沒有美術品的「美術館」

【聯合報╱漢寶德‧文】 2013.10.25 05:15 am

豐島美術館是最有禪味的美術館。 漢寶德‧圖片提供 時近中秋，天氣仍然燠熱。因此我對信義文化基金會的日本四國之遊，原只期待是北國秋高氣爽的天氣，在綠蔭中觀賞美麗的自然風光。沒想到，今年的氣候真特別，北國島嶼上的氣溫也居高不下，而且不時來一陣傾盆大雨。風景沒有看到，卻有機會參觀了幾座特殊的美術館，使人有不虛此行之感。 日本人認為建築師就是藝術家 我們的旅遊號稱四國，不過是飛機在四國島上高松機場落地而已。在地面上的活動實際是在幾個小島上。那是介乎本州與四國之間的瀨戶內海上的幾個小島，原來旅程的規畫在看準了團員們的興趣，有意的找到這幾個有自然美景，又有美術活動的地區，故我們在短短的幾天旅程中，吸收到不少新鮮的感受與異域的藝術趣味。 原來這一帶近年來有意的向藝術方面發展。這幾個島在日本現代化與歷經大戰的過程中，原被視為後方，是工業原料取得與丟棄的地方，所以是相對落後的。上世紀末他們決定清理環境，利用自然環境的優點，設法建設為一高水準的文化場域。歷經若干年的努力，在幾位天才建築師與藝術家的幫助下，慢慢有了成就，漸漸建立起吸引觀光客的「瀨戶內藝術祭」的常態活動。所以今天的瀨戶內海已經不是吳下阿蒙了。大家來這裡是體驗特有的藝術與自然結合的氛圍，欣賞其異乎一般美術的創作。他們已成功的塑造另一種美術館的模式。 使我感到非常驚異的，是日本人對建築與建築師的看法。在這些偏遠的島嶼上，日本人似乎接受了一個觀念：建築就是藝術，因此建築師就是藝術家，建築物就是藝術品。建築在西方被視為應用藝術，實用為主，美觀為副。這樣的看法也為西化後的東方人所充分接受。上世紀末，建築界有一種「建築就是藝術」的看法，但只有少數享有盛譽的建築師才有機會表演一番，但社會大眾並沒有承認這一點，這類建築只是被視為具有特異的造型而已。到目前為止，我還沒有看過被認定為藝術品的建築物，即使是名聞天下的，畢爾堡的古根漢美術館，觀眾還是以內部的藝術品為參觀目標，世上哪裡有裡面沒有美術品的美術館？ 建築可以作為一種純藝術嗎？ 這是一個全新的觀點，只有日本人才會想得出來。一方面，他們特別尊重建築家，認定建築物為作品對他們來說並無太多困難。另方面，日本可能是最受禪宗思想影響的民族，而禪宗是中國化了的佛教宗派，對於虛與無的境界，原已吸收到他們的民族精神之中。所以沒有美術品，只要有其他的精神的內容，同樣可以被接受。 建築作為一種純藝術，也就是不考慮它的空間功能，是不是可以呢？這也有兩種說法。其中之一是把藝術品的尺寸放大到建築物的大小。著名的建築師，哈蒂的作品就有這種味道：把建築當成大型的雕刻，其夾縫的空間算作室內，對於功能有限的建築，如美術館，也許是說得過去的。條件是出資的業主充分支持。但我在日本看到的才是真正的建築藝術。在這裡，建築並沒有予人以心搖目眩之感的外觀，只是很樸實的表達出最基本的建築要素。這些要素組成了建築，是建築家視為藝術表現的手段，但由於與功能結合在一起，一般大眾從來沒有視之為藝術。