Social Program

Two social events have been planned for AVSS-2013 attendees. However, since Kraków is a premier tourist destination, you may wish to further explore the city and its vicinity on your own. Please visit the Sightseeing page for more information.

Welcome Reception (Aug. 27)

The reception will be held on August 27, after the day of workshops, in the Old City's Main Square (Rynek Główny) Underground Exhibition. The event is open to all registered AVSS-2013 attendees and accompanying persons.

The evening will start with a walking tour around the Old City’s Main Square to show the main tourist attractions located within walking distance from the conference venue. The tours will be conducted in English and will take between 75 and 90 minutes ending at the entrance to the Rynek Underground Exhibition. The evening will continue with a visit to the recently unearthed Main Square's underground featuring 1,000 years of Kraków's history where reception participants will be able to learn, relax and enjoy a variety of Polish food specialties and drinks.

For more information about the welcome reception please see the Program Guide in your registration package.

AVSS-2013 Banquet (Aug. 29)

The AVSS-2013 Banquet will take place on Aug. 29 at the historic "Wieliczka" Salt Mine, featured on the 1978 UNESCO World Heritage List, and located 13km from the city of Kraków. The banquet is open to attendees with a full registration (non-student) as well as to ticket holders (tickets will be available for purchase on the first day of the conference only).

Buses will take attendees to "Wieliczka" where the banquet will start with a guided tour of several underground salt chambers. The attendees will be entertained and dined 125m underground in the "Warsaw" Chamber. Both traditional Polish food as well as vegetarian options will be offered. Upon completion of the banquet, attendees will return by buses to the city center.

For more information about the banquet please see the Program Guide in your registration package.

If you would like to quickly learn more about "Wieliczka", click on the image below for an informative slide presentation.

Click the image above for an informative presentation

about the history of "Wieliczka" Salt Mine.

Please note that the conference venue is centrally located and provides an excellent departure point for visiting such landmarks of Kraków as the:

Cloth Hall (Sukiennice)
St. Mary’s Church (Kościół Mariacki)
St. Florian's Gate (Brama Floriańska)
Barbican (Barbakan)
Jagiellonian University (Uniwersytet Jagielloński)
Planty - a scenic park-like walkway surrounding the Old City

You can learn more about these landmarks as well as many others at the Krakow Wiki Page. For current events and general information about the city, please visit the official web site of the City of Kraków at krakow.pl.

The tour through the underground chambers of the mine will take about 1 hour and will require descending 800 steps. After the banquet, attendees will return to the surface by a lift.

A special tour will be prepared for participants requiring assistance (i.e., those with wheelchairs, using walking canes, etc.) If you wish to receive such assistance during the tour, please contact the AVSS-2013 office at office@avss2013.org in advance.

Caution: Since this event will be held underground, it may not be suitable for people suffering from claustrophobia. Those suffering from this condition should carefully consider their participation in this event.

Since the temperature in the mine hovers around 14-18C (57- 64F), please dress accordingly.