Berlin, the green metropolis in the middle of the Mark Brandenburg, presents itself to incoming guests as a very urban city, which also offers green oases among its many lakes and streams. A unique mixture of nature and culture, metropolis and village, industry and trade, fashion and music generates a special atmosphere. The formerly isolated political situation has made Berlin to one of the most famous cities in the world. For forty years, Berlin was divided into West and East by two completely differing ideologies, which were symbolized by the Wall, a brutal obstacle in the middle of the city. Since the reunification, the city has been trying to catch up with its great traditions, resulting in profound changes in its appearance.

With its three universities, colleges of music, art and architecture, and its more than 100,000 students Berlin is, and always has been, a center of education and academic life. Since unification, the city has been trying to catch up with its great traditions in science and research, as well. Names like Virchow, Helmholtz, Einstein, Planck, Haber, Warburg, Krebs and Meyerhof - to name just a few - are a challenge and a promise for the future. Just walk around the block from the building hosting the 17th Biennial ISN meeting and you will see a chapter in the history of science; science for the good, represented by the Butenandt, Hahn and Meitner and Willstaedter institutes; or science for the bad, exemplified by the notorious "Institute of Anthropology, Human Genetics and Eugenics", which provided the "scientific" arguments for the Nazis' racist ideology.

Today Berlin has the largest concentration of life science research in Germany. Several Max-Planck-Institutes and numerous university and industrial research groups, in addition to federal research institutes (such as the newly-founded Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine) have created a scientific atmosphere supported by a growing scientific community. Neuroscience is strong; recently several research units focussing on topics like behavioural plasticity and glia were founded; and one expression of Berlin's growing interest in the neurosciences is the recent founding of the German Neuroscience Society, which intends to bridge national and international activities in this field.

Good science flourishes only if the brain can occasionally relax and regenerate. With its world-renowned Philharmonic and other orchestras, three opera houses, more than twenty theatres and scores of museums and galleries, there are ample alternatives to exciting experimental data. You might want to meet Nefertiti, wander among the remains of the famous Pergamon altar, or get involved in a dispute about the value and significance of contemporary art. The music scene, the "off-scene" theaters, and the never-ending nightlife may compete with your desire to sleep.

Berlin is located in the middle of the "New Europe": The eastern European capitals are as easily accessible as the Scandinavian countries and much of Western and Southern Europe. But it also has a lot to offer for short trips: the many lakes in the region and the Baltic Sea, with its old Hansa League cities Rostock and Stralsund, are only a short train trip away. Some trips are proposed by the organizer.

If you wish to know more and even more about Berlin (these pages are available only in German, sorry).

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