Living in Dessau-Roßlau: districts rents, registration

Statistically, the city consists of two parts – Dessau south and Roßlau (Elbe) north of the Elbe – and 25 urban districts. Dessau includes the city centre, Nord and Süd, Ziebigk, Zoberberg and the Törten estate from the Bauhaus era. Further out are Alten, Kochstedt, Mosigkau and Großkühnau with the Kühnau Park, which belongs to the Garden Realm.

In the east, Waldersee and Mildensee lie amid greenery; Waldersee was completely flooded in 2002 – ask about flood protection when flat hunting. Roßlau has a 12th-century moated castle, a cargo port and districts such as Meinsdorf and Rodleben. Important for everyday life: the tram only runs in Dessau south of the Elbe; to reach Roßlau you take the bus or train.

The largest public-sector employer is the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt), whose headquarters stand on Wörlitzer Platz near the main station. In industry, IDT Biologika (around 1,600 employees), the Dessau plant of DB Fahrzeuginstandhaltung (around 1,300) and the Anhalt electric motor works shape the city. Anhalt University of Applied Sciences offers architecture, design, facility management, and surveying and geoinformatics in Dessau.

Leisure here mostly means parks and water: the Georgium with the Anhalt Art Gallery, the zoo in the Mausoleum Park, bike rides through the Elbe floodplains and – 15 km to the east – Wörlitz Park, served by the Dessau-Wörlitz railway from the main station. The Anhalt Theatre stages drama, opera, ballet and concerts. The population has fallen considerably since the 2007 merger; we don't quote specific rents without a reliable source – compare offers from the housing companies and property portals.

As a first guide: a move from a 1-room flat costs from €365, from a 2-room flat from €579. For a 3-room flat prices start at €894, for a 4-room flat at €1,324. For houses and villas there is no flat rate but an individual quote. For long-distance moves we charge €3.85 per kilometre. You can plan most accurately with a free survey.

The volume of your belongings, the distance to be driven from €3.85/km, and the floor and lift largely determine the price. A parking restriction zone ensures moving day runs smoothly. For special requests we offer furniture assembly and a shared load.

We are your point of contact for every kind of move – here is an overview of our services:

1. Furniture transport – Furniture transport
2. Shared load – Shared load
3. House clearance – House clearance
4. Company move – Company move
5. Private move – Private move
6. Move with assembly – Move with assembly

We plan moves from Stromstraße 21 in Berlin-Moabit, to Dessau-Roßlau as well as the other way round back to Berlin. How the roughly 124 km via the A9 work is explained on the page Moving Berlin – Dessau-Roßlau; the planning is described in our moving guide for Dessau-Roßlau.

Anyone moving to Dessau-Roßlau must register with the registration authority within two weeks of moving in, under § 17 of the Federal Registration Act (BMG). The city administration is based in Dessau town hall, Zerbster Straße 4, 06844 Dessau-Roßlau (phone 0340 204-0); the offices are located there unless stated otherwise. In the city's online appointment system you can select, among other things, the citizens' office (Bürgeramt). The page does not state explicitly which services this covers; if in doubt, check by phone.

The city also offers electronic residence registration (eWA), which leads to the nationwide portal wohnsitzanmeldung.gov.de. The portal is aimed at people who have just moved and want to register their flat as their main or sole residence. According to the portal, you receive a digital confirmation of registration and your ID card, passport or eID card is updated; the service is free and can be used without visiting an office. It is operated by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg for the whole of Germany, and help is available on the public service number 115.

Whichever route you choose, you need the landlord confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung) under § 19 BMG: name and address of the landlord, move-in date, address of the flat and the names of the people required to register. You can also apply online to the city for information from the population register. Our article Re-registering online helps you put the deadlines in context. Information as of October 2026.

You apply for a residents' parking permit online with the City of Dessau-Roßlau. According to the city, it is valid for one year and costs 30.70 euros per year; the online application requires a BundID account at the "high" trust level. As a rule, your main residence must be registered in the relevant residents' parking area. The permit only allows parking in specially marked spaces, not in every space in the area.

Bulky waste is collected by Stadtpflege on request. You fill in the online form for a bulky waste collection order, and once it is received the city gets in touch promptly to agree a date. If you have heard nothing after 14 days, you should get in touch. According to the city, disposal is free of charge up to 1.0 m³ per person per year, with a charge above that. Put the items out by 7 a.m. on collection day at the nearest public road accessible to collection vehicles; this is allowed from 6 p.m. the evening before. Put the items out unpacked and so that pedestrians and vehicles are not obstructed. Building rubble, doors, windows, parquet and laminate are explicitly excluded. For electrical and electronic waste, Stadtpflege has a separate collection form.

You will find general tips under Disposing of bulky waste properly. If you are planning the move yourself, you will find advice in the moving guide for Dessau-Roßlau.