German Physical Society
Professional services
UnclaimedGermany's national professional society for physicists and one of the world's oldest organizations devoted to physics.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The German Physical Society, known in German as the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft and commonly abbreviated DPG, is Germany's national professional organization for physicists. Established in 1845 in Berlin as the Physical Society of Berlin, it is generally regarded as the oldest organization of physicists. Its work spans pure and applied physics and is directed toward strengthening professional relationships among physicists in Germany, encouraging exchange with colleagues abroad, communicating scientific knowledge to the public, and supporting education and early-career development. The DPG is a membership organization rather than a commercial company or research institute. It does not itself conduct a program of original research; instead, it provides the institutional infrastructure through which research findings, teaching practices, professional concerns, and public-policy questions can be discussed. Its principal activities include annual and spring conferences, specialist meetings, workshops, networking events, publications, awards, school programs, and public outreach. The large DPG spring meetings are organized around the society's specialist sections and cover a broad range of physical science topics. Fall meetings generally concentrate on a particular research area. The Young DPG, or jDPG, provides a nationwide network for students and early-career physicists. The society's awards portfolio recognizes major achievements in theoretical and experimental physics as well as contributions by young researchers, educators, and science communicators. The Max Planck Medal, first awarded in 1929, is associated with outstanding work in theoretical physics, while the Stern–Gerlach Medal, first awarded in 1933, recognizes experimental physics. Other awards include the Gustav Hertz Prize for young physicists, the Max Born Medal and Prize, the Otto Hahn Prize, and the Medal for Natural Science Journalism. The DPG also supports school-level achievement through the DPG-Abiturpreis and DPG-Buchpreis, and it participates in youth science initiatives such as Jugend forscht. Publishing has been central to the DPG since its foundation. Its publications have included the journals Fortschritte der Physik, Zeitschrift für Physik, Physikalische Blätter, and the conference proceedings Verhandlungen der DPG. The society currently publishes Physik Journal as its membership magazine and cooperates with the British Institute of Physics on the open-access New Journal of Physics. Its annual conference program records thousands of contributed papers and reflects the breadth of contemporary physics in Germany. The DPG also maintains a public-facing role. Through popular-science publications, lectures, educational activity, and the annual Highlights of Physics festival, it promotes dialogue between physics and society. Highlights of Physics is organized jointly with Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research and attracts approximately 30,000 visitors in a typical year, according to the cited reference material. The organization's history includes difficult periods. During the National Socialist era, the DPG resisted the anti-Semitic and anti-theoretical movement known as Deutsche Physik, although the broader German physics community was affected by the dismissal and persecution of Jewish scientists and political opponents. After the Second World War, the society was rebuilt separately in the British, American, and French occupation zones, united in West Germany in 1950, and ultimately reunited across Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Today, its office is based at the Physikzentrum Bad Honnef near Bonn, while the society also maintains a presence at Berlin's Magnus-Haus, which hosts meetings, lectures, and the DPG historical archive.
