Work & Life

Schwaebisch Hall welcomes residents and guests with a decidedly medieval flair. But the city offers more than just visible history: a high quality of life and living standard, an attractive business location, outstanding educational opportunities, and an important art and cultural offering make Schwaebisch Hall a very hospitable and cosmopolitan city.

Whether a rented apartment in the old town or your own home in one of the numerous residential areas: diverse recreational opportunities make Schwaebisch Hall an attractive place to live. The lively historic old town, modern shopping options and the many cultural offers available make the city by the Kocher River a special attraction for people of all ages.

Schwaebisch Hall is especially popular with young families as a location to call home. Living in a quiet location and yet with quick connections to the city and its many recreational activities is ideal: by car, you need only five minutes to the center of town, buses travel during the day at short intervals in the city center and the two school centers. The A6 motorway can be reached in just a few minutes through the west and east ring roads. Many residential areas, the suburbs and the inner city area have their own kindergartens and elementary schools.

Families will find an ideal infrastructure in Schwaebisch Hall. From kindergartens to high schools, from colleges to vocational schools, from music schools to adult education centers: Schwaebisch Hall is a city where families will find everything they need for their everyday lives.

Numerous leisure, cultural, health and counseling services, sports and club activities offer a wide variety of options. A sound environment and the charming surrounding landscapes contribute to the quality of life in the city on the Kocher River.

There are also numerous options for family members in need of care: there are nursing services, in-patient care facilities, assisted living, retirement homes and day care.

The social offer in Schwaebisch Hall is supported by the commitment of many citizens: foundations, funding associations, parents’ initiatives as well as donations and sponsorship funds from companies and service clubs enable an above-average selection of opportunities.

The cultural offering in Schwaebisch Hall is as extensive as it is varied. Whether music, theater, literature, art or museums – there is a wide selection of attractive events and exhibitions for every age and every taste in and around Schwaebisch Hall.

The open-air plays are famous far beyond the region. Every summer, the large stairway in front of St. Michael’s church transforms into a stage for musical dancing and singing performers who enchant the audience again and again.

Two large museums tell the region’s history. The Hall-Franconian Museum displays exhibits from the Middle Ages through to modern times. The Hohenloher Freilandmuseum saved over fifty historic buildings from decay or demolishment and offers visitors a journey through time to the rural life of bygone times.

In the Galerie am Markt, visitors can expect modern art in a historic atmosphere. The spectacular Kunsthalle Würth has been showing top-class temporary exhibitions since 2001. As well, the Johanniterkirche opened in 2008 with the Old Master Collection. Since 2012, the highlight of the exhibition has been Hans Holbein’s Virgin of Mercy.

Schwaebisch Hall has a lot to offer acoustically as well: numerous organizers offer continuously changing programs. The International JazzArtFestival, which takes place every spring, is very popular.

Sport also has its place in Schwaebisch Hall at the beginning of every new year: on January 6, even the youngest can compete on the 400-meter track, while adults take on the 5 or 10 kilometer circuit.

All year round, children and families will find attractive, age-appropriate offers, such as Gerhard’s Puppet Theater or Museum Education.

Fort Worth, Texas: To some, it’s known as Cowtown or Where the West Begins, but to others, it’s dubbed Funkytown or Panther City. From the live music scene in Near Southside to the internationally-renowned art museums in the Cultural District and from the daily cattle drives in the Historic Stockyards to the delicious Tex-Mex cuisine found on every corner, Fort Worth has something for everyone. A city built on wild western roots, Fort Worth residents understand the importance of being a good neighbor while also being one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States.  

Boasting nearly a dozen districts, Fort Worth is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Metroplex. With close to seven million inhabitants, the Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the south and the fourth largest in the United States. The city combines the amenities of a thriving metropolis with a slower pace of life. With the cost of living nearly 14 percent below the national average in Fort Worth, the city was designated as one of America’s “Most Livable Communities” by the Partners for Livable Communities.

Transit options within the Metroplex are abundant. Fort Worth’s Trinity Metro system includes 46 independent bus routes, the Trinity Railway Express (TRE), which links downtown Dallas with downtown Fort Worth, and the TEXRail, a 27-mile rail line that extends from downtown Fort Worth to northeast Tarrant County and into DFW Airport’s Terminal B. In addition, neighboring Dallas offers the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), which offers 72 miles of city rail lines and 120 bus lines.

