Local Guide

This is a first aid page, that will help you to survive in Potsdam , Germany.

Arrival

If you arrive at Berlin Tegel airport and you do not want to rent a car you may ask: How to get to Potsdam? When you finally arrive at the Potsdam you will be interested in the map of the town. If you do not want to hire a taxi (tel: 0331/292929), the following bus lines will bring you to the center of the town and to the university of Potsdam : 605 / 606. You have to get off the bus at the station "Am Neuen Palais" .

There are also two plans of the public transport available:

• Plan of the Potsdam Public Transport Net (day)

• Plan of the Potsdam Public Transport net (night)

The prices of tickets for Potsdam (zone AB) are 2,50 DM (1.30 Euro) for a single ticket for buses and trams. If you plan to use public transport during all your stay we propose the »7-Tage-Karte Standard Potsdam AB« (One week ticket) that costs 18 DM (about 9 Euro). If you plan to go regularly to Berlin you can buy a »7-Tage-Karte Standard Berlin ABC« that costs 52 DM (about 26 Euro).

Arriving at the university of Potsdam you will need university site map (The conference rooms are situated in building 8. The institute of physics is located in building 19).

REMARK: On Saturday the 21^th and on Sunday the 22^th the famous »Love Parade« is going to be 'celebrated' in Berlin. It's a kind of music demonstration (allthough with the status of a political ;-) one ! ) that attracts thousands of young people each year to Berlin. Therefore to go from Berlin to Potsdam can take a while. Be patient!

Some important tips

• How to get money?

  At the campus there is no cash terminal. The easiest way will be to change money at the airport in Berlin. In Potsdam you can change money at the railway station or at the Luisenplatz .

• Telephone cards?

  At the Potsdam Railway station you can buy them in a number of little shops. On the campus there are only telephone cabines that work with cash only.

• Important telephone numbers:

• Problems with the hotel?

  If you still do not have a hotel check the list of hotels in Potsdam.

• How to get to the hotels?

• If you are accomodated in the »Sparkassenakademie«, you take the tram 94 / 96 (direct) or the bus 695 (a little sight seeing tour included!) at the railway station and go in both cases to the final station (Pirschheide). With the following map you will find the hotel. To go from the hotel to the campus you take the line 695 and get off the bus at the station »Am Neuen Palais«.

• If you are accomodated in the »Steigenberger-MAXX-hotel«, you take the tram 94 / 96 or the bus 605 / 606 at the railway station and go in both cases to the station »Luisenplatz«. With the following map you will find the hotel. To go from the hotel to the campus you take the line 605 / 606 and get off the bus at the station »Am Neuen Palais«.

• E-mail account?

  Computers with internet account will be available in the room 423 , building 19 (physics department) between 8am and 8 pm.

Cultural activities

A special event this year in Potsdam is the »Bundesgartenschau (National Horticulture Show), Buga «. You should consider to visit it one of the day of the conference. Tickets are available in the internet. Most of the day there are special events taking place there. We will inform you as soon as the list comes out.

But Potsdam offers a wide variety of historical sights , too. In the internet there is further information about these sights available. If you prefer something more romantic you can go for a excursion on a steamboat .

In Berlin you can find a hole bunch of museums.We strongly recommend a visit to some of them.

We will soon give further information on cinema-, theater- and concert programs.

Acompanying Persons

As there are acompanying persons we want to offer them the possibility to pass the time together. So they can discover the sights of Potsdam and Berlin in a group. This is not only cheaper but also more fun. Acompanying persons can meet at the mornig at the conference place.

For acompanying persons we propose a Special sight seeing tour (about 2,5 hours!) including the Bundesgartenschau (National Horticulture Show), Buga on one day. This includes a promenade along the river Havel that crosses Potsdam, passing the Freundschaftsinsel, a sight seeing tour in the historical center of Potsdam, the park Sanssouci and with the possibility to visit the Buga park. The price is about 24 DM (12 Euro) for adults without visiting the Buga and 43 DM (21 Euro) including the Buga. Ticket resevation is recommended (Tel.: +49 331 275580).

Another day we propose an excursion on a steamboat . There are different offers that you can find on the internet site. You will have enough time to visit the palace Sanssouci .

Last but not least there are the Berlin museums. Even though it is hard to decide for one of them the Ägyptische Museum and the Pergamon Museum are our favorites.

Historical Places/Events of Science

Solar Observatory Einsteinturm
The History of Astronomy in Potsdam
History of Geosciences on the Telegrafenberg
Birth place of H. Helmholtz: W. Staab-Str.
Scientists born in Potsdam: Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi, Hermann Cäsar Hannibal Schubert, Karl Schwarzschild, Helmert

Pubs