Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Burda and nebenan.de Open All Neighborhoods in Germany – A Strong Signal Against Loneliness

nebenan.de is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a historic step: As of September 16, all neighborhoods in Germany are digitally open. This means that neighbors in every community can now connect instantly – regardless of the number of registered members. Burda has supported this mission as a strong partner almost since the very beginning.

Loneliness has become a pressing social issue. According to nebenan.de’s latest impact report, 36 percent of women in large cities and 42 percent of people in medium-sized towns regularly feel lonely. However, active users of the platform report feeling 19 percent less lonely. This shows that the platform’s opening is more than just a technical update – it is a signal for stronger social cohesion.

How small gestures can spark real communities is shown by the story of a retiree: Initially, he only wanted to give away his old board games through nebenan.de. But what started as a pick-up turned into a spontaneous game night – today, twelve neighbors meet at his place every Thursday. Encounters like these show how digital connections can become true friendships.

With nearly four million members across 14,809 neighborhoods, nebenan.de is Germany’s largest social network for neighbors. By opening all neighborhoods, the network grows to 23,800. Around 450,000 people, some of whom have been waiting for years, can now actively participate.

“In times of hate, manipulation, and disinformation, nebenan.de sends a strong signal for more community. We are proud to have supported this project for nearly ten years,” says Marc Al-Hames, Member of the Board at Burda.

Philipp Witzmann, CEO of nebenan.de, also stresses the social responsibility: “Especially in times of crises and loneliness, we want to create a space where respect, trust, and support matter. With real-name policies, clear rules against hate speech, and transparency, we aim for authenticity and genuine community.”