Fort Worth and surrounding areas offer quality education and excellent educational opportunities. The area is home to seven universities and colleges, three independent K-12 school districts (ISD), and more than 200 prestigious private schools. Within Fort Worth’s Cultural District, children can explore the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, which includes the official dinosaur of Texas, the Noble Planetarium, the Fort Worth Children’s Museum, Innovation Studios, and the Omni Imax Theater.

In nearby Arlington, families can start a fun weekend at Six Flags Over Texas, an amusement park with dozens of rides, shows and games. Or, visit the nationally-ranked Fort Worth Zoo, where they can view more than 7,000 native and exotic animals. Aviation enthusiasts can visit the American Airlines C.R. The Smith Museum, the Vintage Flying Museum at Meacham Airport or the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas.

In the famous Historic Stockyards District, visitors can discover daily cattle drives, rodeos and gunfight reenactments on its brick streets. Before heading to the hottest country music concert at the world’s largest honkey tonk, Billy Bob’s Texas, get some authentic Tex-Mex Joe T. Garcia’s, a famous restaurant known for its sprawling patio.

In Texas, bigger is better, and that includes sports teams. Just minutes away from the Recaro facility is Texas Motor Speedway, where attendees can experience NASCAR and IndyCar racing. Dallas’ American Airlines Center is home to the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars, while the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers compete in Arlington. Grand Prairie’s Lone Star Park is for competitive horse racing, and the FC Dallas soccer club is based in the nearby suburb of Frisco.

Home to the Sundance Square Plaza, downtown Fort Worth features numerous restaurants, boutiques, galleries and performance venues, such as Four Day Weekend comedy group and the Bass Performance Hall. Fort Worth’s Cultural District houses five museums, including the Kimbell Art Museum, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the National Cowgirl Museum, as well as the renowned “Casa Manana” theater, and the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens.

On weekends, Fort Worth visitors and natives alike can be found kayaking on the Trinity River, enjoying a beer along the Fort Worth Ale Trail, having dinner at Reata in downtown Fort Worth, catching a movie at the Coyote Drive-In, or exploring the 20 miles of trails at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge. Additional neighborhoods include Fort Worth’s most eclectic district, the Near Southside, the hottest entertainment scene, West 7^th, and Clearfork, Fort Worth’s hub for luxury shopping and dining.

Fort Worth’s annual social calendar is packed. Every January, Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, the country’s oldest livestock show, rolls into town. Fort Worth in the spring boasts the nationally-recognized MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival, the family-friendly Mayfest, the prestigious Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament, and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. In the summer, Fort Worth hosts the Fort Worth Fourth, and the Rockin’ the River summer concert series. Other annual events include the Bell Fort Worth Alliance Air Show, the Fortress Festival, the Lone Star Film Festival, the National Day of the American Cowboy, and the Fort Worth Opera Festival, and the Food + Wine Festival.

Qingdao – also called Tsingtao – is a city in the eastern province of Shandong on the east coast of China. It is the largest city in the province and has jurisdiction over six districts and four county-level cities.

The cityscape is characterized by contrasts such as the sea and the nearby mountains, skyscrapers and residential areas with red-roofed houses between green trees. Qingdao today presents itself as a young, dynamic city with a rich history and cultural treasures.

Although the German colonial period lasted only 16 years (1898-1914), in Qingdao there are still a large number of German-style buildings. Qingdao has become a city of millions. Until the 1990s, many colonial buildings were demolished. Nonetheless, the most significant buildings have been preserved and protected by the city.

The unique combination of German and Chinese architecture in the city center, combined with residents with German roots and a large Korean immigrant population, gives Qingdao a very unique atmosphere. An ancient proverb described Qingdao as the city of “red tiles, green trees, blue sky and blue sea”. This proverb indeed mirrors a bird’s-eye view of Qingdao.

The metropolis also offers numerous recreational opportunities. A botanical garden, parks, the aquarium and the zoological garden invite you to enjoy excursions and relax close to the nearby mountains and the sea.

