The GADEST 2015 conference was held at the Kurhotel an der Obermaintherme (Health Resort Hotel) in Bad Staffelstein shown at the right hand side (source: Kurhotel an der Obermaintherme). The Kurhotel is situated in the immediate vicinity of the spa Obermain-Therme, the hottest and most saltiest thermal springs in Bavaria. Besides providing the conference facilities, most lunches and dinners were served in the hotel's restaurant for all participants. With approximately 100 hotel rooms, the Kurhotel provided accommodation for the majority of participants.
For the GADEST conference, accommodation was included in the conference fee. Approximately 100 hotel rooms in the Kurhotel an der Obermaintherme had been reserved for the GADEST conference and were booked on a "first come first serve" basis. Additional hotel rooms had been reserved in the Berggasthof Banzer Wald about 2.4 km away from the Kurhotel as well as other hotels in Bad Staffelstein.
Being part of an area with the highest brewery density in the world, there are 9 breweries in the urban area of Bad Staffelstein (with its population of 10.000). A further important branch of industry in the area is associated with braiding manufacturers. The Korbmarkt (basket market) in Lichtenfels, the neighboring city of Bad Staffelstein, is held on the third weekend in September (in 2015 September 19–20) and attracts visitors from all over the world.
The picture below shows a panorama view of Bad Staffelstein (source: Tors, Wikimedia Commons) seen from the Staffelberg mountain.
Staffelberg shown below (source: Phylloscopus, Wikimedia Commons) is one of the most prominent landmarks in Franconia. Already inhabited in the younger stone age, it served as a refugee castle until the Migration period. Famous landmarks in the vicinity of Bad Staffelstein shown also below are the Baroque Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers (source: Mattana, Wikimedia Commons) designed by Balthasar Neumann and Banz Abbey (source: Presse03, Wikimedia Commons) founded in about 1070 and built in the present form in the early 18th century.
Bad Staffelstein is situated directly at the A73 motorway from Nuremberg to Suhl. Integrated in the German motorway network, the A73 motorway and with it Bad Staffelstein can be reached via the motorways A3, A6, and A9 from all major cities in Germany. The conference hotel can be reached directly via the A73 exit "Bad Staffelstein-Kurzentrum". Follow the signs for the "Kurzentrum - Obermain Therme" to get to the Kurhotel located directly in front of the spa in the countryside.
Bad Staffelstein is situated directly at the ICE line from Munich to Berlin. The nearest ICE stop is Lichtenfels, about 7 km away, from which local train connections can be taken to reach Bad Staffelstein. The conference hotel can be reached by a two minutes walk from the platform. Please consult the electronic schedule information of the Deutsche Bahn for details.
Frankfurt: From Frankfurt Airport, railway connections can be taken to Bad Staffelstein (approx. 4 hrs total travel time).
Berlin Tegel: From Berlin Tegel, Bad Staffelstein can be reached by bus to the Central Railway Station of Berlin and further by train to Bad Staffelstein (approx. 5:00 hrs total travel time).
Berlin Schönefeld: From Berlin Schönefeld, railway connections via the Central Railway Station of Berlin can be taken to Bad Staffelstein (approx. 5:00 hrs total travel time).