A.1 Venue

The mathematical tradition in Germany is linked to the International Congresses. Felix Klein at the opening of the Congress on Mathematics and Astronomy in Chicago 1893 stressed that the mathematicians must form international unions. At the second congress in Paris 1900 David Hilbert presented his list of problems, the third congress was held in Heidelberg 1904, and now the German Mathematical Society is happy to welcome you at the end of the century to Berlin.

Berlin has a long mathematical tradition. Euler, one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, worked and lived here for 25 years. For the 19th century, names from Dirichlet to Jacobi, from Kummer to Weierstraß stand out. The exodus of mathematicians from Berlin because of the Nazi terror was dramatic and tragic. After the second world war the city was divided, and mathematics and all other sciences had to overcome many difficulties. Now the city is united again and promises to become a great mathematical center through its three universities and two mathematical research institutes.

Berlin is known throughout the world as a political center, as a symbol of separation and then of unification. But Berlin is also a wonderful city with lakes and woods, historical sites and sights, museums and galleries, theaters and concert halls, and not the least, its famous nightlife. There will be enough to do and to see for everybody.

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Please send suggestions and corrections to: helmberg@zib.de
Last modified: December 11, 1997