to a press release from the Bavarian Police from July 22nd 2019, a missing case in Munich Ramersdorf has led to...

Fewer hospitals, better healthcare

A study by the Bertelsmann Foundation comes to the conclusion that a reorganization of the hospital landscape in Germany...

Working-age population to decrease by 6 million by 2035

The aging of the population in Germany will continue to increase despite high net immigration and higher birth rates. Over...

New laws and regulations in Germany from July 1st 2019

Many new laws and regulations are coming into effect in Germany from July 1st 2019. Here's a list of the most important...

E-Scooters in Germany

From June 15th 2019, E-Scooters are officially allowed on the streets of Germany. As the country is infamous for its...

Skilled labor shortage in Germany - new immigration law discussed in German Bundestag

A comprehensive new law should attract foreign skilled workers to Germany. The coalition defended the planned...

Police Terrorism Exercises Planned for Hauptbahnhof

During the night from the 7th May to the 8th of May 2019, a police security exercise will take place at Hauptbahnhof,...

Flex-Parking - an experiment in Munich

The city of Munich launches a nationwide one-off pilot trial called Flex-Parking in which bicycles and cars alternate on...

German Federal Government launches sponsoring of games industry

The development of computer games from Germany will from now on be financially supported by the German federal...

Faster appointments for people with public health insurance in Germany

The German Bundestag has voted in favor of a law aimed at improving the supply of health insurance to patients. People...

Bodycams for Bavarian Police

Following the successful completion of a pilot project, the Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann today launches the...

Billions for research funding

The German government wants to promote research and development in German companies with billions of taxpayers' money -...

Munich Security Conference 2019

At the 55th Munich Security Conference in the Hotel Bayerischer Hof from 15.-17.2.2019, politicians from all over the...

Public services on strike in Germany

Due to the public service tariff conflict in German states, restrictions in public offices, schools and university...

Speed limit reprieve on German motorways

The Federal Government of Germany has clearly rejected a general speed limit on German motorways. There would be more...

S-Bahn delays caused by maintenance work

Due to short-term overhead line work between Munich-Isartor and Munich-Marienplatz on January 21st 2019, there are still...

Surplus of public health insurance has risen to 21 billion euros

The statutory health insurance funds achieved a surplus of around EUR 1.86 billion in the first three quarters of the...

UPDATE: German Airports on strike

UPDATE: The warning strikes of the security personnel at German airports continues. On Tuesday January 15th 2019...

Amazon Strike in Germany

In the middle of the Christmas business period, a multi-day strike of workers at the mail order company Amazon started in...

New Strikes Planned for Germany

The latest negotiations between Deutsche Bahn and the German railway and transport union have reached an impasse this...

German murder trial against nurse begins

It is the biggest murder trial in German post-war history; the former nurse Niels Högel is said to have killed at least...

State Parliament Elections in Hesse

Shortly after Bavaria, the German State of Hesse has elected a new State Parliament on Sunday. CDU and SPD have again...

Germany Most Innovative Country Worldwide

According to a new analysis by the World Economic Forum (WEF) from Geneva, the Federal Republic of Germany ranks first in...

German Engineering Recruitment Fair

The VDI Nachrichten recruiting day in Munich is aimed at all job-seeking engineers and IT specialists, whether young...

State Parliament Election Results

Just under 9.5 million Bavarians turned out for the State Parliament Election on Sunday. 18 parties and electorate groups...

Bavarian State Parliament Elections 2018

On October 14th 2018 the 18th election of the Bavarian state parliament after the Second World War will take place in...

Warning strikes announced for public transport

As already announced yesterday by The Munich Eye, the German union Verdi has now also called on employees of the Munich...

Train Crash in Aichach leaves 2 dead and 14 injured

Late on Monday evening, a moving passenger train collided with a stationary freight train which was on the same track. The...

S-Bahn Main Line Closures 2018

In 2018 a lot of inconveniences can be expected for passengers of the Deutsche Bahn and especially the S-Bahn, as the...

Public Services on Strike - Verdi

The German labor union Verdi has announced a nationwide strike throughout Bavaria from Tuesday (March 20th 2018) to...

The Meerkats are back in Town

Munich Zoo (Tierpark Hellabrunn) proudly presents their new inhabitants - three male and one female meerkat that moved in...

Munich Security Conference 2018 - City Center becomes a restricted area

This year's Munich Security Conference (MSC) will be held from February 16 - 18th, 2018 at the "Hotel Bayerischer Hof"...

Why Hillary Is Good For Your Health

Passing through the basement floor at Stachus these days you might not be sure if you can trust your eyes, as Hillary the...

Oh dear, Obikes

So far since launch, 6800 Obikes bikes have been positioned in Munich. More and more of these bicycles-for-rent are being...

Winter Tollwood 2017

Tollwood Winter Festival 2017 is currently taking place at the Theresienwiese in Munich. This year's festival motto is:...

German Engineering Skill Shortage Hits Hard

Currently the situation on the German labor market is eminently good. The unemployment rate is dropping and the number of...

Munich Top City for IT and Engineering

Back in 2014, a study by the European Commission confirmed that Munich is the city that offers Information and...

Follow-Up on the Unterfoehring shooting

A 26-year-old female police officer was severely injured three months ago during a routine check at the Unterföhring...

Storm damage warning for Isar region

Heavy storms from last Friday caused huge damage to regions in southern Germany, especially in the forests of eastern...

Men Also Have Trouble Juggling Work and Family

According to research published online in the Journal of Applied Psychology by the American Psychological Association,...

Oktoberfest 2017 Updates Security

Safety precautions for the Wiesn are being further expanded in 2017. For the first time police will patrol the festivities...

English Garden Reunited

Munich's city council has unanimously approved the concept for a tunnel which is to reunite the southern and northern part...

Tollwood Summer Festival 2017

From the 21st of June to the 16th of July, Olympiapark South in Munich hosts this year's Tollwood Summer Festival. For the...

Unterföhring Shooting Update

Police and the public prosecutor's office are still investigating the details of the Unterföhring incident. According to...

Eisbach Claims Second Victim in two Weeks

Only two weeks after the drowning of a teenage girl, a 35-year-old male tourist from India has suffered the same fate....

Qatar Boycott worries Airbus and Boeing

Several Arabic countries have cut their connections with Qatar, accusing the emirate of supporting terrorism. Although...

No beer price break for Oktoberfest 2017

Oktoberfest 2017 (locally referred to as the Wiesn) will take place from September 16th till October 3rd. This year,...

Coffee-to-No-Go Campaign

The municipal committee of Munich has unanimously voted for an extensive campaign against the usage of disposable paper...

Cycling Survey Results for Munich

Munich still has to improve a lot when it comes to bicycle friendliness. That is the result of a survey conducted by the...

FC Bayern München Celebrates Victory

FC Bayern München is yet again the German championship Bundesliga winner for the 27th time - and the 5th time in a...

Amazon Lockers for Munich

Amazon plans to become more and more independent from the classical parcel services business model. Therefore the online...

Chinese Finals is a First

For the first time ever seven Bavarian students are about to take their high school diplomas (Abitur) in Chinese. During...

Is Munich going to explode?

Munich is growing faster than expected. According to the newest demographic report, the number of inhabitants in the city...

British citizen dies in Maxvorstadt incident

A 24 year old British citizen has been found seriously injured on the pavement of Max-Joseph-Straße in the early hours of...

Auer Dult Spring Fair

First mentioned in 1310, the Auer Dult has a long history as a church feast and traditional market in Munich. With around...

Disney Store Rumours Abound

The Disney entertainment group reportedly plans to come back to Munich after 15 years of absence. According to the...