President of Germany visits ESO’s Headquarters in Garching

The President of the Federal Republic of Germany, H.E. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, along with a delegation of representatives including the Bavarian State Minister for European and International Affairs, Eric Beißwenger, have concluded a visit to ESO’s Headquarters in Garching bei München, Germany. The President was provided an opportunity to learn about recent ESO developments, following his visit to ESO sites in Chile in March 2025, in addition to touring engineering and outreach facilities at ESO’s German site.  

The President, Bavarian State Minister and delegation were welcomed by ESO Director General, Xavier Barcons, and introduced to members of ESO’s top-level management in Garching and in Chile. This group consisted of Claudia Burger, Director of Administration; Andreas Kaufer, Director of Operations; Sara Krauss, Director of Engineering; and Adrian Russell, Director of Programmes. 

ESO Director General Barcons said: “It’s an honour to welcome Federal President Steinmeier at our headquarters in Garching, Germany, following his visit to our Paranal Observatory in Chile earlier this year. I am thrilled to see his continued interest in the science and innovation that takes place at ESO. I particularly appreciate Federal President Steinmeier’s interest in, and continuous support for, protecting the quality of the Paranal site, which is currently threatened by a major industrial project planned for its immediate vicinity.” 

President Steinmeier highlighted the importance of ESO’s work and the need to maintain the conditions that have enabled ESO’s top-level research. “This, of course, depends on ESO’s need for stable funding,” he said, underscoring also the vital importance of preserving the quality of Paranal. “This means eliminating as best as possible any vibrations and, in particular, light pollution that could interfere with the research,” he stated. “The German Federal government and I myself have asked the Chilean government to ensure that these research conditions are maintained.”

“I would like to express my sincere thanks for the work that ESO researchers do for ESO. Thank you very much for conducting research and delivering results at this high level. I would not only like to express my gratitude, but also encourage to continue this work.”

The visitors were led on a tour of the Large Integration Hall, the largest engineering lab at ESO’s Headquarters and the place where many telescope and instrument components are developed and tested. This includes instruments and scientific equipment for ESO’s revolutionary new project, the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), located close to Paranal. The delegation was then led to the ESO Supernova Planetarium and Visitor Centre. 

Germany has been deeply involved in ESO from its very beginnings in the 1960s, not just as a founding Member State, but also as host of its headquarters and largest contributor to its budget. Many of the ESO’s most important discoveries have involved German researchers, such as the research that won a Nobel Prize in 2020, while German institutions have led the development of some of ESO’s most scientifically competitive instruments. German industry has also significantly contributed to the development of many ESO projects, such as the company SCHOTT who developed the mirror blanks for both the ELT and the Very Large Telescope.