其構成為建築家們再三斟酌的，卻被觀眾所忽略。 對建築純藝術的欣賞 必須具備禪的精神 這些要素是什麼？就是由「面」組成的立體空間，用建築材料與工法所構成。美好的空間要很細心的權衡各個面(包括牆面與地面等)的比例、及其構造的面質與自然的色感。這樣的空間使用自然的光線創造出所需要的氣氛，或光影的戲劇。這就是空間藝術。 其實我們所居住及使用的房間都是這樣造成的。設計家曾花腦筋使它呈現出一定的美感，只是我們只關心居住的利便，就沒有很注意空間在一無所有時的精神境界。相反的，我們對於室內的一面白牆壁無法接受，非掛一幅豔麗的牡丹花才能滿足。只有以虛無的精神來體會空間，才能了解建築之為藝術的意義。所以對建築純藝術的欣賞必須先具備禪的精神。這一點，對日本人而言無甚困難，對我們就有些講不清楚了。 我們這次參觀的美術館分居在三個島上。首先看到的是豐島上的豐島美術館。據導遊告訴我們，這座島是因為富於地下水而被命名，也就是多水的意思。在島上，地面如有縫隙就有水冒出來，因此使藝術家有了創作的靈感。這當然是裝置藝術或行動藝術產生之後的觀念，藝術家與建築師就在此觀念下，建造了第一座完全沒有美術品的美術館，也是最有禪味的美術館。 戒慎的心，看完一無所有的空間 他們靈感的來源是水珠。因為地下水呈現在我們眼前最醒目的是水泥地面細小孔洞所冒出來的水珠。由於水壓力一直存在，水珠不斷增大，然後順斜坡流走。建築師就設計了一個大水珠，俯伏在地面上。鋼筋水泥的薄殼建築，面以白色，在綠色的山林環境中非常醒目。 走到水珠的裡面，發現是一個大圓頂，略為扁平在一邊開了個圓洞可以看到天空，並用以採光。在這個偌大的空間裡，沒有任何展品，你所能體驗的就是這個一無所有的空間的美感，因此本地的訪客會坐在地上，微合上眼睛，享受這個安靜又獨特的空間。 他低下頭會發現在圓頂的地面上，由於豐盛的地下水所冒出來的許多水珠。建築師有意的使地面略有起伏，讓水珠有滾動的機會，因此細心的觀眾，以欣賞動感的水珠從生到滅的故事。這是一個動人的過程，觀眾才覺悟到，這才是這座美術館的展示品，也是這座美術館建築的縮影。是的，觀眾是走過藝術品中，所以被一再告戒不可以攝影，不可以出聲，要脫掉鞋子，手不可以碰觸牆面。 觀眾以戒慎的心情看完這一無所有的空間，回頭看看這個大水珠，發現自己是上當了，還是確有收穫？看了一個美術館，竟沒有留下任何美術的影象。 展示室中大多沒有展品 說到這裡，我要談一談他們的博物館營運的觀念。博物館是西方文化的產物。它原是皇家或貴族把所收藏的文物或藝術品，酌量公開，與公眾分享的意思，所以在開始發生的18、19世紀，對公眾來訪是有限制的。經過現代化與民主化的發展，博物館的營運逐漸以服務觀眾為主，所以展示與教育的功能漸超過了收藏與研究。到今天，除了非常少的例外，博物館總是以吸引大量觀眾來訪為主要經營理念，新設的博物館也以此為條件來決定其營運計畫。 藏在地底下的地中美術館，只有從空中鳥瞰才能見到不同形狀的開口。 （圖／本報資料照片） 瀨戶內海的這幾座小島上的美術館，居然反其道而行，自高身價，擺出愛來不來隨便你的態度，簡直使我大開眼界。