PESC'04 is coming to Aachen, the former capital of Europe

The 2004 Power Electronics Specialists Conference and Exhibition (PESC'04) will be held June 20-25, 2004, in Aachen, Germany. The Eurogress conference center offers room for up to 1000 participants, 250 lecture presentations, 350 dialogue presentations and 60 exhibition booths.
Aachen, situated in the western part of Germany, has a rich cultural history. The first settlements in Aachen date from a few thousand years BC. The local hot water springs became a place to worship German Gods. During the Roman period, legionnaires liked the hot springs for bathing and Aachen developed slowly into a small town.
In 794 AD, Charlemagne selected Aachen as the capital of his empire. This way Aachen became one of the most important cities in Europe in the early Middle Ages and the city attracted tradesmen, artisans and scholars. A rich cultural heritage from this period can still be witnessed in museums and historical buildings today. During the late Middle Ages and Renaissance period Aachen was conquered consecutively by Dutch, Spanish and French troops. The influence of these cultural sieges can still be found today making Aachen a true international city.
Aachen is also known for emphasizing this international integration up until now. Since 1950, the "Karls-Prize" has been awarded annually to individuals who rendered outstanding services to European integration. In 2000, the past US president Bill Clinton received this prestigious prize and last year, the Euro was selected as recipient of the Karls-Prize.
Nowadays, Aachen is a must for tourists all over the world: its hot water springs, the cathedral or "Dom", Charlemagne's Coronation Hall, the old city center and much more, have become major attractions. The three-countries-corner, where three countries meet, i.e. Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium is an attraction which few places on earth can offer to tourists. The gastronomy in Aachen with "Aachener Printen", excellent international and German cuisine, as well as the German beers and wines, together with the kind hospitality certainly encourages a visit.
Industries in and around Aachen have been reconverted for the past twenty years from textile and steel industries to state-of-the-art technology centers specializing in micro-electronics, automation technology, machine tooling, automotive equipment and communication technology. This development has been spurred by the many spin-off activities of the RWTH-Aachen, a university that is actually the largest employer in the city and one of the leading technical institutions in Germany.
Keep in mind, Aachen is only a stone's throw away from other attractive cities, such as Cologne, Düsseldorf, Maastricht, Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Antwerp and Paris.
Surrounded by many airports and connected to a large high-speed train network, Aachen can be reached easily from all over the world.

Hoping to meeting you in Aachen at PESC 2004!

Rik De Doncker
PESC04 General Chair