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Study in Oberhavel district

Oberhavel combines Berlin-connected towns, industrial employers and a rural lake district, with a specialist police university in Oranienburg.

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Oranienburg Palace beside the Havel
Photo: ernstol (opens in a new tab), CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

In short

Oberhavel is a rural district (Landkreis) in Brandenburg with 217,690 people (Destatis, 31 Dec 2024). It has one university: Hochschule der Polizei Brandenburg (Oranienburg). Summers average 18 °C and winters 1.1 °C, with about 568 mm of rain a year (DWD, 1991–2020).

Oberhavel district in numbers

Population

217,690Destatis 2024 (opens in a new tab)

Area

1,808.26 km²Destatis 2024 (opens in a new tab)

People per km²

120Destatis 2024 (opens in a new tab)

Universities in the district

1Where Is My Uni? catalogue (opens in a new tab)

Hochschule der Polizei Brandenburg

Average temperature

9.2 °C a yearDWD 1991–2020 (opens in a new tab)

Rain

568 mm a yearDWD 1991–2020 (opens in a new tab)

Sunshine

1,727 hours a yearDWD 1991–2020 (opens in a new tab)

Frost days

88 a yearDWD 1991–2020 (opens in a new tab)

About Oberhavel district

Oberhavel stretches north from Berlin towards Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, following the upper Havel. Oranienburg is its administrative centre; the district combines suburban towns with farmland, forests and lakes (district background (opens in a new tab)).

Its southern towns have substantial industrial employment, including rail technology in Hennigsdorf and pharmaceuticals in Oranienburg. Further north, places such as the Stechlinsee and Mildenberg’s former brickworks offer a different setting for weekends away from studying (Brandenburg government (opens in a new tab), regional tourism board (opens in a new tab), Ziegeleipark Mildenberg (opens in a new tab)).

Main towns

Universities here

Universities in Oberhavel district, biggest first.

Oberhavel’s university is Hochschule der Polizei Brandenburg in Oranienburg. Its police-service degree requires a selection procedure and specific eligibility checks; non-EU applicants need an individual exception, which is not guaranteed (police recruitment (opens in a new tab)). Other nearby options include Medizinische Hochschule Brandenburg in Neuruppin, Berliner Hochschule für Technik, weißensee kunsthochschule berlin and Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde. For a Berlin-based course, Oranienburg or Hennigsdorf are sensible starting points for a housing search because of their direct rail links; check the complete journey to your actual campus before signing a lease (S1 (opens in a new tab), S25 (opens in a new tab)). This district is worth considering if access to lakes and countryside matters more to you than living beside a broad university campus.

  • Hochschule der Polizei Brandenburg

    Other institution · Oranienburg · 3 courses

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Housing

Start with ordinary rental housing and shared flats. Oranienburg’s municipality identifies WOBA and OWG as major local housing providers. Its old rent index has not been replaced and is no longer applicable as a qualified Mietspiegel, so it should not be treated as a current asking-rent guide (municipal housing directory (opens in a new tab), municipal rent information (opens in a new tab)). Compare actual availability and total monthly costs before assuming that moving outside Berlin will save money.

How to find a place

Student residences

Cost of living

For November 2026 budgeting, the standard Deutschlandticket costs €63 per month and covers local public transport and second-class regional trains. Check whether your university already provides a semester transport ticket before buying another subscription (DB Regio (opens in a new tab)). Some cultural visits cost nothing: admission to Sachsenhausen Memorial and its museums is free (visitor information (opens in a new tab)). A dependable overall saving against Berlin could not be established; compare warm rent, utilities and your complete commuting costs.

Jobs & employers

Rail technology, pharmaceuticals and advanced materials give Oberhavel a substantial industrial employment base, especially around Hennigsdorf and Oranienburg (Wirtschaftsförderung Brandenburg (opens in a new tab)). These employers are worth checking for subject-related experience, while local leisure businesses offer customer-facing work. Alstom also advertises apprenticeships and dual-study routes at Hennigsdorf; these are structured training commitments rather than casual student jobs (Alstom (opens in a new tab)).

Typical student jobs

Major employers

Getting around

Oranienburg has the RE5 to Berlin: the published timetable gives approximately 30–35 minutes to Berlin Hauptbahnhof, before any onward campus journey (DB RE5 timetable (opens in a new tab)). The S1 serves Oranienburg and the S25 serves Hennigsdorf, both running through central Berlin (S1 (opens in a new tab), S25 (opens in a new tab)). Hennigsdorf, Velten and Kremmen have RE6 connections towards Neuruppin; check current engineering changes rather than assuming every service continues into Berlin (DB regional timetables (opens in a new tab)). OVG provides local buses and a journey planner; check evening and weekend connections for any address away from a station (OVG (opens in a new tab)). The Deutschlandticket covers these local and regional services (DB ticket information (opens in a new tab)).

