Living together

At the Massmann dorm, community is everything. Here, students don’t just share a roof – they shape daily life and the atmosphere together. Through active participation and respectful exchange, a lively community grows where everyone can find their place. Our goal is to create an environment where everyone feels at home while taking responsibility to make living together pleasant and sustainable for all.

Self-Management

We do it all ourselves!

Well, almost. Our dorm isn’t just a place to live – it’s a place to get. Here, you and everyone else decide together how we want to live – democratically, creatively, and sometimes a little chaotically.

Our dorm consists of five houses (A–E), each home to around 25 students. In every house, and in the dorm as a whole, there are different committees where important decisions are made – from kitchen rules to building a new sauna.

The three levels of Self-Management

Teeabend – House Assembly

Each house meets around twice per semester for what we call the Teeabend, our house assembly. It’s where everything concerning the specific house is discussed:

  • Elections for house positions
  • Budget decisions
  • New or updated house rules
  • And anything else that comes up

Everyone usually takes on one or two small roles to help keep the house running smoothly. Here are a few examples:

  • House Eldest – elected representative (not necessarily the oldest!)
  • Treasurer – keeps an eye on whether the budget can handle that new toaster
  • Kitchen Minister – stocks spices, onions & garlic and enforces kitchen rules
  • Drinks Minister – makes sure the shared fridges are filled
  • Balcony or Plant Minister – keeps things green and cozy
  • Birthday Minister – bakes cakes for birthday folks
  • Tutors – organize events from game nights to full-on house parties
  • …and many more!
HÄR – House Eldest Council

The House Eldest Council (HÄR) is made up of the five house spokespeople and the four student board members. It handles topics that may not concern the whole dorm, but are still important – such as resolving conflicts, brainstorming new projects, or preparing major decisions.

GAK – General Assembly

The GAK (Großer Arbeitskreis) is our main decision-making body. Each house elects five members to represent them, and the student board also takes part.

But here’s the thing: every resident is welcome to join, contribute, and vote! Even new residents can jump right in, share their opinions, and help shape the future of the dorm.

The GAK meets about twice per semester and discusses the big stuff:

  • Dorm-wide rules and purchases
  • Budget planning and major projects (e.g., pizza oven, chickens, sauna)
  • Elections for key roles across the whole dorm, including:
    • GAK & HÄR leadership
    • Student board
    • Janitor & gardener – yes, they’re paid!
    • PA minister – if you’re into tech (or want to learn)
    • Workshop minister – to keep our DIY dreams alive
    • Toilet paper, sauna & pizza oven ministers
    • Energy & environment minister – sustainability matters to us
    • …and many more

So, as you can see, there’s a whole system behind our dorm. There are plenty of ways for you to help shape Massmann and turn it into a place where everyone feels good. But if you want to move in, you also need to be ready to take part in our community. How you do that is totally up to you – the important thing is: you’re excited to become part of it.

Events

Living at Massmann means being part of life at Massmann – and there are plenty of chances for that. Three times a year, our dorm opens its doors to Munich’s student crowd and friends of proper partying.

Each of our houses takes turns organising these parties. For weeks, they’re planned and prepared with lots of love and attention to detail. Setting up and taking everything down usually takes about a week. During the event, residents work shifts – but don’t worry, it’s just as fun as it sounds! In fact, our parties bring the community together and are a real highlight of dorm life.

Maifest

Our Maifest takes place every year on April 30th. It follows the Bavarian tradition of celebrating the end of winter and the beginning of a new seasonal cycle. Some come in traditional Bavarian clothing – but that’s totally optional. The party starts in the late afternoon and goes well into the night. And thanks to our trusty beer tap system, no glass stays empty for long.

Sommerfest

Our Summer Festival usually takes place in mid-June and is themed around a different motto every year.

Faschingsfest

In November, as carnival season kicks off, we host our own Fasching Party – also motto-based, full of fun for the darker months of the year. Costumes highly encouraged!

Other Events

In addition to our big parties, there are plenty of other events happening throughout the year at Massmann – keeping things fresh, fun, and full of variety.

Our tutors organise all kinds of cool events, from creative up-cycling workshops with screen printing, to Christmas market tours with mulled wine tastings, to evenings like Taskmaster or Trivia Nights. We are actively engaged in political and social issues. We take part in demonstrations and organize election-related panel discussions where we invite local politicians to speak and engage with us.

For our former residents, we host a reunion party every two years – always in the even-numbered years. That one, however, is a private event.

You can find more info about all our events on Instagram!