INVITATION TO GDANSK

            On behalf of the Organizational Committee I am pleased to invite you to take part in the 8th International WASOG Conference on Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Diseases, which will be held on June 2–4, 2016 in Gdansk, Poland.

            Gdansk has played an important role in the history of neighbouring countries, especially Poland, throughout its thousand-year history. Its convenient location, where Poland’s biggest river — Wisła (Vistula) — meets the Baltic Sea, has shaped the city’s character and made it one of the most lively centre of trade in this region of Europe.

            Gdansk is a north European city, which can be recognized due to its architecture, culture and science. When walking around the Old Town, you can still see frescos, churches and monuments of kings (Kaziemierz Jagiellończyk, Zygmunt August, Jan Sobieski) created centuries ago. Previously, many German and Polish settlers had made their way to the town, as did the Flemish, the Scots, the Jews, the Dutch, the Italians, the French and the Scandinavians. Many famous idividuals of various nationalities come from this city. Gdansk citizens included famous scientists, such as Jan Hevelius, the astronomer; Daniel Fahrenheit, the inventor of the temperature scale still used in the United States; Arthur Schopenhauer, the world famous philosopher — called the saddest Gdansk citizen.  Klaus Kinski, the famous actor was born in Sopot. The Nobel Prize winner Gunter Grass also comes from Gdansk and his books describe former and contemporary visions of the city. Gdansk has always been a city attracting open minds due to its spirit of tolerance.

            The breakthrough events of the most recent turbulent period are documented in the multimedia exhibition “Roads to Freedom” arranged in the shelter near to the National Commission of Solidarity. The exposition recalls the local struggle for freedom and justice, and the birth of the “Solidarity”, the first independent trade union in then-communist Poland. This development triggered the avalanche of events that toppled communism in Europe. President Lech Walesa, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and a symbol of struggle for democracy, will be a Special Guest and a Honorary Patron at 8 th International WASOG Conference on Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Diseases.

            All details related to the Conference, i.e. address, registration fees, calendar, payment and booking can be found on the website of the 8th International WASOG Conference on Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Diseases.