History
The German Physical Society traces its origins to the Physical Society of Berlin, founded in 1845. The organization developed during a period in which physics was becoming a distinct modern scientific discipline and professional community. From its early years, it supported scientific communication through meetings and publications. Its publishing activity included Fortschritte der Physik and the proceedings series Verhandlungen der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft. A major transformation came after the First World War. By 1919, the society's existing proceedings had become too extensive for rapid dissemination of original research. A committee associated with DPG chairman Arnold Sommerfeld, with members including Albert Einstein, Eugen Goldstein, Fritz Haber, E. Jahnke, Karl Scheel, and Wilhelm Westphal, recommended the creation of a new journal. Zeitschrift für Physik began publication in 1920 and became an important venue for the emerging generation of quantum physicists. The journal was published under DPG auspices by Springer-Verlag and later formed part of the lineage of the European Physical Journal. It was divided into four parts and continued in that form until 1997; one part was merged with Physics of Condensed Matter in 1975. The National Socialist period placed the society and German physics under intense political pressure. The 1933 Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service led to the removal of Jewish academics and political opponents from university and research positions. The reference material estimates that 25 percent of physicists holding academic positions in 1932–1933 were lost through these policies. The regime also promoted Deutsche Physik, an ideological movement that attacked relativity and other modern theories as supposedly Jewish or un-German. DPG figures opposed these developments in different ways. Max von Laue's opening address at the 1933 physics convention in Würzburg compared the suppression of Galileo's views with contemporary attacks on relativity. Johannes Stark, a leading advocate of Deutsche Physik, attempted to impose a strongly centralized political model on scientific organizations and sought the DPG presidency in 1933, but received only two votes against Karl Mey. Stark subsequently retaliated by restricting the society's access to facilities and resources of the Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt. In late 1938, the DPG called on its Jewish members to withdraw their membership, an action associated in the cited account with Herbert Stuart and Wilhelm Orthmann and reflecting the increasingly coercive environment. During the Second World War, DPG president Carl Ramsauer and his deputy Wolfgang Finkelnburg tried to preserve a degree of independence from the regime and opposed the anti-theoretical orientation of Deutsche Physik. In early 1942, Ramsauer submitted a petition to Reich Education Minister Bernhard Rust concerning the damaging effects of political interference on physics education. The petition had been initiated on Felix Klein's initiative and supported by Ludwig Prandtl. These actions illustrate the society's complex wartime position: it resisted some ideological attacks on physics while operating within a dictatorship that had already excluded and persecuted many scientists. After the war, the Allied Control Council initially prevented the creation of a single organization spanning the occupation zones. Max von Laue therefore helped re-establish the DPG in the British zone in 1946. Separate organizations were subsequently created in the American and French zones. They were united in West Germany in 1950, after the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949. The DPG's full national reunification followed the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the division between East and West Germany. The society's connection with Magnus-Haus in Berlin is historically significant because the building had been a meeting place for scientists in the nineteenth century and was associated with the origins of the Berlin physical society. In its contemporary form, the DPG combines professional representation with scientific exchange, education, awards, publishing, and public engagement. It operates the Physikzentrum Bad Honnef as a major meeting and discussion center, organizes conferences across Germany, supports the Young DPG student network, and maintains programs for schools and early-career researchers. The society's bylaws emphasize scientific integrity, freedom, tolerance, truthfulness, dignity in scientific work, and gender equality in physics and related sciences.
- 2025
Reported worldwide membership stands at 50,668
[1]The cited material gives worldwide membership of 50,668 for 2025.
- 2014
Membership reaches reported historical peak
[1]The cited material reports a membership peak of 63,012.
- 2002
Young Scientist Award for Socio- and Econophysics established
[1]The DPG division for socio-economic systems began recognizing original applications of physical methods to socio-economic problems.
- 2000
DPG-Abiturpreis begins
[1]The society introduced its annual recognition for high-school graduates showing exceptional achievement and interest in physics.
- 1997
German Conference of Women in Physics has continued since 1997
[1]The annual conference for women in physics is described as having been held since 1997; DPG support continued through 2019.
- 1990
Physical societies reunify after German reunification
[1]Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the DPG again became a unified organization across Germany.
- 1950
West German organizations unite
[1]The separately re-established regional organizations were brought together in West Germany.
- 1946
Postwar re-establishment begins
[1]The DPG was re-established first in the British occupation zone, followed by separate organizations in the American and French zones.
- 1933
Stern–Gerlach Medal introduced
[1]The society established its leading medal for experimental physics.
- 1929
First Max Planck Medal awarded
[1]The DPG began awarding its major theoretical-physics medal.
Products and positioning
A national learned society and professional network serving physics research, education, communication, and scientific exchange in Germany.
Membership magazine
Physik Journal
The DPG's membership journal carries news and reporting about the society, physics, the scientific community, and developments relevant to its members. It continues the role previously associated with Physikalische Blätter and serves as an accessible publication alongside the society's more specialized scientific and conference activities.
