Further Information
Time
Germany uses the Central European Summer Time (CEST) like most other western and central European countries. During the workshop, this time zone is 2 hours ahead of UTC (UTC+2).
Electricity
All power outlets in Germany are of the “Schuko” type. Plugs of the two-pin “EuroPlug” type fit without an adaptor. The British and North-American plugs do not fit. The voltage is 230 V.
Money
The currency in Germany is the Euro (EUR, €). Credit cards are not as common as in other countries, but most shops and restaurants accept them. However, they may refuse them for amounts smaller than 5 €. Newsstands, bus drivers, and taxi drivers will only accept cash. ATMs are common and present at stations and shopping malls.
Shopping
Bavarian shopping hour-laws are strict! After 20:00 and on Sundays all shops are closed, with the only exceptions being shops in train stations and gas stations (but do not expect 24/7 opening hours for those).
Internet
Public WiFi hotspots are uncommon in Germany and not even present in all cafes and restaurants. T-Mobile operates some of them in stations and airports (typically free for 30min). However, most hotel rooms include free internet access. We will provide WiFi at the university.
Phone
The calling code for Germany is +49 and the area code for Passau is 851. A long distance phone number in Germany consists of the trunk prefix 0, the area code, and the subscriber number. An international phone number in Germany consists of the country code +49, the area code, and the subscriber number. The prefix for international calls from within Germany is 00.
The emergency number is 112 (no prefix). For the police, call 110.
There are several mobile providers (T-Mobile, Vodafone, O2) operating GSM/UMTS/LTE networks.