Our agency is not at home in Hamburg, Berlin or Mannheim. No, our office is in Weil am Rhein. A small but charming town in the district of Lörrach. Here we would like to tell you a little about what makes Weil am Rhein special and why it is a genuinely interesting environment for us as an agency.
Where is Weil am Rhein?
The small town of Weil am Rhein lies in the south-westernmost corner of Germany. It sits right in the tri-border area with Switzerland and France, which is now also expressed in its designation as a “three-country town”.
Anyone living in Weil am Rhein can take the tram to see the sights of Basel (Switzerland) or stroll across the Three Countries Bridge to Huningue (France) – usually without ever seeing a customs officer.
The three towns, their surroundings and thus the three countries merge so seamlessly that visitors we pick up at Basel Badischer Bahnhof hardly notice that they are crossing national borders. “What, are we in Germany already?” is a common question.
What shaped Weil am Rhein?
Today’s town of Weil was first mentioned in a document on 27 February 786 under the name Willa (Wikipedia). Weil am Rhein was traditionally a railway workers’ town. The districts of Ötlingen and Haltingen are well-known wine villages, and the Märkt district was distinguished as a fishing village. In more recent history the town experienced rapid development and strong growth, above all through its proximity to Basel. Many residents of Weil working directly in Basel, as well as thousands of Basel residents who make use of the wide range of shopping in Weil am Rhein every year, helped the town and the whole area to growing prosperity.
But Weil am Rhein is also a town for creative minds. The company of the same name, known for Vitra Design, made a substantial contribution to that. The large Vitra Campus with the Vitra Design Museum is open to the public and is used enthusiastically by tourists and locals alike. Our office, by the way, is only about 500 m from Vitra.
A town of artists and design
One of the most famous names in the history of Weil am Rhein is the painter and graphic artist Hermann Daur. He was born in nearby Lörrach in 1870 and lived in Ötlingen (today a district of Weil am Rhein) from 1906 to 1925.
I (Armin) still had the chance to meet his best-known student Karl Rösch (1912–2001) in person. His striking works still decorate many living rooms in the area – not least because it was part of his philosophy that everyone should be able to afford one of his works.
Even today Weil am Rhein is a place for numerous artists: https://www.weiler-kultur.de/de/kulturschaffende/kuenstler.php
Many artists have found a place to create and exchange ideas at the Kesselhaus cultural centre (https://www.kulturzentrum-kesselhaus.de/), and at the Kunstraum Kieswerk as well as the Artdorf Ötlingen (http://www.art-dorf.de/) artists and art lovers meet at regular events.
Top-class international art can also be seen in the changing exhibitions at the Vitra Design Museum (https://www.design-museum.de/de/informationen.html).
A full 345 museums, castles and gardens in the tri-border region can be experienced with a regional museum pass (https://www.museumspass.com/).
Vitra Design
You can hardly visit the town of Weil am Rhein without coming across Vitra. The Vitra Campus with the Vitra Design Museum and the Schaudepot offers many opportunities to relax and to find inspiration. The museum has existed since 1989 and houses an extensive collection of furniture, lighting and textiles. In addition there are various temporary exhibitions offering insights into current and past design.
The neighbouring VitraHaus is particularly popular. It impresses with its extraordinary architecture and regularly redesigned interiors. That inspires not only designers – all too often the VitraHaus has already become a source of ideas and innovations for entrepreneurs. The Vitra Campus is therefore not only a place for tourists but also extremely popular with locals, and thoroughly recommended.
Transport links in Weil am Rhein
The main town of Weil am Rhein itself has excellent public transport connections to Basel and to the district town of Lörrach. You can find details on the website of the regional transport association. Connections to the outlying districts are in part rather weak. Anyone living in Ötlingen or Märkt, for example, can hardly manage without a car.
Global connections, however, are excellent: by ICE via Basel Badischer Bahnhof and via EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse. Both can be reached from Weil am Rhein by car in under 30 minutes.
Quality of life in Weil am Rhein
Today Weil am Rhein offers a high quality of life with many amenities that are very attractive to creative minds. The region’s diverse cultural offering is a magnet for creatives. Alongside the local offerings of the town of Weil am Rhein itself, it is definitely worth looking towards Basel.
There are also many opportunities to explore nature, whether it is a walk through the nearby Black Forest or a trip to the vineyards in the surrounding area. The fine weather lets you linger outdoors and enjoy the quiet. Weil am Rhein also has a well-developed network of cycle paths and hiking trails, so you can explore the beautiful landscape. Since it is fairly hilly, an e-bike comes warmly recommended.
In the tri-border area around Weil am Rhein people love good food. Numerous restaurants and Besenwirtschaften (seasonal wine taverns) are the place for cosy evenings with wine and either local or international dishes. While writing this article we realised that there is still no really good overview of the restaurants in the area. Perhaps we will create one ourselves one day. For now we would just like to point out that eating out in Weil am Rhein – or in Germany generally – is considerably more affordable than in Basel. So far Google Maps offers the best orientation.