在幾個偏遠的小島上，要搭船轉車數次才能到達，下了車還要步行若干坡路才能見到美術館門口，總算到了，卻被攔在門外，先脫鞋才能依序進去。慢！每個展示室，一次只能進去幾個人，所以沒有多少觀眾卻要排長龍。妙的是，這些展示室中大多沒有展品，只是抽象的空間的設計。 最近本州宇野港的直島，好像是著名建築師安藤忠雄的表演場地。有一座安藤博物館，是把一座老宅的內部與後面用安藤式的水泥版空間改裝而成。有一座是安藤設計的，把一個幾何形構成的建築埋在地下的「地中美術館」，其內部空間當然都是安藤式的水泥版空間。在這裡面，觀眾都不准談話，不准動手，當然更不准照相，大家排隊依次進入，如同拜聖殿一樣的，都悄悄的、緩慢的走過那些黑暗的廊道，是我看到的，對建築師致上的最高敬意。我不禁想，在台灣，我們可以建這樣一座博物館嗎？ 他們不把觀眾放在眼裡可以以我個人經驗為例。我因年邁體弱，出門要坐輪椅，此行亦不例外。我不必脫鞋，但要把輪子清潔後加套，自不在話下。使我感到意外的，是室內的空間展示，為了創造空間變化，梯步是不可缺少的，卻沒有考慮到無障礙的參觀環境。所以在「地中」美術館裡，我雖然排隊入場，仍有三分之二的展示無法親身體驗！ 地中美術館是安藤的紀念碑，完全以建築為展示品。他在地下創造了五個採光井，其中較大的兩個，一個三角形，一個方形，為天井，也就是院落，是純淨的幾何空間。其餘三個為展示室，是大家排隊看展的三個藝術品。在這三個房間中，一間展示莫內的五張同類的畫，著名的睡蓮系列，是唯一與傳統美術館相近的展示，其他兩間為兩位美國加州的藝術家按照安藤的建築空間所創作的「作品」，因為只有空間與光線，一般觀眾可能會不知其所以然。這樣大的一座美術館，卻只有三件作品，其中兩件是非常抽象的作品，居然有些年輕學生在排隊等候入室，日本的年輕人真有這樣高的水準嗎？ 如果我們也建造一座 沒有美術品的美術館…… 我看了這幾座勉強稱之為美術館的作品，不免想到台灣的文化現狀。台灣因為有日據半世紀的背景，人民對日本文化是有觀感的。可惜的是，日本文化中高度的審美標準與禪寺的沉思式心靈卻沒有影響到我們。我們仍然是一個喜歡熱鬧的社會，對淡雅的美有形無形的加以排斥，這正是國民精神生活中難有美感的原因。 我們當然沒有模仿日本的理由，但是作為建築界的一員，覺得這也許是促成社會大眾提升建築欣賞能力的一個辦法。台灣社會對日本建築師非常尊重，因此日本的著名建築師都有作品在台灣。但是大家真正懂得欣賞這些作品嗎？這使我想到，如果我們也建造一座沒有美術品的美術館，也許可以使台灣的民眾驚覺到抽象美感的特色。 建築是抽象的藝術，比抽象畫還要抽象。把建築當成展示的核心來建一座美術館，陳示出空間的感動力與幾何所構成之美，即使讓民眾花幾秒的時間去加以體會，他們不能欣賞，也許會被激怒，可是把實體的建築當藝術品展出的事實，應該會使他們反省自己的感受，逐漸接受幾何構成的美感，甚至與日本人一樣，坐下來靜思以深化美的感覺。這，是可能的嗎？ 【2013/10/25 聯合報

