The Max Planck Society is celebrating its 75th anniversary: on February 26, 1948, the research organization was founded in Göttingen. Its first President was Otto Hahn.

75 years Max Planck Society

The Max Planck Society was founded in Göttingen on February 26, 1948

The birthday celebrates the new beginning for the Society, formally founded in Göttingen in 1948 on the basis of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society. At the insistence of the Allies, the Kaiser Wilhelm Society of 1911 had been dissolved after the WWII. Bearing the name of the internationally respected and politically untarnished Nobel Prize winner Max Planck, the Society succeeded in making a new start. Under the new democratic framework conditions, it has developed its current profile.
 
Throughout the anniversary year, the Max Planck Society will focus on its history as part of contemporary German history. "Pioneers of Science" presents the Nobel laureates of the Max Planck Society in a digital story and a traveling exhibition and showcases how science can influence social developments. As part of the range of events planned to mark this celebratory year, there will also be community activities on the Max Planck social media channels throughout the year.

An overview of the anniversary year

Pioneers of Science: the Nobel Laureates of the Max Planck Society

The Nobel Prize is the most prestigious – and most coveted – trophy in science. Awarded annually in Stockholm, it has been regarded as the most important international research prize for over a hundred years. The Max Planck Society counts 31 Nobel Prize Winners in the natural sciences, including researchers from its predecessor organisation, the Kaiser Wilhelm Society. .

"Pioneers of Science" presents the research fields of the Nobel laureates of the Max Planck Society in a digital story, and in compact form in a traveling exhibition. To mark the 75th anniversary of the Max Planck Society, the exhibit will be on display from February 2023 to January 2024 in several German cities: Munich, Jena, Göttingen, Hamburg, Dresden or Leipzig, Tübingen and Berlin.

Open to all

On June 23, 2023, there will be a day filled with different events at our founding site in Göttingen, shining a spotlight on the Max Planck Society’s various research fields. You can visit a science market, guided tours of the BioDiversum on the Faßberg in Göttingen or evening science slams to learn more about the Max Planck Society’s research directions. Later in the year, a series of Barcamps will be held in Hamburg, Magdeburg and Tübingen.

Social media activities

In collaboration with the illustrator Niels Schröder, the MPG’s social media team will post 20 stories in pictures, videos and reels on the Society’s Instagram channel from February 26, visualizing the Max Planck Society’s historical milestones in an interesting and an engaging manner. Using the hashtag #MaxPlanckandMe, the Max Planck community on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram is invited to go on a historical discovery tour at their institute, send their birthday greetings, or recreate iconic images at their MPIs.

 

A chapter of German-Jewish reconciliation after the Holocaust

The Max Planck Society's scientific relations with Israel are a chapter of contemporary German history more

The pioneer of paleogenetics, Svante Pääbo from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology sitting on a chair on a stage, wearing a grey suit and glasses,facing towards a female moderator. He was answering questions during the ceremonial event commemorating the 30-year anniversary of the Max Planck Society in Leipzig and Dresden.

On September 4, 2023, Minister-President Michael Kretschmer and Max Planck President Patrick Cramer hosted a ceremonial event at the Kulturpalast in Dresden commemorating the 30-year success story of the Max Planck Society in Leipzig and Dresden.  more

Patrick Cramer, the newly appointed President of the Max Planck Society as of June 2023. In the photo, Cramer is smiling. He is sitting at a desk, or possibly leaning against railings, wearing a blue blazer and a light blue tie, with his hands folded in front of him.

At the Max Planck Society's Annual General Meeting in Göttingen on 22 June 2023, President Martin Stratmann symbolically passed on the responsibility to his successor Patrick Cramer by handing over the chain of office. Cramer paid tribute to Stratmann's achievements and outlined the three key areas of focus he envisions for a sustainable Max Planck Society.
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Handover of office in Göttingen

This year’s annual meeting of the Max Planck Society wil be truly special, coinciding with a change of Presidency and a milestone anniversary more

This is a portrait of Steffen Schroeder, wearning a black T-shirt. Born in Munich in 1974, Schroeder has performed on the stage of Vienna’s “Burgtheater”, was a member of the “Berliner Ensemble” and has acted in many films and TV series. The novel “Planck oder Als das Licht seine Leichtigkeit verlor” (Planck or When the light lost its lightness) is his third book. Steffen Schroeder has three adult children and lives with his wife in Potsdam.

Interview with actor and author Steffen Schroeder on his family ties to Max Planck and his novel “Planck oder Als das Licht seine Leichtigkeit verlor” (Planck or When the light lost its lightness) more

75 years Max Planck Society

The research institution marked its 75-year milestone anniversary with a festive ceremony at the Deutsches Museum in Munich more

Nobel Prize 2022 for Svante Pääbo

The director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig is honoured for his pioneering work in the field of palaeogenetics, of which he is considered the founder more

Patrick Cramer appointed new President-elect of the Max Planck Society as of June 2023

At its meeting on 23 June 2022 in Berlin, the Max Planck Society’s Senate appointed Patrick Cramer as new President-elect of the Max Planck Society for the term of office from 2023 to 2029 more

Call for Peace

More than 100 Nobel Laureates from various disciplines are calling for peace in the face of the war in Ukraine emanating from Russian soil. They have signed a declaration initiated by the Max Planck Society and supported by the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings. more

Catalysis researcher Benjamin List is Director at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany

Benjamin List, Director at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung is honoured with the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on asymmetric catalysis. He shares the award with David MacMillan from Princeton University. more

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A logo and its history

From the portrait of the emperor to the goddess of wisdom - the trademark of the Max Planck Society has a varied history more

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