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In 2023, I moved from the United Kingdom to Mannheim, Germany to teach English. It was my first experience living overseas and moving alone to a country where I knew nobody and didn’t speak the language, was daunting to say the least. Having just sprung from a very stable University community, where everybody was eager to make friends, my first day working in Germany was a huge culture shock. A flurry of unfamiliar chatter surrounded me as I walked into the staff room and felt twenty pairs of eyes turn. I had hoped the stereotypes about Germans being difficult to approach were just a myth.
After work, I headed to the local bouldering gym to clear my head. For the first time since moving, I momentarily forgot that I was in Germany. Prior to moving to Mannheim, I had been climbing on and off for about 4 years. Mostly I bouldered indoors, though I have dabbled in sport climbing and my current goal is to climb outside more regularly. Whilst at University, I was part of the University of Birmingham Climbing and Mountaineering Society through which I met an amazing group of like-minded people, learnt to belay, and sport climb, and got to climb, compete, and go on trips. Though I went on to make acquaintances and friends through work and various expat groups in Germany, the gym is where I found my community. |
Author Victoria Wilson high-fiving during a partner climb at her local gym in Mannheim, Germany. The bouldering gym helped make her feel more at home in a new and unfamiliar country.
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ABOVE: Boulder Island in Mannheim, Germany (Photo Credits: Left, Victoria Wilson; Right, Boulder Island website)
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Through climbing, I built relationships with incredible and inspiring locals and expats from across the world. What started as a means of staying fit became a place where I could truly be myself, talk to people of all ages and backgrounds, and immerse myself in the German language and culture. During a time when I struggled with loneliness and anxiety, the bouldering gym became my sanctuary; the kindness and inclusivity I experienced there will always stay with me.
In today’s digital society, it is worryingly easy to oscillate between being home (our first place) and at work (our second place) without frequenting another space for socialising and relaxing - a ‘third place’. A third place is a space outside the home or work where one can unwind and connect with others, ideally without the pressure of spending much money. Third places, like libraries, places of worship, or cafes are imperative for fostering community and tackling the epidemic of loneliness. During the pandemic, it became increasingly clear how important third places are to our wellbeing. However, post-COVID, community spaces have been closing at an unprecedented rate. Cafes, for example, were once cosy and welcoming spots, where you could linger over an affordable drink while chatting with staff and fellow customers. |
ABOVE: Video of author Victoria Wilson partaking in a fun partner climb at her local gym in Mannheim, Germany. (Video: 0:24)
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Nowadays, the high-street is littered with expensive chain coffee shops filled with remote workers, headphones in, and overworked staff too busy to stop for a chat. Libraries and community groups are losing funding, and physical third spaces are increasingly being supplanted by online communities.
There is certainly hope for the future of third places - as wellness groups, running clubs, and craft enthusiasts are starting to mobilize online communities to revive in-person gatherings. Climbing gyms, as vibrant community hubs that blend fitness and socialization, can play a key role in this revival by hosting social nights and events.
There is certainly hope for the future of third places - as wellness groups, running clubs, and craft enthusiasts are starting to mobilize online communities to revive in-person gatherings. Climbing gyms, as vibrant community hubs that blend fitness and socialization, can play a key role in this revival by hosting social nights and events.
Author Victoria Wilson (in the denim jacket back left) with climbing friends at the expat climb and lunch meet-up.
Over the last decade, the climbing industry has boomed. The inclusion of climbing in the Olympics has launched it into the public eye and chains of climbing gyms have sprung up across the world. These polished commercial centres are unrecognisable from the dusty independent basement gyms of climbing past. Chalk-caked holds marked with tape have been replaced by shiny, colour-coded problems, and the power grunts of shirtless try-hards have been replaced by squealing kids at birthday parties.
Delaney Miller argues that climbing gyms have lost their soul.
Though he agrees gyms today are technically "better" than their predecessors, he notes that where once walking into the gym felt "like home," now you walk in and it feels "like Disneyland." Whereas in the past gyms had a close-knit feel and subculture where everybody knew each other and shared a dedication to climbing, today Miller feels he isn’t "free to express himself" fully in the gym.
Gym dynamics have undoubtedly shifted and climbing may be losing some of its rebellious edge. However, the development of gyms and the mainstreaming of the sport are making climbing more diverse, accessible, and welcoming, allowing it to have a broader, positive impact on the community.
Though my gym in Mannheim is a large and very modern centre, it served as a welcoming 'third place' for me during my time in Germany. I trained there 3-4 times a week and the gym hosted an array of events, from friendly competitions to social nights and parties in its outdoor ‘beach’ area.
Despite being an independent centre, the gym is too large to have that old ‘everybody knows everybody’ feel, but the regular climbers there certainly did. The atmosphere felt inclusive and approachable despite the language barrier I faced. Once a week I would join a group of expat friends to climb and have lunch, though often I would also go climbing alone and mingle with locals and regulars. This relaxed feel - that I could head to the gym whenever and always chat to familiar faces, or meet new friends - is what made for such a great and meaningful 'third place.'
Delaney Miller argues that climbing gyms have lost their soul.
Though he agrees gyms today are technically "better" than their predecessors, he notes that where once walking into the gym felt "like home," now you walk in and it feels "like Disneyland." Whereas in the past gyms had a close-knit feel and subculture where everybody knew each other and shared a dedication to climbing, today Miller feels he isn’t "free to express himself" fully in the gym.
Gym dynamics have undoubtedly shifted and climbing may be losing some of its rebellious edge. However, the development of gyms and the mainstreaming of the sport are making climbing more diverse, accessible, and welcoming, allowing it to have a broader, positive impact on the community.
Though my gym in Mannheim is a large and very modern centre, it served as a welcoming 'third place' for me during my time in Germany. I trained there 3-4 times a week and the gym hosted an array of events, from friendly competitions to social nights and parties in its outdoor ‘beach’ area.
Despite being an independent centre, the gym is too large to have that old ‘everybody knows everybody’ feel, but the regular climbers there certainly did. The atmosphere felt inclusive and approachable despite the language barrier I faced. Once a week I would join a group of expat friends to climb and have lunch, though often I would also go climbing alone and mingle with locals and regulars. This relaxed feel - that I could head to the gym whenever and always chat to familiar faces, or meet new friends - is what made for such a great and meaningful 'third place.'
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Victoria Wilson is a climber, travel writer, and solo traveller based in the UK. You can follow her adventures at:
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