The active club life of the town and its districts makes it easy to find friends and get involved in whatever you are passionate about. Supporting and developing children and young people is also given high priority here.
Numerous playgrounds are also a place of fun and encounter for children and their parents. Not far from our agency there is the Rheinpark, for example.
Clubs and associations in Weil am Rhein
As mentioned, Weil am Rhein offers a wide variety of clubs. Besides sports clubs for children and adults, Weil am Rhein is very proud of its Musikverein Weil am Rhein, the local heritage and culture association and the Theaterverein Weil am Rhein.
There are also opportunities to get involved in charitable work or to join the angling club.
So there is not only plenty of inspiration and opportunity for starting a business, but leisure activities are amply catered for too. I will list a few of the most important associations below. The club register of Weil am Rhein will of course reveal a number of further associations: Vereinsregister Weil am Rhein
What creative opportunities does the town offer?
The area around Weil am Rhein first of all offers stunning nature that has inspired creative people for centuries. The wide horizon gives room to think, and the sunsets behind the Vosges in France delight more than just painters and photographers. More than one person has had a new idea for their business or for a change in their own life while watching them.
The coworking scene in Weil am Rhein is only just emerging, but entrepreneurs are well connected and are happy to welcome founders. The mayor also holds an annual business meeting to support networking further.
We have already mentioned some of the cultural opportunities above – especially for those interested in design.
Last but not least: the internet connection. Unfortunately in Germany that is still something one has to write about. 🙂
Our office is in a district with excellent internet. Unfortunately that is still not the case everywhere in Weil am Rhein. So anyone looking for an office for creative work in Weil am Rhein should find out in advance what the internet connection is like, and also check on a smartphone what the mobile network is like at that particular spot.
Frequently asked questions about Weil am Rhein:
Which postcodes are there in Weil am Rhein? In fact there is only one postcode district in Weil am Rhein: 79576
How many inhabitants does Weil am Rhein have? The current population is: 30,251 (as at 31 Dec 2021)
Addresses in Weil am Rhein:
Vitra Design Museum Charles-Eames-Straße 2, 79576 Weil am Rhein
Vitra Haus Charles-Eames-Straße 1, 79576 Weil am Rhein
Vitra slide tower Charles-Eames-Straße 2, 79576 Weil am Rhein
Town hall and municipal administration of Weil am Rhein, Rathausplatz 1, 79576 Weil am Rhein
Kesselhaus Weil am Rhein Am Kesselhaus 13, 79576 Weil am Rhein
Rhein Center Hauptstraße 435, 79576 Weil am Rhein
Laguna water park, Am Wasserwerk 2, 79576 Weil am Rhein
Dreiländergallerie Europapl. 1, 79576 Weil am Rhein
Dreiländerbrücke Am Rheinpark 435, Weil am Rhein
Kieswerk Mattrain 5, 79576 Weil am Rhein
ART-Dorf Ötlingen Dorfstraße 107, 79576 Weil am Rhein
Colab Gallery Schusterinsel 9, 79576 Weil am Rhein
Clubs and associations in Weil am Rhein:
Bosporus FC Friedlingen Tullastraße 49, 79576 Weil am Rhein
SV Weil am Rhein Müllheimer Straße 23a, 79576 Weil am Rhein
Stadtmusik Weil am Rhein 79576 Weil am Rhein
Gesangsverein Weil am Rhein Nelkenstraße 1, 79576 Weil am Rhein
DRK Weil am Rhein Riedlistraße 20, 79576 Weil am Rhein
Angelverein Weil am Rhein und Umgebung Im Wörth 17, 79588 Efringen-Kirchen
TAM Theater Weil am Rhein Am Mühlenrain 19, 79576 Weil am Rhein
Association for local history and folklore, Kirschmatt 5, 79576 Weil am Rhein
DLRG Weil am Rhein Malgerstegeweg 1/1, 79576 Weil am Rhein
Dreiländereck riding club, Hauptstraße 383, 79576 Weil am Rhein
Club register of Weil am Rhein
Information about our agency – AHA Factory: https://ahafactory.de
AHA Factory in Weil am Rhein
We are based in the tri-border region and have been working for over ten years with companies from Weil am Rhein, Lörrach, Basel and the region — in coaching, in strategy and in marketing. Short distances, personal collaboration, and an understanding of how work is done here.
If you run a company in Weil am Rhein or the surrounding area and would like to talk about your strategy, your succession or your marketing: Arrange an initial consultation.
What we do for companies in the region
- Business coaching for managing directors and owners
- Guidance for business succession
- Strategy consulting and positioning
- Websites, video and online marketing
