About Augsburg

Augsburg is at the heart of Swabia, one of the most vibrant regions of economic growth and cultural history in Germany. With a history of more than 2000 years, the city has seen its fair share of glory and drama. Founded by Roman commanders Drusus and Tiberius as an encampment in 15 B.C. it soon became the city Augusta Vindelicorum and the capital of the Raetia province. Strategically located at the rivers Lech and Wertach and connected to many of the important trade routes of the time, Augsburg flourished.

© Regio Augsburg Tourismus GmbH

The city kept its importance as a trading point after the romans left. As a Free Imperial City, Augsburg was largely autonomous and developed a rich cultural heritage from the 13th century on. Augsburg's heyday came in the 15th and 16th century, earning the city the title "City of Renaissance", when rich merchant families invested heavily in the city and attracted artists, musicians, and intellectuals. Important milestones of the reformation took place in Augsburg: the Confessio Augustana, the primary confession of faith of the Lutheran Church was made here as well as the Peace of Augsburg which gave Lutherans the freedom to practice their faith. Later on, the city played a great role during the Rococo period and is still considered the center of the style in Germany.

When the Thirty Years' War ended, precious metal smiths, engravers, and lithographers dominated the city's crafts. They were superseded by the textile industry during the industrial revolution. Augsburg became not only a center of manufacture but also of innovation. The first refrigerator, the first mass-produced airplane and of course Rudolf Diesel's diesel engine were all constructed in Augsburg.

© Lightmaster

Today, Augsburg is still a center of innovation, industry, science, and culture. The city and the surrounding area have attracted numerous high-technology concerns, especially from the fields of robotics, carbon fiber manufacturing, and aerospace. Augsburg University is among the top-rated schools in Germany and its offers are complemented by a university of applied sciences. Renowned art collections and a vibrant performing arts scene make for an exciting cultural life.

Augsburg has many famous sons that are deeply entwined in the cultural, scientific, and societal development of Central Europe. The painter family Holbein has its roots here, as well as Leopold Mozart, father of famous composer Wolgang Amedeus Mozart, whose birth house can still be visited, and playwright Bertolt Brecht. A number of museums and historic sites still give evidence to the city's great history.

You can find a lot of information about Augsburg, its sights, and its surroundings at the Augsburg Tourism website.

Venue

The Spring School will be held at the Augsburg University's Department of Computer Science. You can find information on how to get to the university below.

About Augsburg University

Augsburg University was founded in 1970 with faculties for social and economic sciences. It has grown tremendously since then and now houses seven faculties. In 2012, it had more than 18.000 registered students in 73 study courses and offers eight elite study courses. Almost 1200 teachers and researchers provide high-quality education and carry out world-class research.

Its lively campus is is one of the most congenial places to study in Germany. Situated near the city centre of Augsburg, the campus is spacious without being overwhelming. The modern buildings, functional and yet architecturally appealing, blend into a landscaped park with grassy areas, a lake, fountains and several sculptures by contemporary artists. It has an excellent public transport connection and, with the concentration of the academic buildings on one site, simplifies the day-to-day working of the university while encouraging communication between teachers, researchers, and students.

More information about the campus and the university can be found here. A campus plan can be found here (in German).

About the Department of Computer Science

The Department of Computer Science moved into its new building in October 2009. Students now have the opportunity to call on the offers and services provided by its nine chairs with a total of 14 professors and more than 100 researchers in a modern environment with state of the art lecture halls, several fully equipped computer rooms, and spacious halls to interact, prepare homework assignments, and relax in a comfortable and open atmosphere.

Participants of the Spring School will have full access to the amenities of the new building, including access to the university wide Wifi network, the computer rooms for the preparation of the assignments, as well as the possibility to interact with the lecturers and researchers during breaks and after hours.

Getting there

Information on how to get to Augsburg is available on the travel page.

Augsburg University's GPS coordinates: 48° 20′ 2 ″ N, 10° 53′ 54″ E

By car from the inner city

By tram from the central station and from the hotels

Due to the renewal of the entire inner city, getting to the university can be a bit complicated, depending where you are. As a general rule of thumb, it is always a good idea to board Tram 13 towards "Haunstetten West" and get off at the university stop. A complete schedule and map for Tram 13 can be found here (in German).

From the central station:
  1. Exit the central station and take a left towards the bus stop "Hauptbahnhof N" as seen here.
  2. Take bus B3 towards "Rotes Tor". Get off the bus at the stop "Rotes Tor" (it is also the last stop, so the driver will kick you out anyway).
  3. You will be at "Rotes Tor D" as depicted here and need to go to "Rotes Tor A". There is a tunnel that you can enter through a ramp. Go up the stairs at the second exit on your right and you'll be right at the stop. Don't cross the street there, it's quite dangerous!
  4. At "Rotes Tor A", you can hop on Tram 13 towards "Haunstetten West" which will take you directly to the university.

From the youth hostel: You can either take Bus 35 towards "Bergstraße" that stops right outside the hostel (the stop's name is "Klinik Vincentinum", find the schedule in German here) or take a short walk towards Moritzplatz as shown here which takes you through one of the nice old quarters of Augsburg. If you decide to take the bus, follow the directions above from step 3 after you get off at "Rotes Tor"

From the Hotel Ost am Kö: You are lucky, because the tram stop is located just left of the hotel. Make sure to take Tram 13 towards "Haunstetten West"!

From the B&B Hotel: Although you are located right at a tram line, you will need to take a little walk. It's a really short one though, and you can find directions here (pro-tip: there's a short cut that you can see on the map!). You are headed towards the tram stop "Von-Parseval-Straße" where you'll take Tram 13 towards "Haunstetten West".