In addition to international schools, Qingdao offers a large number of colleges and universities. The Ocean University of China, formerly known as Ocean University of Qingdao, is the premier marine science university in China. Moreover, Qingdao University, the Qingdao University of Science and Technology and Qingdao Technological University have been an integral part of Qingdao’s higher education landscape for decades.

Qingdao attracts many tourists thanks to its attractive location by the sea and temperate weather. Parks, beaches, sculptures and unique German and modern architecture line the shore. There are more than 40 popular attractions throughout the city.

This includes the Zhan Qiao Pier which is located on the south bank of Qingdao. The 440 meter long path extends into the sea and was the first quay in Qingdao. The pier itself was commissioned in 1891 and has often been expanded since then. Many residents see the Zhan Qiao Pier as a symbol of the city, as it became famous for its imprint on the label of the beer bottles and on the tins of the Tsingtao brewery. The internationally renowned brewery was founded in 1903 by a German-British joint venture and continues to produce the most famous Chinese export beer to date.

During the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, Qingdao hosted the Olympic sailing competitions that took place along the city’s coastline. Surfers rate the typhoon season (June-October) as the best time for their sport in Qingdao.

If you do not want to miss out on socializing after a day at the beach, you can expect to find several bars, clubs and cafes in the Shinan district.

Qingdao is known as a tourist city not only for its attractions, but also for its culinary specialties. In the coastal city you most definitely have to try out the seafood. Qingdao is also rich in handicrafts such as shell carvings, straw weaving products or Mount Laoshan Green Stone. Various shopping centers are spread out across the city, with the larger ones mainly concentrated in the Shinan district.

Świebodzin is a city in western Poland with about 22,000 inhabitants. Located at the intersection of Polish national roads 2 and 3, it is an important transportation hub. The A2 motorway and the S3 expressway intersect near the city.

Świebodzin is known for its figure of Christ King, built on an artificial hill. It is currently the largest figure of Christ in the world. Its total height is 36 meters, 3 meters of which carries the gilded crown on the head of the statue into the sky. The figure was placed on a 16.5 meter high artificial hill, so that the total height of the statue and the hill is 52.5 meters. The construction was completed in 2010 and the total weight of the statue is about 440 tons.

Surrounded by idyllic nature, Świebodzin offers a historic center with numerous sights such as churches and other historical buildings. The small town has a typical infrastructure with shopping facilities, a museum, a cultural center and city library as well as various clubs complement life in Świebodzin.

Moreover, there are good transport links to surrounding cities and the nearby neighboring country: the border to Germany and the city of Poznan can be reached in just under an hour by car. The closest university town Zielona Góra can be reached in 30 minutes.

Living where others spend their holidays: Świebodzin is surrounded by lakes and forests. The Lubuskie Voivodeship is the most wooded area in Poland. Lake Niesłysz is the second largest lake in Lubusz with an area of ​​1.235 acres. It is a perfect location for water sports such as sailing and kayaking. The clean and crystal clear water is also appreciated by anglers and divers. Families from the area like to spend hot summer days at the lake. Not far away in Mostki you will find an amusement park and a mini-zoo.

The city of Świebodzin also offers families a good infrastructure. In addition to partly private kindergartens, there are various schools all the way through to a vocational school, offering the next generation of families the basis for a successful future.

The Oder near Świebodzin invites recreation seekers to a kayak trip. Monuments along the bank make the river section especially interesting. Worth seeing are, for example, a hydroelectric power station built in 1912 or a drawbridge, which was built as part of the Oder-Warthe-Bogen-Front. The unspoiled nature and numerous accommodation options make the river area a perfect destination for many tourists from Poland and abroad.

Sports enthusiasts will have the opportunity to participate in the annual MTB Łagów Marathon, a cycling competition that attracts close to 400 participants every year. The organization of the marathon is supported by companies from Świebodzin, including RECARO Aircraft Seating.

Also worth a visit is Gościkowo-Paradyż – a former Cistercian monastery. The buildings and the surrounding garden with its vineyard have been restored to their original beauty. Every year, a medieval music festival takes place within the historic walls of the abbey church.

For history lovers, there is another place to visit: one of the few preserved bunker cupolas in the southern part of the Oder-Warthe-Bogen fortress front. In nearby Przetocznica, you can explore a historic power plant built in 1936 and an early 20th century flour mill.