Technical and Cultural Visits
Please note: Places on tours are subject to availability and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. A tour may be withdrawn in the event that it is undersubscribed. To sign up, select the appropriate tour during your online registration (opening soon). You will receive email confirmation shortly afterwards. For assistance please email Joey Timmins at j.timmins@fisita.com or call +44 (0) 20 7299 6637
Die Gläserne Manufactur
Monday 4 May, 10:30, 3 hours
Free of charge for EuroBrake participants
Back by popular demand, EuroBrake’s trip to Die Gläserne Manufactur, Volkswagen’s ‘Transparent Factory’, demonstrates every detailed stage of the making of its luxury sedan ‘The Phaeton’ in exceptional surroundings.
With walls made almost entirely of glass, focus is on transparency of process – Volkswagen are proud to show up to 250 tourists per day the seamless transition from assembly line to visitor forum. There is a strong emphasis on environmental awareness – the factory is free from smokestacks, loud noises and toxic byproducts, and sits in impressive grounds with over 350 company planted trees surrounding the building.
The factory is built not on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Dresden, but in the very heart of the city, just 10 minutes walk from the Old Town.
Architect Prof. Dr. Gunter Henn explains that ‘Die Gläserne Manufactur exemplifies the demands of today’s knowledge society, a society in which we require transparent working environments to ensure networked processes’.
Our technical visit to this unique and extraordinary building promises delegates a no holds barred view of this radical reinvention of car manufacturing.
BMW i Exclusive Guided Tour - Production of Electric Vehicles, Leipzig
Thursday 7 May, full day, times TBC
EUR 70.00 including return transportation from International Congress Centre
The BMW Leipzig Plant is one of the most modern and sustainable automobile plants in the world, with up to 740 vehicles rolling off the production lines every day.
In 2013, electric mobility began in Leipzig with the BMW i3 and i8. Experience the fascinating world of carbon, painted plastic parts, bonding robots and electric vehicles on this 2.5 hour tour spanning 3.5 kilometres, and tailored exclusively to EuroBrake delegates.
Afterwards you will have the opportunity to visit the beautiful city of Leipzig. This will include lunch in Leipzig and a tour of the city, during which you’ll have the chance to see the grand opera house, take a stroll down Mädler’s Passage, learn why the Central Train Station was made up of two halves and find out what is interesting about Shakespeare’s stockings.
AutoTram® Extra Grand
Thursday 7 May, 08:45–11:30, 2.5 hours
EUR 20.00 including return transportation from International Congress Centre
Debuted in Dresden in 2012, the AutoTram® Extra Grand is the longest bus in the world. Combining features of conventional buses - high flexibility and low infrastructure costs, with the advantages of trams - high transport capacity and driving comfort, it can carry up to 256 passengers, and possesses a large range of environmentally friendly features including partial emission-free operation.
The innovative public transport technology is based on a concept developed by the Fraunhofer IVI and developed with joint researchers including the Institute of Electrical Power Engineering, TU Dresden, Wittur Electric Drive GmbH, M&P motion, control and power electronics GmbH and the Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe (DVB) AG. The type approval was carried out by the DEKRA and was constructed by bus manufacturer Göppel Bus GmbH in Thüringen.
Meet the minds behind the vehicle whilst you tour the Dresden based research institute, and gain in depth insight into the operation of this future-oriented vehicle by taking a tour on the bus on the institute’s test track.
Green Vault (Grünes Gewölbe)
Monday 4 May 11:15 – 12:45, and Thursday 7 May 10:15 –11.45
EUR 10.00. Walking assembly point at International Congress Centre
Delve into August the Strong’s treasure chest with this extraordinary tour of Dresden’s Historical Green Vault. Guided through various themed rooms including the Amber Cabinet, the Bronze Room and the White Silver Room, visitors can glimpse some of the most splendid examples of 18th century jewellery and precious objects.
On the floor above, become closely acquainted with an abundance of riches from the Far East spanning three centuries at the New Green Vault. Using antiglare glass and state-of-the-art lighting technology, exhibits are displayed in minute detail, including the “cherry stone” described in the inventory as being carved with 185 faces – a masterpiece of micro carving.
As one of the richest treasure chambers in Europe, a trip to Dresden cannot be complete without a visit to the spellbinding Green Vault.
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Green Vault image
Staatliche Kunstsammlungen
(Public Art Collections), Dresden.
Photography: David Brandt
City Walking Tour
Tuesday 5 May 10:30–12:30
Free of charge for EuroBrake participants
Join us for a leisurely stroll through historic streets and squares featuring some of the city’s main monuments and attractions, including the Semperopera, the Zwinger and Royal Palaces, the famous Frauenkirche, the Procession of Princes and the “balcony of Europe”.
An experienced guide will lead you through the Old Town and provide fascinating history and anecdotes on the streets and sights of Dresden.
