XFEL: Schleswig-Holstein Minister President Torsten Albig visits European XFEL

Minister President Torsten Albig, the head of the government of the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, visited the research campus of the European XFEL in Schenefeld on 2 August. The facility’s managing directors, Massimo Altarelli and Claudia Burger, informed the minister president about work on the new X-ray laser, which next summer should deliver the first X-ray flashes for external users. Afterwards, Albig visited the research facility’s recently inaugurated headquarters building, laboratories, and the large underground experiment hall where, following the completion of installation of infrastructure, the construction of the scientific instruments has begun.

 

Massimo Altarelli expressed gratitude for the contributions of Schleswig-Holstein to the European XFEL and for good collaboration with the local government. “The work on our new campus moves along smoothly”, Altarelli added. “Our laser will be, when it becomes operational next year, the brightest X-ray light source in the world—a new scientific beacon for research into the nanocosmos in Schleswig-Holstein.”

"We are very proud that one of the global epicentres of research using these technologies came into being here in Schenefeld", said Albig. "Here experiments and investigations will take place that I am certain will positively affect our lives and the lives of our children."

Albig was accompanied by Ernst Dieter Rossmann, who represents the district of Pinneberg in the Bundestag, and Christiane Küchenhof, the mayor of Schenefeld. This is the second visit by the minister president, following a November 2012 visit to the then-construction site of the facility.

You can find more photos from the visit on our media database.