Safety Information and Healthcare Facilities

What should I do in case of emergency?

Try to contact one of the staff members and call the following numbers. Dial a leading 0 for all outgoing calls, when using one of the Institute’s telephones (including emergency calls as shown below)! When using your own cell phone skip the leading 0 and except for emergency calls start with the area code +49 7834.

These numbers are also given at all telephone spots in the Institute. Please memorize beforehand the best ways to leave the building from any place you visit - in case of emergency. Furthermore see our evacuation plan for the nearest fire extinguisher. A first aid box and a defibrillator are located on the ground floor of the guest house, next to the dining hall.

What should I know about ticks? How can I protect me?

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.

Further safety issues

Please note that the open staircases in the upper floors of the guest house are not safe for children and that it is not allowed to climb on the Boy surface in front of the conference and library building (stability and injury risk). The Institute will not be liable for any injuries or accidents.