Welcome to Greifswald
We are excited to host and welcome you at our University in the north eastern part of Germany. Thank you for joining a practical work shop of the AAGFO and Academy of RV Tucker from 06/29/23 to 07/02/23
Introduction
Greifswald is a city in the north eastern part of Germany situated at the river Ryck near the Baltic sea. It was founded by monks in 1199 and became a city in 1250 – nearly 800 years ago. Its name translates to “Gryphon’s forest”, because according to legend a giant gryphon showed the monks the best place to build their monastery. In the 13th century Greifswald joined the powerful Hanseatic trading consortium which helped the city flourish and develop the unique Hanseatic architecture which can still be seen in the market place today – we highly recommend grabbing a coffee there. Near the picturesque city center, one can also find the Caspar David Friedrich art gallery, named after the most important painter of German romanticism, as well as the Saint Nicholas Gothic church, which offers a wonderful view of the city from its nearly 100 meter (~330 ft) high panorama platform.
There are many other historic places to visit, including the ruins of the old monastery from 1199 and the wooden double balance beam bridge from 1887, which was preserved as a technical monument and which is still raised by hand today. You can also marvel at Greifswald’s wonderful port area there, which connects into one of the Baltic Sea’s finest sailing areas. Greifswald is the ideal starting point for a trip to the biggest islands of Germany, Rügen and Usedom. Greifswald also has several beatiful beaches nearby, as well as numerous bike paths, and a golf course.
The Dental School at Greifswald University
The University of Greifswald, founded in 1456, is one of Europe’s oldest universities and ranks among the top schools in Germany for dentistry and medicine, among others fields. The newly-built campus of the University is situated in the center of the city and features some of the most modern medical and dental facilities in all of Germany, including the state-of-the-art dental school that was built in 2006. The university enrolls 12,000 students from all over the world who study in over 110 courses and degrees. The dental school includes 200 dental students who are trained in a 5-year program.
An important research focus of the University is the Study of Health of Pomerania program, which was established to examine common risk factors for health problems and diseases in the general population of Northeastern Germany. The key objective is the improvement of health and care in a defined community. The main research focus of the dental school is on investigations of systemic effects of dental diseases. The curriculum uses the “Community Medicine/Dentistry” teaching concept, which involves early patient contact right away from the very first academic year.
The 2023 AAGFO meeting
We already hosted the 4th International AAGFO meeting in June 1999 and are looking forward to doing so again. We offer an exciting and immersive program involving our students and practioners. The meeting in 2023 will be held under the banner of Professor Georg Meyer, who headed the dental school of Greifswald University for many years and is still very much active and involved, despite his retirement. Professor Meyer brought the gold foil technique from Göttingen to Greifswald in the 1990s, where this technique has been taught to students ever since. Gold foil is still very present in Greifswald and is actively taught and practiced.
The practical work shop with mentors from the AAGFO and Tucker Study club provide special training on the gold foil technique and offers best possibilities to exchange ideas about Gold foil!
We would like to extend our warmest welcome, and are thrilled to host the gold foil meeting in 2023! Let´s celebrate!
Bis Bald in Greifswald,
Heike Steffen and the entire organizational team of the Dental School at Greifswald University
