Hardly anything is paid by cash in Germany today. Rent, wages/salaries, bills and much more will be credited or charged directly to your account.
Ask banks, Sparkassen or Post Offices about their account management fees and compare the costs. Decide upon one and open an account there. Get that institution to give you transfer forms (Überweisungsformulare), and maybe also a cheque card (Scheckkarte), and ask for a staff member to explain how ATMs (Geldautomaten) and statement printers (Kontoauszugsdrucker) work.
Bring: