Both Erlangen, with its 100,000 inhabitants, the home of the Huguenots, cyclists and Siemens, and Nürnberg, a city with a population of half a million and a metropolitan flair, have their own special charm. The opera, theatres and museums, cabaret and a lively pub culture and nightlife offer an attractive alternative after a day in lectures, labs or libraries. Some of the annual cultural highlights in Erlangen are the Audio Art Festival, the Comic Salon, the Marionette and Puppet Festival, the Poetry Festival and Arena, the Festival of Young Contemporary Theatre. Countless cultural venues in Nürnberg open their doors to culture fans for the “Blue Night”. Every two years the research institutes in Erlangen, Nürnberg and Fürth hold an open night, the “Long Night of Knowledge”. Franconian Switzerland, a paradise for climbers and walkers, offers the active all they could wish for right on their doorstep; water sports enthusiasts will find the new Franconian Lakes and the University water-sports centre a temptation they cannot resist.
