Date & Place

The second IDEA League Summer School will be held from July 23 - 28, 2007 in the western part of Germany in the conference facilities of the Landhotel Kallbach which is located in the northern part of the Eifel Mountains.

The stay should normally coincide with the duration of the workshop, i.e. arrival on Sunday, July 22, 2007 and departure on Saturday, July 28, 2007.

Aachen

On Thursday, July 26 the participants will take part in a guided tour of Aachen which is about 30 kilometres away from the conference facilities.

Aachen is a famous city situated directly on the border with Belgium and the Netherlands. It is Germany’s most westerly city, with a population of nearly 260,000. Nearly 40,000 students attend Aachen’s five major colleges and universities (RWTH Aachen University, University of Applied Sciences, Catholic University of Applied Sciences, Academy of Music and Academy of Church Music).

Aachen unites tradition with progress. Charlemagne has left his mark throughout the city. The cathedral - the first monument in Germany to be included in the UNESCO Cultural Heritage list - and the gothic City Hall in which 32 German kings celebrated their coronations still form the heart of Aachen’s old city centre. And Charlemagne has lent his name to a prize awarded by Aachen’s citizens to personalities who have rendered outstanding services to European unity: the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen. This award has been presented on Ascension Day every year since 1950.

Eifel Mountains

Whether you are interested in the wild life, or in long walks in the forest, the Eifel National Park offers a variety of natural scenes, castles, lakes and rivers. Competent rangers offer a variety of tours.

Majestic beech forests sweep across the Eifel National Park, interspersed with gnarled oak woods and secret ravines hiding tumbling brooks. Situated in the north of the Eifel region, this is Germany's fourteenth national park. It closes the western gap in the existing network of national parks and is the first to provide a protected habitat for the particular variety of upland beech forest that thrives on acid soils, influenced by an Atlantic climate. Where trees were once commercially managed, wild, natural forests are now beginning to develop, providing a vital retreat for more than 230 endangered plant and animal species.

Wild cats are now hunting for mice in the swathes of the forest and beavers are building their lodges in the clean water. The kingfisher and several species of bat are revelling in the peace and quiet of the National Park, as is the «wild yellow narcissus» which delights nature lovers with its beautiful display when it flowers in spring. Seventy per cent of this unique blend of woodland and water has already been opened up to visitors, and from early 2006, the 3,300 hectare Vogelsang army training ground will also be open to the public. Still in use today, this site is full of ecologically valuable woodland and open grasslands. There is plenty to see and do in the National Park.

Explore the area independently, or let the experts show you around. On the «Ancient Forest Days» (every Sunday during school holidays), rangers give guided tours through the park, revealing some of nature's secrets. The visitors' centre, set in the charming hydrotherapy health resort of Gemünd on the edge of the Eifel National Park, offers a variety of interesting activities and exhibitions for every age group. The Eifel National Park Forestry Service also offers exclusive tours for groups by arrangement. A calendar, available free of charge from the park, includes details of special lectures, guided tours and other special events.

Most informations were gathered from the following web sites:
www.nationalpark-eifel.de
www.aachen.de