Welcome to Berlin_

Dear friends and colleagues,

Welcome to Berlin and Germany!

The German delegation looks forward to welcoming you in 2011 in Berlin for the next PIANC General Assembly.

We are sure this city will be the appropriate venue for such an outstanding meeting.  Moreover, excursions will lead you across our country and will acquaint you with inspiring projects that illustrate the advanced infrastructure of inland and coastal navigation and of the ports in Germany. The experts who are in charge of this modern transportation technology will share their practical experience with you during these study tours and in the technical sessions of our assembly.

A special highlight will certainly be the modernized East-West waterway connection - one of the transport-infrastructure projects "German Unity", and it will be certainly interesting to learn about some details and to hear inside stories that were not written down, but give an impression of what it means to implement such an infrastructure project. The visit to Niederfinow, where the 76-year old ship lift is being supplemented by a modern structure to overcome the difference in height of 36 m between the upstream and the downstream waterway, will be unforgettable.

Berlin offers still more: You and your partner may discover the rich cultural opportunities provided in this city and see sites of old and recent historic events.

So we all look forward to meeting each other, to have fruitful discussions and we will sure feel the "wind of change" that this General Assembly is likely to bring in PIANC's work.

Dipl.-Ing. Michael Behrendt

Chairman PIANC Germany
First Delegate of Germany