Accommodation in Heidelberg

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Prices and conditions 2013 - F+U accommodation in Heidelberg Halls of residence Administration fee: € 50 (incl. all utilities and final cleaning). Deposit: € 100. Double room bookings are possible only for learners arriving together. Discount for 10 people: 5 % off quoted rent. The accommodation rates are calculated to take into account location and furnishings/facilities of the accommodation. In all cases, please bear in mind that all our halls of residence and apartments have a “student” character, including those in higher categories. General information about board, key handover, check-in and -out times and more see end of page. Transfer to and from accommodation see here. Category Residence number 1 - 3 weeks (rent per week/room) From 4 weeks (rent per week/room) Extra day (rent per day/room) SGL DBL SGL DBL SGL DBL I 6, 9, 11, 18, 31 € 95 € 145 € 85 € 145 € 30 € 45 II 3, 10, 15, 18, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 33 € 110 € 165 € 100 € 150 € 35 € 50 III 15, 19, 29, 31, 33 € 120 € 180 € 110 € 165 € 35 € 55 IV 1, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 27, 28, 31, 32 € 140 € 210 € 125 € 190 € 40 € 60 V 10, 12, 21, 24, 31 € 180 € 270 € 160 € 240 € 40 € 65 VI 2, 4, 12, 16, 22, 23 € 200 € 300 € 180 € 270 € 50 € 75 Please note: The halls of residence are available to our learners all year round, with the exception of “SRH”. However, due to the high demand, we recommend booking accommodation at least two months in advance. If accommodation within a category is fully booked during the summer we reserve the right to offer accommodation in an alternative hall of residence of the same standard. No. Name District Distance Stop Short description, location Cat. 1 Am Markt Old Town 1 km 200 m Renovated 2011; 250 m to Old Bridge and castle, on Marktplatz IV 2 APO Old Town 1 km 200 m Generously furnished, large kitchen; 300 m to Old Bridge and to castle VI 3 Bach Eppelheim 5 km 100 m Renovated 2011; quiet residential area II 4 Brox Centre 0.3 km 50 m Renovated 2011; kitchenette in room; close to Bismarckplatz VI 5 Burgi Old Town 1 km 100 m Renovated 2011; kitchenette in room; 200 m to Old Bridge / Neckar IV 6 Concordia Rohrbach 2 km 200 m Simply furnished; large car park; close to the city forest I 7 Czerny Bergheim 1.5 km 450 m Renovated 2012, newly furnished, nearly all rooms with balcony; close to railway station IV 8 Eichendorff Rohrbach 4 km 250 m Renovated 2011; close to vineyards and Old Rohrbach Market IV 9 Freiburg Rohrbach 5 km 300 m Simply furnished; close to vineyards I 10 Im Weiher Handsch. 4 km 300 m Renovated 2011; 600 m to Neckar, horse-riding ground nearby, 750 m to large sports grounds Small rooms in basement II Larger rooms on ground/upper floor IV WC and shower in room V 11 Konstanz Rohrbach 5 km 350 m Simply furnished; close to vineyards I 12 März Old Town 0.5 km 100 m New building (2011), centre of Old Town Each 2 rooms (<15 kitchen="" m="" p="" shower="" wc=""> IV Each 2 rooms (>15 m²) kitchen, WC, shower V Kitchen, WC, shower in room VI 13 Mühltal Handschuhsheim 3 km 250 m Renovated 2011; close to the 13th century Tiefburg IV 14 Rohrbach 16 Weststadt 0.6 km 100 m Well furnished, spacious kitchen; central location IV 15 Schmitt Kirchheim 5 km 150 m Large kitchen in neighbouring building, quiet residential area WC, shower on level II WC on level, shower in room III 16 Sophie Old Town 0.2 km 50 m Renovated 2011; very central location Smaller rooms IV Larger rooms, access to large terrace VI 17 SRH ³ Wieblingen 3.0 km 500 m Shower + WC in room; kitchen on level; NO WLAN; 400 m to Neckar IV 18 Steinhof Pfaffengrund 4 km 100 m¹ Newly furnished 2012; surrounded by hiking trails; kitchen + bathroom in cellar Small attic room I Larger rooms II 19 Turner Rohrbach 4 km 200 m Renovated 2008, close Rohrbach market 2 rooms share WC+shower; kitchen on level III Shower + WC in room; kitchen on level IV 20 Victoria Rohrbach 5 km 250 m Close to vineyards and Rohrbach market II 21 Villa Mönchhof Neuenheim 1 km 200 m Renovated 2011; handsome villa with small park area; car park V 22 Haus am Ritter Old Town 1,2 km 240 m Comfortable renovated baroque building. Very pleasant Old Town ambience. VI 23 Delicatesse Old Town 0,2 km 230 m Situated on Hauptstraße; 7 rooms sharing a kitchen and 2 bathrooms. VI 24 Karlsplatz Old Town 1,5 km 250 m Central in Old Town; located at the foot of the castle hill. V 25 Emmertsgrund Emmertsgrund 5,5 km 100 m Quietly situated in a suburb of Heidelberg – Emmertsgrund. II 26 Bosch Eppelheim 5,9 km 800 m In the beloved area of Eppelheim. The school and Old Town accessible in 16 min. II 27 Schwetzingen