Venue

The 20 International Colloquium on Magnetic Films and Surfaces was held in the Henry Ford Building on the campus of the Freie Universität Berlin.
The university is located in Berlin-Dahlem, a green residential area in the south-west of Berlin, not too far away from the lake Wannsee. Close access to the efficient subway network connects the site conveniently to all the Berlin central areas.

Berlin is the largest city in Germany with about 3.4 million inhabitants. The German capital is known best for its history, its lively nightlife, many cafes, restaurants and bars as well as its numerous museums, palaces and other historic sites.

Scarred by devastation in World War II and divided by the Wall through the Cold War era, the reunited cities of East and West Berlin entered a new period of dynamic change with the opening of the Wall in November 1989. Situated in the heart of a changing Europe, Berlin today is a young, creative city with increasing popularity, particularly among young people.

The Freie Universität was founded in 1948 in response to the restrictive policy that the Eastern section of Berlin was imposing on the traditional Humboldt University. This explains the choice of the name Freie Universität ("Free University"). The Henry Ford Building was inaugurated in 1954 by US Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, as a symbol of academic freedom in the world.