The conference reception will take place directly after the plenary sessions on the first day. We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, 19 May at 6 pm in the Foyer on the second floor of the Hörsaalgebäude where you can meet other conference participants from over 30 countries, make new contacts and refresh old ones. We are also delighted that we will be able to celebrate the fact that the Aticom award for the best graduation thesis went to a Leipzig student this year. Drinks and light snacks will be served. The reception will end at around 7.30 pm.
2. Dinner
We would like to end Thursday by enjoying good food and companionship with you in a relaxed atmosphere. We invite you to join us in the Thüringer Hof, the 550-year-old restaurant near the Church of St. Thomas. You are our guests for this meal and should pay only for your own drinks.
3. Guided tours
Now that you’re here, we’d like to take the opportunity to acquaint you better with Leipzig and our university. All the guided tours are on Thursday, 20 May, starting at 5.30 pm. Please choose which one you would like to join on Wednesday. You should collect your tickets from the Conference Office by 2 pm on Wednesday.
City Sight Seeing (History tour, Architecture tour, Literature tour, Music tour)
If you are interested you can pay an extra fee and participate in the following tourist offers:
1. Motet in the Thomaskirche
The Thomaskirche is one of the two churches in the centre of Leipzig. It is a place of music, home to the famous Thomanerchor boys choir and the last resting place of the great Johann Sebastian Bach. Music lovers from all over the world come to St. Thomas to listen to a service or a motet with the Tho-manerchor and the Gewandhaus orchestra, or to hear concerts and organ music.
Programme: Friday, 21 May 2010, 6 pm: Motet with the Thomanerchor Saturday, 22 May 2010, 3 pm: Motet celebrating the 197th anniversary of Richard Wagner’s birth, with the Thomanerchor and the Gewandhaus orchestra Price: €2
2. Boat trips – see Leipzig from the water
Leipzig has more bridges than Venice and much more water than you’d think in a city of 500,000 inhabitants so far from the coast. Take a boat trip and see Leipzig from a picturesque point of view that may surprise you. To the south of the city there is also a vast and still growing network of lakes where you can escape and feel as if you’re on holiday. For example, the Cospudener See is just 15 minutes from the Campus Augustusplatz. You can rent canoes and kayaks to paddle yourself, or take a tour on a motor boat and relax as you enjoy the scenery.
MS "Columbus"/MS "Neptun": The boat seat 10-20 passengers and cruise along the Weisser Elster, the Elster flood basin and the Karl-Heine Canal. (Duration: ca. 70 mins). Point of departure: Bootsverleih Herold, Antonienstr. 2, Tel. (0341) 4801124. Mon-Sun 10 am-7 pm (seasonal, please ask about space in advance). Price: €9/person incl. 1 drink.
MS "Weltfrieden": The boat for 25 passengers cruises from the Karl-Heine Canal to the Kanal 28 pub and back. (Duration: 60 mins). Point of departure: Stadtteilpark Plagwitz (Quay between Industriestraße and Lauchstädter Straße), Tel. (0341) 5901647. Sat, Sun and public holidays 11.00/12.15/1.30/2.45/4.00/5.15. Prices: €3/person (Children: €1.50). Charters available on weekdays (Price: €75).
MS "Cospuden": The pleasure cruiser with space for 100 guests offers tours on the Cospudener See (tour duration: ca. 1 hour). It departs at the top of the hour from the quay at Zöbigker Hafen and 20 minutes later from the quay at Nordstrand. Please ask for exact timings under Tel. (0341) 4872220. Prices: €6.50/person, children under 1 metre tall travel free, otherwise €4. Family ticket: €15.
Trip in a gondola: A genuine Venetian gondola complete with gondoliere, in the middle of Leipzig? No, it’s not a dream. Bookings via Ristorante "Da Vito", Nonnenstr. 11b, Tel. (0341) 4802626. Maximum 5 passengers. Price: 1 hour €60
3. Cultural programme
With its theatres, the Opera House, the world famous Gewandhaus and a va-riety of political cabaret theatres, Leipzig offers a wide range of things to do in the evening. For example, “a-capella”, the international festival for vocal music, is taking place during the conference week (http://www.a-cappella-festival.de/). Definitely worth a visit is the Museum der bildenden Künste with its exhibition of Neo Rauch’s paintings to mark his 50th birthday, currently attracting visitors from all over the world.
For more information on Leipzig’s cultural and night life, look at Kreuzer, the listings magazine for the city. It is available in the Conference Office or online at www.kreuzer-leipzig.de.