Kirschheim 4,7 km 200 m 4 rooms on the top floor (mild diagonal ceiling) IV 28 Philipp Reis Südstadt 2,1 km 250 m A smaller, former au-pair room II 3 single-rooms and one double room are sharing kitchen and bathroom IV 29 Wasserturm Eppelheim 5,6 km 100 m 11 rooms are distributed across three floors and share 3 bathrooms and one guest toilet. III 30 Looks Inn Pfaffengrund 5 km 700 m Each of the rooms is spacious and fully equipped with TV and W-Lan for internet use. Shared kitchen and bathroom. II 31 Karlsruhe Rohrbach 2,8 km 10 m One large double room under sloping roofs. I 5 rooms are sharing bathroom and kitchen. Accessible throw the courtyard. III 5 rooms are sharing 2 bathrooms, one WC and one kitchen. Balcony accessible. IV Room with private kitchenette and shower ensuite. V 32 Goldener Hirsch Dossenheim 5,5 km 850 m Nice guesthouse, close to hotel standards. Each room has its own bathroom. IV 33 Albert Fritz Emmertsgrund 4 km 50 m 17 rooms, spread over three floors are sharing 2 bathrooms and a guest WC. II 13 rooms spread over three floors are sharing 6 bathrooms and a spacious kitchen in the attic. Some rooms have access to balconies or a terrace. III Apartments Administration: € 50 (incl. all utilities, final cleaning) Deposit: € 200. The accommodation rates are calculated to take into account location and furnishings/facilities of the accommodation. In all cases, please bear in mind that all our halls of residence and apartments have a “student” character, including those in higher categories. Category Name 1 - 3 weeks (rent per week) From 4 weeks (rent per week) Extra day (rent per day) 1 person 2 people ¹ 1 person 2 people ¹ 1 person 2 people ¹ I März, Rathaus, Rohrbach 16, Heiligenhaus € 225 € 340 € 200 € 300 € 50 € 75 II Karlsruhe, März, Rathaus € 275 € 415 € 250 € 375 € 60 € 90 ¹ Supplement for each addtional person and week: Apartment-I = € 50; apartment-II = €75 Name District Distance Stop Discription Cat. Rathaus Rohrbach 5,0 km 100 m 1,5 – 2 rooms, bathroom/WC and spacious kitchen; for 1-3 persons. I 2 rooms, big bathroom/WC + kitchen; for 1-4 persons II Rohrbach 16 Weststadt 0,6 km 100 m 1 room, shower/WC + kitchenette; for 1 person I März Altstadt 0,5 km 100 m 1 room, shower/WC + kitchenette; for 1 -2 persons I 2 rooms, shower/WC + kitchenette; for 1 -4 persons II Heiligenhaus Rohrbach 4,3 km 400 m kitchen (2 burners) + bathroom/WC + livingroom + bedroom (2 single beds) I Karlsruhe Rohrbach 2,8 km 10 m On the top floor: private kitchen +marble bath; Two single beds on a maisonette-like gallery. II Guest Houses, Holiday Homes Quotations on request; weekly rent depends on size, location in the city, furnishings and season. Rates between € 300 and € 1500. Hotels, Youth Hostel Administration fee: € 50. F+U Hotel “Bayrischer Hof” ***: The “Bayrischer Hof”, one of the most tradition-steeped hotels in the city, is situated on Bismarckplatz, just 150 m from the school and the Old Town (single rooms from € 80 / night; double rooms from € 100 / night). Hotels in all price categories are located close to the school. We can also book rooms in Heidelberg’s beautifully situated youth hostel. Host families Administration fee: € 50 (incl. all utilities and final cleaning). Category Distance to school Meals ² 1 - 3 weeks (Rent per week/room) From 4 weeks (Rent per week/room) Extra day (Rent per day/room) SGL DBL SGL DBL SGL DBL HF-A 2 - 30 minutes using public transport¹ Half board € 225 € 430 € 200 € 380 € 45 € 85 Breakfast € 190 € 365 € 175 € 335 € 40 € 75 None € 170 € 325 € 155 € 295 € 35 € 65 HF-B Maximum 50 minutes using public transport¹ Half board € 190 € 365 € 175 € 335 € 40 € 75 Breakfast € 160 € 305 € 145 € 280 € 35 € 65 None € 140 € 270 € 130 € 250 € 30 € 55 ¹ Journey time to school (using public transport): The travelling time to the bus stop is not included, but is usually just 5-10 minutes’ walk from the accommodation. Further details available on request. ² Some host families offer full board for a supplement of € 50 per week. Accommodation – General Information Arrival and Departure Move in: Sundays (10:00 – 24:00), Move out: Saturdays (by 12:00). Please inform us no later than Friday (14:00) before moving in of the exact time of your arrival. If you inform us any later, we will not be able to guarantee the handover of the key at your preferred time. If you would like to move in on Saturday or leave on Sunday, you will be charged accordingly at the “extra day” rate. Moving in before 10:00 or after 24:00 must be confirmed in advance; you will be charged € 10 for each commenced hour. In case of delay, please telephone the named contact person for the key handover, or your host family. The accommodation rates for halls