The Allgäuer Zeitung, in its summary of the 17th International Summer School in Marktoberdorf, quoted a participant who said he had found little sleep, but had learned a lot. The newspaper also stated that the participants are not naive computer fanatics communicating from their lap-tops only via e-mail and the Internet. On the contrary, "the young women and men of 25 or 30 years, all at present working on their doctoral theses, were fascinated by the Marktoberdorf pubs". About the opening, the newspaper was somewhat more serious; under the headline "Flair of scientific exclusivity" it stated that "Internationally important lecturers hand on their knowledge to the offspring; the summer school is full of teaching, learning, and discussions".

The themes of so far 17 Summer Schools reflect an important line of development within computer science. At the start in 1970, "Data Structures and Computer Systems" were on the program, 1971 "Program Structures and Fundamental Concepts". They continued in 1973 with "Structured Programming and Programmed Structures" and in 1975 with "Language Hierarchies and Interfaces", leading finally to "Program Construction" and "Theoretical Foundations of Programming Methodology" in 1981. Thus, the series had found its focal point, concentrating in annual alteration first once more on the transfer of mature methods, then again on the formal logical foundation of central subjects from system and program development. This was also the alternating orientation of the last two courses on "Mathematical Methods in Program Development" (1996) and "Computational Logic" (1997). For 1998, "Calculational System Design" is planned. The actual program and the conditions for participation are in each case available via the Internet.

The Marktoberdorf Summer School is a master course for young computer scientists entering the field of system development and programming methodology. The course aims at conveying advanced scientific knowledge and at improving contacts between the young scientists themselves. Each course unites for two weeks a dozen or so excellent top teachers and some 80 selected applicants from all over the world. During the last 27 years a remarkable number of computer scientists and mathematicians, many of them today in established positions, have met in Marktoberdorf. For such contacts, the atmosphere of the meeting place was very helpful: A local high school and its dormitory, in the middle of a small Swabian town, have housed the participants since its beginning.

The Marktoberdorf Summer School was founded as an external activity of the TUM Institute for Informatics by F.L.Bauer and is continued by M.Broy. It is financed as an Advanced Study Institute of the NATO Science Committee with additional support by the European Community and the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Ralf.Steinbrüggen@informatik.tu-muenchen.de