Below are the dates for Gimborn Seminars conducted in English during 2012.
5 - 9 March
Police Missions – concepts, objectives and experiences – preparation and evaluation – an instrument of
development policy?
18 - 22 June
Organized Crime – a challenge for police and jurisdiction in the era of globalization
2 - 6 July
Product piracy – an increasing threat to our wealth and security – prevention and repression as a task for Customs
and Police
27 - 31 August
Social unrest - as a challenge for the Police in Europe – Economic decline and imperfect multicultural integration
19 - 23 November
Police and Human Rights – police acting in democratic and constitutional societies – challenges, problems
and concepts
General Information about the Seminars
The seminars have a casual dress code. Jacket and tie are not required for students, unless that is your preference.
Copies of presentations are usually available, so take a USB memory stick. The presentations are also normally available on-line for participants for a limited period after the seminar. You will receive an email detailing this shortly after the seminar ends.
All meals are taken in the Schloss Hotel, next door to the centre and are paid for by the Centre.
Breakfast - cereals, yogurt, boiled eggs, cuts of meats and cheeses, coffee and tea (mainly infusions - you may wish to bring your preferred tea bags).
Mid morning coffee/tea break.
Lunch - Soup, then main meal, plus salad bar and a simple sweet. Drinks are at your own expense.
Mid afternoon cake and coffee/tea.
Dinner - Main meal and salad bar, cuts of meats and cheeses. Drinks at own expense.
In the castle there is a bar, run on an honour system. You fill in a chitty for drinks - soft drinks, coffee, draft beer, bottled beers and wines. Participants take turns as bar staff. The chitties are collected each morning by the cleaner and you pay at the end of the week. Students often bring something relating to their own country, eg whisky etc. for the Thursday evening in the bar. (The French seminars are usually among the more restrained seminars for some reason).
There is a TV lounge, which has at least one English language channel - Sky News.
You can phone home from your room or buy a phone card for the phone booth outside. Mobiles do work, but you will have to find the right location for your network in this hilly region. The room phone will be cheaper than using a mobile and more reliable. There is PC with slow internet connection for the use of attendees. There is now wifi, restricted to the classroom/admin block for a small fee.
There are lots of super walks both on road and through the forest, so bring a pair of sensible shoes and a fleece, if interested. It is also very popular with motorcyclists, due to the scenic and curvy roads.
The castle is in the middle of nowhere and there are no shops, so if you want nibbles for your room, you will need to buy them en route. In the bar, there are small packs of nuts, mini salamis, cheeses on a stick and bars of Ritter chocolate.
Travel
Advice on Winter Driving in Germany
If you are planning to drive to Gimborn in the colder months, winter tyres are compulsory in Germany in conditions of black ice, pack snow, slush, ice, or hoar frost.
There is a fine of €40 if they are not fitted ( €80 if you hold up other vehicles) payable on the spot.
In Belgium, winter tyres are compulsory between October and April.
Airport transfers and collection
Collection from Cologne or even Dusseldorf airport will be available, but request in advance. There will be a charge added to your bill. If you take a night in Cologne before arrival, it is a low cost train ride from the Cologne Main Station to Engelskirchen (on the Marienheide route), followed by a short taxi ride.
Room keys are collected from reception during office hours, from the hotel until 21.00 and from the bar in the castle at all other times.
By car/bike, the closest way is by ferry to Holland and a quick blast up the motorway to Cologne and then onto the country roads to Gimborn.
The seminar finishes just after lunch on Friday, although some folk may need to leave before lunch.
Gimborn also runs weekend courses, so staying the Friday night may, or may not be possible – ask on your application.
If you book well in advance there are cheap hotel deals in Cologne or Dusseldorf - look at Expedia.com or similar, to check availability, but try and book direct with the hotel for a better deal - and a night there would be something different.
Gimborn Castle in the winter