IVU Annual Report

IVU Annual Report 2006

100 Years of Food Revolution - Why Dresden?

38th IVU World Vegetarian Congress 2008

July 27th to August 8th, Kulturpalast, Dresden

Participants of the first WVC in 1908

In the picture above you see the participants of the very first World Vegetarian Congress, held in August 1908 in Dresden. During this Congress the International Vegetarian Union was founded, and so we thought it fitting that the centenary event should be celebrated in Dresden again. Only this time, we expect many, many more participants!

The City

Today, Dresden has two faces: The old historic town with wonderfully restored buildings, a castle, several famous churches, theaters, monuments etc., and the heritage of the German Democratic Republic where rather monotonous (if not to say ugly) housing areas exist mostly in the outskirts. Many of these dwellings have been reconstructed and modernized during the recent years, however you cannot entirely hide the socialist style.

The Venue

The venue is the "Kulturpalast", the best building for representative purposes in Dresden. It is a modern building, but is situated in the middle of the historic town, surrounded by all the baroque traesures, foremost of which is the famous "Frauenkirche", a concert and congress venue with all the facilities we'll need for the congress.

Accommodation

You can find accommodation options for every purse, including affordable hotels, youth hostels, and even private rooms, all of which are in walking distance to the venue. There is even a camp site available with direct communication to the venue by public transport. Vegan meals (lunch and dinner) will be served in the venue.

Program

The program is not finalized at this time. We are looking for prominent speakers for the following topics in relation to vegetarianism: ethics/religion/spirituality, diet and health, politics/social life, ecology/world hunger, animal rights protection. Two famous speakers have already agreed to attend: Prof. Dr. Drewermann, a famous catholic teacher and church critic, and Dr. Shiva.

Tours

There will be a sightseeing tour of Dresden and day excursions to famous places in the vicinity on the last day of the Congress. We are also planning one or two post congress tours.

More details (program, prices etc.) will be available at the Goa congress. We hope to see many of you in Dresden 2008!