of residence and apartments are calculated to take into account location (distance to school, attractiveness of the district) and furnishings/facilities of the accommodation. In all cases, please bear in mind that all our halls of residence and apartments have a “student” character, including those in higher categories. Use of computers, Internet, WLAN The halls of residence and the apartments are equipped with WLAN (except “SRH”). During the summer we offer additional rooms and apartments; information on their facilities is available on request. Some families allow the use of their computer for an additional charge. Detailed information is available on request. You can also use the computers in our school, with free Internet access (50 computers in three IT rooms); WLAN is also available from 07:30 to 20:00 (Monday - Friday) and on Saturdays from 10:00-16:00. You can also play the piano in our school: 10 € / hour (from 50 hours 8 €). Cleaning of rooms and communal areas: Please note that for the entire duration of your stay you are responsible for the cleaning of your room. F+U / the host family undertake the cleaning of communal areas only (twice a week in halls of residence) and for the final cleaning of the room. Laundry: Host family accommodation: Free use of the washing machine once or twice a week. Halls of residence / apartments: A coin-operated washing machine is available (except in “Rohrbach 16” and “Am Markt”; however, there is a laundrette in the immediate vicinity). Bed linen and towels: Bed linen is provided on arrival; please bring your own towels. Child minding: € 13 per hour. House rules (extract): Smoking is prohibited in the halls of residence and in apartments. Kitchens must be kept clean; used crockery and utensils must be washed up. The night-time quiet period from 10 pm to 6 am is legally protected (federal state regulations). During this time, all residents must keep any noise to room volume only. Guests are permitted in halls of residence and in apartments only until 10 pm. If you would like to invite a friend to stay overnight, permission must be obtained in advance from the residence administration. Overnight stays cost € 10 per person. Guests who stay without prior permission will be fined the equivalent of at least one week’s rent. Violation of house rules may incur a fine of € 50; for repeated violations we reserve the right to terminate the rental agreement without notice. Further details are given in the house rules handed out on arrival. Residents in the halls accept liability for their guests In host family accommodation, the host’s rules apply. Parking Parking is possible at a rate of € 25 / week in the unsupervised car parks at the Concordia hall of residence, Eichendorff and Villa Mönchhof. In the school building there is public, paid parking. Parking spaces can be rented from F+U for € 60 per week plus a deposit of € 100. There is a limited number of parking permits, so please enquire at least one month before the start of your course. Monthly tickets can be purchased from the Darmstädter-Hof Centre garage administration for ca. € 125. Meals All halls of residence and apartments are equipped with a kitchen. Host families provide meals as specified in the booking. Meals in partner restaurants (Mon-Sun): Breakfast: € 50; half board € 125 (breakfast and lunch); full board € 195. Lunch in our school canteen (Mon-Fri; July and August only): € 70. You can also have a good value meal (ca. € 4) in the university refectory (“best refectory in Germany” 2009-2011), just a 10-minute walk from the school. Extending, changing or cancelling accommodation Applications to extend the rental period must be made four weeks in advance of expiration of the contract. For short-term applications we apply the following fees: One to two weeks before expiration: € 25 One week before expiration: € 50 Less than one week before expiration: € 75 The extension to a rental period for a room or apartment cannot be guaranteed at any time. If, despite compliance with the four-week notice period, the previously booked room is already allocated, we guarantee the availability of a room in an alternative hall of residence within the same category. In this instance, the fee for changing accommodation will be waived. Changing accommodation: € 50 (if notice has not been received four weeks before the preferred moving date) Termination of rental contract: Termination of the rental contract is only possible with a notice period of two full weeks (Monday to Sunday). In case of termination, there will be a fee of € 50, and rent paid in advance will be refunded. The notice of termination must be submitted in writing during office opening hours.

