Location

The Area

The workshop is located in Bochum, Germany right at the heart of the Ruhr valley, Germany's biggest urban area that is home to more than 5 million people. Coming from coal, the Ruhr valley is in the middle of a transformation from a mostly industrial past into a center for technology and research. This transformation is primarily driven by its three major (and many smaller) universities as well as various research institutions. Among them, Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) and the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy (MPI-SP) have established Bochum as one of the major hubs for cyber security research and industry in Europe.

Although the region is still infamous for its industrial past, a vivid cultural scene has established itself in Bochum and the surrounding cities. Still, the past is not forgotten and remains ubiquitous, for example in form of the "German Mining Museum" in Bochum and the UNESCO World Heritage site "Zeche Zollverein" in Essen. Nonetheless, cultural hot spots such as theaters, music halls, restaurants, bars, and clubs are also striving. Bochum itself is infamous for its national league soccer team, Germany's best Currywurst, and the Fiege pilsner.

The Venues

The workshop itself takes place at RUB, which is easily accessible from city center. Despite its disputable architecture, RUB features astonishing views over the valley and provides a great starting point for walks through the nearby botanical garden or surrounding forests. The university campus is walkable, albeit a bit confusing at times. Due to its unique architecture and ongoing construction works, we do not recommend trying to get around on campus by car or bike. The workshop takes place at the RUB Convention Center ("Veranstaltungszentrum" or "VZ"). The workshop dinner on Tuesday, March 19th, 2024 will be at the Livingroom in city center. Please refer to Travel & Accomodation for information on how to get to Bochum, Ruhr University, and the workshop venues.