Ingolf Roßberg
Welcome Address
Dear ladies and gentlemen,
it is a great pleasure for me to welcome you in Dresden. It is an honour for us that you have chosen our city as the venue for your symposium - for the first time in ICOLD-history this meeting will take place in Germany.
The capital of the Free State of Saxony brings together art and culture of European importance, but it is also renowned for its economic and scientific achievements. Of course there are many good reasons to visit the "Florence of the North", as the German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder called our city. Natural charm, captivating architecture and unique art collections - these are the factors which attract millions of tourists to Dresden year by year. Zwinger, Royal Palace, Taschenberg Palace, Semper Opera House, Brühl Terrace ... - any walk through the old part of the city brings back the splendour of the former royal residence. 30 museums and many private galleries, devoted primarily to contemporary art, are characteristics of Dresden as a city of art and culture. The Old Masters Art Gallery with its most famous painting, Raffael's "Sistine Madonna", is known all over the world, as is the royal treasure collection, the "Green Vault".
But Dresden is not only a centre of European culture. Dresden's great traditions in science and research, technical innovation and economic progress as well as the high educational standard of its citizens attract international companies which settle and invest in this region. The Dresden University of Technology contributes to the city's reputation as well as 30 scientific institutes, among them the Fraunhofer, the Max Planck and the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz societies.
Economic development, however, is more than lucky chance. Optimum assistance for enterprises settling in the city, but also commitment to their fruitful development, are inherent components of our economic policy. The grounds for innovative projects are fertile: Volkswagen is building the transparent manufactory, the various scientific societies keep investing in new research facilities. But even more: Dresden has successfully attained the top position as a centre for micro-electronics in Europe. It is not just the global giants Infineon Technologies, Advanced Micro Devices and the Motorola-Infineon joint venture Semiconductor 300 which have discovered and acknowledged the extraordinary quality of Dresden as a location. Highly qualified and motivated staff creates an excellent basis for the success of technology-oriented investment. But Dresden is not only well-known as an outstanding centre of microelectronics industry, the city is becoming more and more a focus of biotechnologies.
We are looking forward to your visit and hope, that you find pleasant conditions for discussing the recent topics of the Commission on Large Dams. You will be in a German region for which dams play a major role - as 80 per cent of the water supply in Dresden is covered by the dams in our surroundings. In the next few months another large dam will take up operation. The last valley of the Eastern Ore Mountains, the valley of the river Muglitz, will be protected by this dam and the water supply to the region will be stabilized.
There are many good reasons for specialists from all over the world to come here! Enjoy your stay in our city.
|
