Dear colleagues,
Welcome to the 34th Annual Meeting of the German Crystallographic Society (DGK) at University of Lübeck! The conference takes place in the Audimax on the campus of the University of Lübeck located in the south of the city, which can be easily reached by bus in about 20 minutes from the old town or the central station.
The flair of the ancient capital of the Hanseatic League can still be felt today in the old town of Lübeck with its unique skyline of seven Gothic brick church towers, a UNESCO World Heritage Site picturesquely situated on an island in the river Trave. With more than 5,000 students at the university, Lübeck has developed into a young and dynamic student city. Take your time to explore the narrow streets with their bars and restaurants in the typical brick houses. Enjoy the Hosten Gate, of course the world-famous Lübeck marzipan, and, maybe better during summer, the beautiful beaches of the Baltic Sea at Travemünde.
“Focus on life” is the motto of the young and modern University of Lübeck, which offers courses in medicine, natural sciences, computer sciences, and mathematics. Structural biology, particularly the structural analysis of infection-related proteins, has long been the focus of the Institute of Biochemistry, which is hosting this year's DGK Annual Meeting. To equally represent all areas of crystallography, the program committee was composed of representatives from all DGK working groups. The high scientific quality of the submitted abstracts enabled us to compile a highly interesting and diverse program that will hopefully stimulate discussions, interactions, and knowledge transfer between chemists, physicist, biologists, earth scientists, and material scientists.
In addition to six plenary lectures presented by internationally renowned scientists, 18 Microsymposia, and two poster sessions, we invite you to the welcome reception in the foyer of the Audimax and to the conference social evening at the Radisson Blu Senator Hotel directly at the Trave river with a perfect view on the old town. Special highlights will be two symposia honoring the scientific life's work of George Sheldrick and Rolf Hilgenfeld, two world-renowned crystallographers who sadly passed away in 2025.
Thanks to the DGK executive board for choosing the University of Lübeck as the host for this conference, to the program committee for their excellent work, and to the Conventus team for a perfect cooperation. Special thanks go to the industrial exhibitors, whose support is indispensable for this conference.
Finally, thank you very much for coming to northern Germany from near and far to attend and celebrate the 34th Annual Meeting of the DGK with us! We look forward to your contributions and to an exciting and inspiring conference.
Lars Redecke
Conference Chair