http://www.sprachzentrum.de/cms/5/accommodation/

Accommodation in Göttingen

All of the rooms that are offered by the Language Centre have been selected carefully, and underwent an inspection by our staff. The variety of rooms reflect the different types of living in Germany. Wherever you stay, you will have a clean, comfortable room of your own, plus shared use of bathrooms and communal rooms. As an equal member of the household, you will be expected to keep your own room tidy.

We offer private rooms in:

	Food	Price per night*	Availability	Information
a host family	incl. half-board	36 EURO	always	Info
a private room	breakfast	26 EURO	always	Info
a shared flat	no	20 EURO	always	Info
a student housing	no	15,50 EURO	only during vacation: 1.02.- 4.04. / 17.07.- 8.10.	Info
an apartment	no	24 EURO	only a few available	Info

*The prices include: The bedding, a personal liability insurance as well as a commission. If you will be staying with a family, clean towels are also included in the price.

Double rooms may be available on request for students enrolling at the same time.

Staying with Families

You will find our host families (among others single women) open, friendly and keen to help. We cannot promise to find you a "typical German family," for the simple reason that there is no such thing! However, you can be certain that your host family will be very different from your own family back home, and they will definitely give a warm welcome to the new member of their household. Discovering all the differences for yourself is one of the most enjoyable parts of staying abroad. So get ready for a change to your daily routine, different food, and new ways of interacting with people sharing your accommodation. You'll encounter lots of new things, in both the personal and cultural spheres. We ask you and your host families to accept and respect these differences. When staying with families you will be given breakfast - the typically substantial German breakfast. If you opt for half-board, you will also have supper with your hosts. Many families will offer you a hot evening meal, although supper in Germany is traditionally cold. The majority of Germans have a hot meal at midday. For that reason we recommend that all our students to have lunch in one of the student restaurants. They offer different meals, and there is also a salad buffet. You may have a decent lunch at a student restaurant for 6 EUROs.

Private Room
You will stay with a "Single" or with a family who will provide you with a typical german breakfast. This form of living is comparable with the english "bed and breakfast".

Shared Flats
Lots of German students live in flatshares, with two or more people sharing an apartment or house. Each student has his or her own room while the lounge, kitchen and bathroom are communal. You will either occupy a spare bedroom or the room of a student who is on vacation during your course. You'll also be living with German adults of around your age, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to practice your language skills and learn about life in Germany in general. The relaxed atmosphere of a shared flat places few constraints on your lifestyle. And as you will have unrestricted access to the kitchen, you can prepare your own meals both very cheaply and at your leisure.

Student Housing
I In a student housing you will be staying in a single room that belongs to a student of the University of Göttingen who is on vacation. You will be living on the same floor with about 10 other students with whom you will share the communal rooms, the kitchen and the bathroom.

Apartments
You will have an apartment of your own with your own private kitchen and bathroom.