Practical hints

Payment and credit cards

The Institute covers accommodation and food costs, but travel expenses cannot be reimbursed (with the exception of special grants). Payment for beverages, telephone calls, stamps, photocopies, etc. can be made during or at the end of the stay. We accept VISA, Mastercard, and American Express credit cards. Moreover we accept German EC-Cards.

In general, we recommend to carry some cash with you, since in our very rural area credit cards are not everywhere accepted (e.g. in taxis).

Electricity

Electric sockets at the Institute are German style Schuko with 230 V AC. Please check by yourself if your electric device is able to connect to 230 V AC before you plug in.

Hints for protection against ticks

Especially during summer you should be aware of ticks when you stay outside in the forest or in the meadows. Ticks mainly live in the undergrowth and on the edges of forests and paths on smaller plants. The most common tick-borne diseases include Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). Both pathogens can be transmitted to the human body by a tick bite. The Black Forest region is one of the TBE risk areas. While it is possible to vaccinate against the TBE virus, no vaccination is currently possible against the Lyme disease bacteria, which in turn can be defeated with antibiotics.

Body-covering and closed clothing reduces the risk of ticks getting on the skin at all. We also recommend to stay on the footpaths and to avoid long grass. An insect repellent spray on exposed skin can reduce the risk of a bite.  After staying outside in the nature it is advisable to search the body and to remove possible ticks as quickly as possible with tweezers or a special tick removal tool (also availabe in the first-aid-box at the entrance area of the institute). If there are signs of illness or persistent symptoms, a doctor should be consulted. Since Lyme disease can have an incubation period of several weeks and cannot be detected beforehand we recommend that you inform your doctor on your stay in the Black Forest in case of an infectious disease appearing afterwards.