German Crystallographic Society
Professional services
UnclaimedA German nonprofit scientific society that advances crystallography through research, education, professional exchange, conferences, awards, and international representation.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The German Crystallographic Society, known in German as the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kristallographie and commonly abbreviated DGK, is a nonprofit voluntary association for scientists, institutions, and other people interested in crystallography. Based in Berlin, it serves as a national professional and scientific organization for crystallography in Germany, while also participating in the wider European and international crystallographic communities. The society was established on 12 March 1991 in Munich through the merger of two scientific organizations: the Crystallography Working Group, associated with West Germany, and the Association for Crystallography, associated with the German Democratic Republic. The merger followed the reunification of Germany and brought together crystallographers from the two previously separate scientific systems. Heinz Schulz was elected as the DGK's first chairman. The founding process also reflected the work of the earlier organizations' leaders, including Wolfram Saenger and Ursula Steinike, although they were not co-founders of the DGK in the corporate sense. The DGK's central purpose is to promote crystallography in teaching, academic and industrial research, and public understanding. Its activities include facilitating the exchange of experience and ideas, supporting continuing education, representing crystallography before national and international scientific institutions, and encouraging cooperation among researchers working in different parts of the field. The society maintains working groups devoted to specialized crystallographic topics, providing a structure for collaboration across disciplines and institutions. A major recurring activity is the DGK's annual conference, normally held in spring at a changing location in Germany. These meetings provide a forum for scientific presentations, professional networking, discussion of methods and applications, and interaction among academic, industrial, and institutional participants. The society also publishes an annual member communication known as the Notifications, and it operates a website blog with occasional articles on subjects such as crystallographic data deposition, scientific careers and study during the COVID-19 pandemic, people in the crystallographic community, and reports from earlier conferences. Recognition of scientific achievement is another important part of the DGK's role. Its awards include the Carl Hermann Medal for an outstanding research career in crystallography, the Max von Laue Prize for young scientists, and the Will Kleber commemorative coin for notable scientific contributions. The society also awards the Waltrude and Friedrich Liebau Prize on behalf of the Waltrude and Friedrich Liebau Foundation, recognizing interdisciplinary crystallography. From 2022, the Lieselotte Templeton Prize has recognized particularly strong bachelor's, master's, or comparable theses in crystallography. The DGK represents German crystallography through membership or participation in international structures. It is a member body of the International Union of Crystallography and the European Crystallographic Association. It also nominates candidates for crystallography-relevant review boards of the German Research Foundation. The society has sought a visible role in international event hosting: it provisionally applied to host the International Union of Crystallography conference in Berlin in 2029 and maintained a stand at the associated 2021 congress in Prague. Germany's most recent hosting of that international congress before the application was in Hamburg in 1984. The DGK is a membership-based scientific society rather than a commercial product brand. Its principal offerings are professional community, specialist working groups, conferences, publications, educational exchange, awards, and representation. Public information describes a membership of slightly more than 1,000 people. The organization remains active, with its work spanning fundamental crystallography, applied and industrial research, interdisciplinary science, data stewardship, education, and public communication.
History
The German Crystallographic Society was founded on 12 March 1991 in Munich, shortly after German reunification. Its creation resulted from the merger of two pre-existing scientific associations: the Crystallography Working Group, which had operated in West Germany, and the Association for Crystallography, which represented crystallographers in the German Democratic Republic. The merger united communities that had developed under different political and institutional conditions and created a single national organization for German crystallography. Heinz Schulz became the society's first elected chairman. From its foundation, the DGK was designed as a voluntary association rather than a commercial enterprise. Its membership includes scientists working in crystallography, people from related disciplines, and institutions interested in the field. The society's remit covers teaching, academic research, industrial practice, and communication with the public. It promotes the exchange of scientific experience and ideas, supports continuing education, and provides a national framework for collaboration among researchers working with crystal structures, diffraction, materials, chemistry, biology, physics, and related areas. The society organizes an annual conference, generally in spring and at a different location each year, usually within Germany. These meetings form a central part of the DGK's community-building role. They provide opportunities for lectures, specialist discussion, exchange between established researchers and younger scientists, and interaction between academic and industrial participants. The society also coordinates working groups focused on specific areas of crystallography. Through these groups, the DGK supports more specialized collaboration than can be achieved through a single annual meeting. The DGK's activities extend beyond meetings. It publishes an annual member communication called the Notifications and maintains a website with occasional blog articles. Topics mentioned in the society's public materials include depositing crystal-structure datasets in the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database, experiences of studying during the COVID-19 pandemic, profiles of people in the field, and