Welcome

Dear friends,

It is a great honour that Valladolid, Spain has been chosen by ESTS to organise the 18th European Conference on General Thoracic Surgery in 2010.

Valladolid, Castile & Leon’s capital city, has more than 500,000 inhabitants; its international airport and high speed-train make it an inland destination that is easily accessible to everyone wishing to discover it.

Valladolid, where once the Kings and Queens held court, today is a modern city with an impressive monumental and artistic heritage that visitors can explore in different manners. Among others, the College of Santa Cruz and the University square hold the original University building, the Cathedral designed by Juan de Herrera and the church of the Antigua. Other important monuments are the Sculpture National Museum of San Gregorio, the church of San Pablo with its excellent facade, the Palace of Pimentel, where Philip II was born, and the Royal Palace. More than 20,000 students visit Valladolid’s renowned university, which can look back on a rich history dating back to the XIII th century.

The ESTS Meeting will take place at Valladolid Congress Centre, a modern architectural complex that regularly hosts important socio-economic and scientific events, ideally complemented by a wide range of hotels of various categories, most of them near the centre.

As for the social activities, the Welcome Reception will be held in the Congress Centre. Meanwhile, the Gala Dinner will be held at the Spanish Contemporary Art Museum which is located in one of the three cloisters of the San Benito monastery, built during the XIVth century.

The province of Valladolid’s cultural heritage bears exceptional witness to its history: Palaces and noble houses, monasteries, churches and castles, Roman paved roads and bridges from different eras and styles can all be visited following different province tourism routes. In addition, a wine tourism route lets more and more people discover our wineries around the city every year: on the banks of the river Duero, surrounded by vineyards and hills, world-famous wineries as well as towns are located, offering visitors a chance to experience traditional local flavours.

We hope that all participants will thoroughly enjoy their stay in our city during the next ESTS Annual Meeting 2010. We are waiting for you.

 

Mariano García Yuste, Chairman LOC