Main stations
Nearest airport

Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER)

The main nearby commercial airport is connected directly to Oranienburg by the RB32 via Berlin Ostkreuz; check the timetable for your travel date (VBB (opens in a new tab)).

Weather & seasons

Long-term averages from the German Weather Service station Zehdenick (10 km from the district centre), 1991–2020.

Winter

1.1 °C

44 mm rain a month

1.8 h sun a day

Spring

8.9 °C

40 mm rain a month

6 h sun a day

Summer

18 °C

62 mm rain a month

7.5 h sun a day

Autumn

9.1 °C

44 mm rain a month

3.6 h sun a day

Expect cold, often grey winters and a much brighter outdoor season from spring into summer. Bring waterproof layers as well as warm clothing: summer is not reliably dry. Local seasonal markers include Kremmen’s asparagus followed by summer blueberries and autumn pumpkins, while the Stechlinsee shore offers autumn walking (pro agro (opens in a new tab), regional tourism board (opens in a new tab)).

Culture, language & food

Local cultural life includes regional history at ReMO in Oranienburg Palace, industrial heritage at Mildenberg and public celebrations such as Oranienburg’s Stadtfest. For a student, these suggest an event-led social calendar rather than a conventional university quarter (ReMO (opens in a new tab), Ziegeleipark (opens in a new tab), Stadtfest organiser (opens in a new tab)).

Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum is an important place for learning about Nazi persecution and the site's subsequent history (memorial (opens in a new tab)). If regular late-night outings are central to your student life, assess the Berlin journey carefully: the S1 and S25 publish overnight weekend services, but your final bus or walk home still matters (S1 (opens in a new tab), S25 (opens in a new tab)).

English-language visitor information is available at Sachsenhausen, but that does not establish how widely English is spoken in everyday services (memorial (opens in a new tab)). For housing and employment, a practical target is B1–B2 German; this is advice, not a district-wide requirement. One local example is Schloss & Gut Liebenberg, whose careers page specifies at least B2 German for staff (hotel careers (opens in a new tab)). Check academic language requirements with your chosen university.

Local food

Places & events

Places to see

  • Schloss Oranienburg and ReMO

    Castle

    Oranienburg Palace houses the Regionalmuseum Oberhavel, a useful introduction to the district’s history (ReMO (opens in a new tab)).

  • Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum

    Memorial

    A place of remembrance and historical education on the former concentration-camp site. Admission to the memorial and museums is free (visitor information (opens in a new tab)).

  • Ziegeleipark Mildenberg

    Industrial heritage

    A former brickworks complex near Zehdenick, with industrial exhibits and activities in the surrounding clay-pit landscape (Ziegeleipark (opens in a new tab)).

  • Großer Stechlinsee

    Lake

    A northern-district destination for lakeside walking near Neuglobsow; the nearby Naturparkhaus in Menz introduces the surrounding natural environment (regional tourism board (opens in a new tab)).

Events

  • Großer Stechlinsee in the Stechlin nature reserve

    Großer Stechlinsee in the Stechlin nature reserve

  • Former factory hall at Ziegeleipark Mildenberg

    Former factory hall at Ziegeleipark Mildenberg

Student experiences

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Studying in Oberhavel district: FAQ

Is Oberhavel a good place to live as a student?

It can suit students who value access to countryside and can make a rail commute work. Oranienburg and Hennigsdorf have direct connections through Berlin; compare the complete journey to your campus before choosing housing (S1 (opens in a new tab), S25 (opens in a new tab)).

Is there a university in Oberhavel?

Yes: Hochschule der Polizei Brandenburg is in Oranienburg. Its degree is a route into police service, with selection and eligibility requirements; non-EU applicants require an exception that is not guaranteed (police recruitment (opens in a new tab)).

How long is the train journey from Oranienburg to Berlin?

The published RE5 timetable gives approximately 30–35 minutes from Oranienburg to Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Allow additional time for the journey from the station to your university and check current disruptions (DB timetable (opens in a new tab)).

Is Oberhavel cheaper than Berlin for students?

A reliable current student-rent comparison was not established. Oranienburg’s old Mietspiegel is no longer a qualified rent index, so compare available rooms and their total costs rather than relying on historic figures (City of Oranienburg (opens in a new tab)).

What jobs can students find in Oberhavel?

Search ORAFOL for working-student opportunities and TURM ErlebnisCity for reception or hospitality roles. Availability, qualifications and suitable part-time hours vary (ORAFOL careers (opens in a new tab), TURM careers (opens in a new tab)).

Are there student residences in Oberhavel?

The Brandenburg careers portal lists an apartment house in central Oranienburg for police-service candidates, who can apply after receiving an appointment offer. It is not presented as general accommodation for students attending other universities (Brandenburg careers portal (opens in a new tab)).

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Sources & photo credits

Last updated November 2026. Population and area: Destatis. Weather: Deutscher Wetterdienst. Universities and courses: our catalogue. Everything else was researched from the sources below and checked — how we research these guides.

Sources

Photo credits

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