reports on past conferences. These activities reflect the society's interest in both scientific infrastructure and the professional life of its members. Scientific recognition is a longstanding part of the DGK's work. The Carl Hermann Medal recognizes the scientific life's work of outstanding crystallographers. The Max von Laue Prize is intended for young scientists, while the Will Kleber commemorative coin honors outstanding scientific contributions. The society awards the Waltrude and Friedrich Liebau Prize on behalf of the Waltrude and Friedrich Liebau Foundation, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary crystallography. Beginning in 2022, the Lieselotte Templeton Prize added recognition for excellent bachelor's, master's, or comparable theses, strengthening the society's support for students and early-career researchers. The DGK also acts as a representative organization. It is a member body of the International Union of Crystallography and the European Crystallographic Association, linking German crystallography with international and European networks. It nominates candidates for crystallography-related review boards of the German Research Foundation, giving the society a role in the organization and evaluation of research. Its international profile was also visible at the 2021 International Union of Crystallography conference in Prague, where it operated a dedicated stand. The annual meeting schedule was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 conference was organized jointly with the Polish Crystallographic Association in Wrocław. Meetings planned for Hamburg at DESY in 2021 and Munich in 2022 were instead held online. The shift demonstrated the society's ability to preserve its conference program while in-person scientific events were restricted. The DGK has also pursued a larger international convening role. It provisionally applied to host the International Union of Crystallography conference in Berlin in 2029. Germany had last hosted that congress in Hamburg in 1984, so a Berlin bid would represent a significant return of the event to the country. The society's current activities continue to combine national representation, specialist collaboration, education, awards, conferences, scientific communication, and engagement with international crystallographic institutions. Public descriptions indicate that it has slightly more than 1,000 members and remains an active professional society headquartered in Berlin.
- 2022
Lieselotte Templeton Prize introduced
[1]The society began awarding a prize for especially strong bachelor's, master's, or comparable crystallography theses.
- 2021
Prague IUCr conference representation
[1]The DGK operated its own stand at the International Union of Crystallography conference in Prague.
- 2020
Joint Wrocław conference
[1]The DGK organized its annual conference together with the Polish Crystallographic Association in Wrocław.
- 1991
German Crystallographic Society established
[1]The DGK was founded in Munich on 12 March 1991 through the merger of the Crystallography Working Group and the Association for Crystallography.
- 1991
Heinz Schulz elected first chairman
[1]Heinz Schulz became the first elected chairman of the newly formed society.
Provisional application for 2029 IUCr congress
[1]The DGK provisionally applied to host the International Union of Crystallography conference in Berlin in 2029.
Products and positioning
A national professional society and representative body for crystallography in Germany, connecting academic, industrial, educational, and international scientific communities.
Scientific conference · 1991
Annual DGK Conference
The society's principal recurring meeting, normally held in spring at a changing venue. It supports presentation of crystallographic research, exchange among specialists, professional networking, and interaction across academic, industrial, and institutional settings. Meeting formats and locations can change in response to external conditions, as demonstrated by the online editions held during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Member publication
Notifications
An annual publication issued for DGK members. It functions as a society communication channel, complementing conferences, working groups, and the organization's wider professional and scientific activities.
Scientific network
DGK Working Groups
Specialist groups dedicated to particular areas of crystallography. They provide a focused setting for collaboration, discussion, knowledge exchange, and continuing professional development within the broader society.
Awards program
Scientific Awards
The DGK recognizes achievement at different career stages through the Carl Hermann Medal, Max von Laue Prize, Will Kleber commemorative coin, Waltrude and Friedrich Liebau Prize, and Lieselotte Templeton Prize. Together, these awards cover lifetime contribution, early-career work, individual scientific contributions, interdisciplinary research, and student theses.
Brand decisions
2020
Shift to pandemic-adapted conference formatsStrategyBackground
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted planned in-person scientific meetings.
Action taken
The society supported a joint 2020 meeting in Wrocław and moved the subsequently planned Hamburg and Munich meetings online.
Aftermath
The annual meeting program continued despite restrictions on physical gatherings, although the planned venues were not used for those editions.
1991
Merger creating the DGKM&ABackground
German crystallography was represented by separate organizations associated with West Germany and the German Democratic Republic. Political reunification created the conditions for forming a single national scientific society.
Action taken
The Crystallography Working Group and the Association for Crystallography were combined to establish the German Crystallographic Society in Munich on 12 March 1991.
Aftermath
The merger created a unified professional body for German crystallography and enabled representation of the field through one national organization.
- Provisional bid for the 2029 IUCr conferenceStrategy
Background
The DGK sought to strengthen Germany's role in international crystallography and to bring the International Union of Crystallography congress back to Germany after the country's previous hosting in Hamburg in 1984.
Action taken
The society provisionally applied to host the 2029 IUCr conference in Berlin and promoted its candidacy through representation at the 2021 Prague congress.
Aftermath
The source material establishes the provisional application but does not state the final outcome of the bid.
Sources2 sources
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