About Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken, the home of the Max-Planck-Institut Informatik (MPI-INF), is situated in the Southwest of Germany and near the geographic center of central Europe. The area offers easy access to France, Luxembourg, Belgium and Switzerland. Saarbrücken is well integrated into the European rail and highway network, is served by regional airports and is within easy driving distance to Frankfurt airport, the second largest European air transportation hub.
The area is close to some of the most desirable cultural, historical and recreational areas of central Europe. The Black Forest, the most famous of the German forests, offers hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter. It is separted from the similar French Vosges by the Rhine Valley, known for its beautiful castles and world-famous vineyards. Trier - the oldest city in Germany, the mideval French city of Strasbourg, Freiburg im Breisgau - one of the most distinctive German cities, the Frankfurt metropolitan area, and the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg are all within easy driving distance. Moreover, the area is known for its culinary distinction, with one of the highest concentrations of star-rated restaurants in Europe and close proximity to Germany's best-known wine-growing regions.
The area is served by several regional airports as well as Frankfurt airport, the second largest hub in Europe, with non-stop flights to almost 260 cities worldwide and 30 destinations in the US and Canada. In addition, Saarbrücken airport offers non-stop service to Berlin, Munich and Hamburg as well as many holiday destinations, Luxembourg airport and Strassbourg airport each offer non-stop service to about 25 different major European cities, and Frankfurt-Hahn is served by low-cost airlines like Ryanair. Saarbrücken and Kaiserslautern are on the German Intercity rail system. In addition, Saarbrücken will be served by the future Paris-Frankfurt line of the French high-speed train TGV, starting in June 2007. Both cities are connected to the German Autobahn system.
Saarbrücken, a city of 200,000 adjacent to the French border, is an open-minded, tolerant city with a diverse population. It has an international, German-French highschool. The city is the home of the Saarland University with a large concentration of computing research institutions.