Open-access scientific journal
New Journal of Physics
Published jointly by the DPG and the British Institute of Physics, New Journal of Physics is an electronic open-access journal covering physics research. The cited reference describes its articles as undergoing peer review according to rigorous scientific quality standards.
Conference publication
DPG conference proceedings
The annual Verhandlungen der DPG conference program records abstracts and program information for the society's meetings. The cited material describes editions containing abstracts for approximately 8,000 papers, reflecting the scale of the DPG conference system.
Educational award · 2000
DPG-Abiturpreis
The DPG-Abiturpreis recognizes high-school graduates in Germany for outstanding achievement in physics. Participating schools nominate students through their physics teachers. The prize includes a certificate and one year of free DPG membership, enabling recipients to engage with the society's scientific network.
Theoretical physics award · 1929
Max Planck Medal
The Max Planck Medal is one of the DPG's highest distinctions and recognizes outstanding work in theoretical physics. It was first awarded in 1929 and is part of the society's long-running system of honors for major contributions to the discipline.
Experimental physics award · 1933
Stern–Gerlach Medal
The Stern–Gerlach Medal is the DPG's principal distinction for experimental physics. First awarded in 1933, it honors significant experimental contributions to physics.
Student and early-career network
Young DPG
Young DPG, commonly called jDPG, is a nationwide network for physics students and early-career participants. It organizes workshops, networking meetings, and other activities intended to connect emerging physicists with peers and the wider professional community.
Marketing campaigns
- 1997German Conference of Women in Physics
Germany
An annual conference focused on women in physics and the exchange of experiences and professional perspectives. The event has been held since 1997 and was supported by the DPG until 2019.
Outcome. The reference confirms DPG support through 2019 but does not specify the event's later organizational status.
- Highlights of Physics
Germany
An annual public physics festival organized jointly by the DPG and Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research. It uses lectures, demonstrations, and public programming to make physics accessible outside the research community.
Outcome. The cited material describes it as Germany's largest festival of its kind, with approximately 30,000 visitors per year.
- Physics outreach and public dialogue
Germany
The DPG uses popular-science publications, public lectures, educational events, and outreach programs to connect physics with the general public and encourage informed discussion of science.
Outcome. The society maintains an active public-communication role, including the annual Highlights of Physics festival.
Brand decisions
1946
Postwar reconstruction in occupation zonesStrategyBackground
The Allied Control Council initially did not permit organizations to operate across occupation-zone boundaries after the Second World War.
Action taken
The DPG was re-established first in the British zone, followed by separate organizations in the American and French zones.
Aftermath
The regional organizations united in West Germany in 1950 and later reunified nationally after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
1942
Petition against politicization of physics educationStrategyBackground
Under National Socialism, physics education and research were being distorted by ideological interference and the anti-theoretical Deutsche Physik movement.
Action taken
DPG president Carl Ramsauer submitted a petition, with six attachments, to Reich Education Minister Bernhard Rust. The initiative originated with Felix Klein and was supported by Ludwig Prandtl.
Aftermath
The petition documented the society's attempt to defend professional and educational standards, although the reference does not report a specific governmental remedy.
1938
Call for Jewish members to withdrawOtherBackground
The DPG operated under escalating Nazi persecution of Jewish scientists and political opponents.
Action taken
The society called on its Jewish members to withdraw their membership; the cited account associates the initiative with Herbert Stuart and Wilhelm Orthmann.
Aftermath
The action occurred within the coercive conditions of the Nazi regime and forms part of the DPG's contested wartime history.
1920
Launch of Zeitschrift für PhysikProduct launchBackground
The DPG's existing proceedings had become too large for rapid publication of original research after the First World War.
Action taken
A committee formed under Arnold Sommerfeld's chairmanship recommended a new journal, which began publication in 1920.
Aftermath
The journal became an important publication venue for the new generation of quantum physicists and was later incorporated into the lineage of the European Physical Journal.
Sources2 sources
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