Erlangen is a city of 100,000 inhabitants and is located close to Nuremberg. It is home to the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, which is steeped in history and, with its 25,000 students, is one of the largest universities in Germany. The bicycle-friendly city is characterized by the presence of students, an innovative spirit and economic prosperity. Erlangen offers ideal conditions for attending university studies: A high density of university institutions, state research facilities and numerous high-tech companies close to each other so that all distances can be easily covered by bike. For the ambitious student, there are many possibilities to participate at the top of global research and development. The well-known MP3 format, for example, was developed by Fraunhofer in Erlangen and the Department of Physics is listed in the CHE university ranking as one of the best places for research. Erlangen is among the most attractive and fastest growing cities in Germany, thanks to the many companies choosing to locate there. Siemens in particular - which expanded its Erlangen location after World War II to become one of its largest world-wide - and many small high-tech companies form the pillars of the economic success. Erlangen boosts its economy by means of innovative concepts and aims to become the “federal capital of medical technology”. Please also see: Erlangen as Germany's most livable city from a comparison of German cities performed by the publication “Wirtschaftswoche”.