T1 FitnessGym Opens Its Doors

Note: This text was translated from German by AI / (DeepL Pro)

On Monday morning, President Prof. Dr. Thomas Fetzer, Executive Vice President Dr. Katrin Schoppa-Bauer, and Vice President Prof. Dr. Moritz Fleischmann, who oversees university sports, cut the ribbon together to officially open the new fitness center run by the Institute of Sports (IFS) in Mannheim's T1 Quadrat. Guests then had the chance to explore the new 1,150-square-meter studio for themselves.

An Investment in Health

“Sports can be an important counterbalance to the demands of studying. The gym is also a social space where university members can meet and connect with one another,” President Fetzer said in his remarks. “For everyone, our students and our staff alike, there is a third reason the gym matters to us as a university: prevention is the best way to head off health problems before they start. So this gym is also an investment the university is making in the health of its people.” IFS Director Christian Burgahn added, “Sports matter more and more to students and staff alike, which is why I am grateful the university chose to keep the fitness center going at a new location.”

The new studio, on the third floor of T1, 1–2, replaces the former D2 FitnessGym, which closed at the end of 2025. It offers an expanded equipment lineup with 37 strength machines and 14 cardio machines, a Hybrid Training Zone for functional training, and a Safer Training Space. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer a view of Mannheim's Quadrate while you work out.

The Grand Opening runs through 20 September, with GymCard training free of charge during this period. After that, the paid membership models begin: students and staff pay starting at 14 euros per month, which includes a free orientation session and access to personal training. For more information and full pricing, visit the T1 FitnessGym website; the GymCard can be booked directly online.

For more on the studio's move and the story behind it, read the FORUM article.