  Besides being regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in Germany, with its harmonious setting of a castle, old town and river set in the midst of hills – and hence a popular haunt for tourists, Heidelberg is a much favoured location for conferences. Geared to the future, yet grounded in tradition, Heidelberg is known as a progressive city of international importance, boasting powerhouses in the fields of environmental protection, genetic engineering and information technology. Sometimes termed the Mecca for science, it is home to the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, the German Cancer Research Institute (DFKZ) and five Max-Planck Institutes. Heidelberg University, founded in 1386 and the oldest in Germany, occupies top positions in medicine, life sciences, physics, chemistry and mathematics and is held in high esteem internationally with a foreign student population of around 25%. Prominent personalities in history such as Bosch, Bunsen, Kirchhoff, Robert Schumann the composer and even Martin Luther all have links to the university. There is hardly any other city of similar size in Germany that offers such a multi-faceted and extensive cultural scene as Heidelberg. Two highly esteemed orchestras stand at the forefront of concert music life: the Heidelberg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra. Further demonstrating its international dimensions, Heidelberg counts among its twin city relationships, places as far afield as Japan, Israel, and the Ukraine.
Apart from the Castle and Old Bridge, Heidelberg’s City Convention Centre situated on the banks of the Neckar River is the most distinctive landmark of the old town district.
Like Mark Twain and other great names in history, Heidelberg awaits to inspire delegates to SpaceOps 2008!
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