HAMBURG -- AN IDEAL SITE FOR IFIP CONGRESS '94 Hamburg, Germany will be the site of IFIP Congress '94, the 13th World Computer Congress, which will be held 28 August to 2 September 1994. Hamburg is not only a business and trade center, port, and university city -- it is also a tourist's delight. With 1.7 million inhabitants, it is the second-largest city in Germany, after Berlin. Hamburg is Germany's greenest city, full of parks, woods, canals, riv- ers, and the Alster -- a 182-hectare (450-acre) lake in the heart of the city and a popular place for sailors, windsurfers, joggers, and strollers. The Alster is a very short walk from the Congress Center (CCH), where the majority of Congress '94 events will take place. (A few will be held at the adjacent University of Hamburg.) The CCH, in the center of Hamburg, is one of the world's largest and most modern convention venues. The beautiful old Botanic Garden is just adjacent. The weather in Hamburg at the end of August is usually quite good: 17oC (63oF) average temperature, some wind, some sunshine, and some showers. Hamburg is home to several universities and colleges, as well as private sector research institutes. They employ, in all, some 5000 academics and have a total student population of nearly 64 000. During the Congress, visits to the most interesting research institutions in and near Hamburg will be arranged. Tourist Attractions Hamburg is a vibrant city, where water is never far away. With the Port, Alster, and numerous canals, Hamburg has more bridges than Venice and Amsterdam, combined. Trips around the Port include the world-famous Speicherstadt (Warehouse City), where spices, carpets, coffee, cocoa, and other com- modities have been stored and traded for over a century. Inseparably linked to the Port and the city itself is St. Pauli, Hamburg's "sinful mile." Nowadays, one can find mu- sicals, cabaret, satire, variety, and comedy performed there. Undoubtedly, one of the district's biggest at- traction is the traditional Fish Market, which takes place around the restored Fish Auction Hall 5-10 a.m. every Sun- day. Cultural Attractions In addition to the renowned Hamburgische Staatsoper (the oldest opera in the world founded by ordinary citizens), Deutsches Schauspielhaus, and Thalia Theater, Hamburg has more than 40 private theatres and several concert halls, open-air venues, and musical theatres. With some 50 state- owned and private museums, including the Kunsthalle, the Mu- seum for Arts and Crafts, the Museum of Hamburg History (containing the Historic Emigration Office), and Hamburg Ethnology Museum, the city has many interesting collections. When it comes to shopping, Hamburg can offer its visitors extraordinary attractions, from the exclusive shopping bou- levards of Jungfernstieg and Neuer Wall to glass-roofed shopping arcades. Accommodations In general, the hotel situation is very good. Within walking distance of the CCH are many low-priced hotels and pensions, as well as some of the most elegant hotels in Hamburg. Moreover, the extensive public transportation sys- tem (underground, city trains, and buses) will allow dele- gates to reach hotels or pensions in other parts of Hamburg easily and quickly. For those who register in June or ear- lier, there probably will be inexpensive pensions for $35 U.S. and hotels for as little as $70. Since IFIP Congress '94 will take place during university vacation time, quite a few of the 4000 student dormitory rooms in Hamburg will be available for Congress participants. Bistros, restaurants, and cafes abound in Hamburg, re- nowned for its wide selection of fish restaurants. It also presents an international cuisine, especially in the neigh- borhood of the CCH, where one finds many restaurants of all styles and sizes, in particular many small ones, with quaint, intimate atmospheres, frequented by students. Travel The region of Germany surrounding Hamburg is very inter- esting and worth visiting: the old Hanseatic cities of Luebeck (home of marzipan and Thomas Mann), Stade, and Kiel. One can also cruise the Elbe river from Hamburg to Dresden. Hamburg can be reached quickly and easily in a few hours by car or train from all parts of Germany, Denmark, southern Sweden, the Netherlands, and Belgium. High-speed trains connect all major cities; trips between Hamburg and Frankfurt or Berlin take only 3-1/2 hours by train. Hamburg is also only a few hours by plane from any city in Europe. One may also take an overnight ferry from London, Stockholm, or Helsinki to Hamburg. Information Details of the program can be found on page 1 of the June 1993 IFIP Newsletter. More information about Hamburg and the Congress may be obtained from Congress Secretariat IFIP'94 Congress Centrum Hamburg Congress Organisation P.O. Box 30 24 80 D-20308 Hamburg, Germany fax: +49.40.3569.2343 telex: +212609 Reprinted from the December 1993 IFIP Newsletter.