The 54th Geomechanik-Kolloquium took place 14 November 2025 in the assembly hall of the New Town Hall of Leipzig.
The Institut für Gebirgsmechanik had invited participants to this long-standing conference, which is organised on an annual rotating basis in collaboration with the Institute of Geotechnical Engineering at TU Bergakademie Freiberg and with the support of the Verein Freiberger Geotechniker.
The numerous lectures covered a wide range of topics – from applications of rock mechanics and aspects of active salt mining to issues relating to final disposal. The event was opened by the Managing Director of the IfG, Dr Ralf-Michael Günther, who also chaired the first session. This session covered a wide range of topics, from practical applications of rock mechanics through numerical modelling and underground solution management to in-situ measurement technology and slope stabilisation.
More than 180 people attended the 54th Geomechanics Colloquium
The meeting room at Leipzig’s New Town Hall was fully occupied for the event.
More than 180 participants from the fields of research, business and public administration listened with interest to the lectures and made intensive use of the breaks to engage in professional and personal discussions.
After a short coffee break, Dr Markus Knauth (IfG) opened the second session, which provided further insights into applied rock mechanics in the fields of modelling and mining. After the lunch break, during which the Leipziger Ratskeller provided refreshments, Prof. Heinz Konietzky (TU Bergakademie Freiberg) introduced the third session of presentations. This session focused primarily on salt mining and was introduced by a two-part comprehensive presentation by K+S and the IfG on the topic of ‘Geogenic gas inclusions in salt deposits and their significance for integrity assessment’. The presentation was rounded off by an illustrative experiment that demonstrated the effectiveness of salt rock as a seal, but also showed the intensity with which gases can be released in the event of a loss of integrity.
The fourth and final session of the day, chaired by Dr Christoph Lüdeling from the IfG, focused on current projects relating to the construction of long-term, MgO-based tunnel sealings. The concluding technical presentation was given by our long-standing colleague and authorised signatory at the IfG, Dr Till Popp, who retired at the end of July 2025 after 22 years with the company. For his professional achievements – extending far beyond the IfG – and as a valued colleague, he was specially honoured and bid farewell by Dr Daniela Freyer, Head of the Department of Salt and Building Materials Chemistry at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, in a laudatory address.
Mr Schleinig and interested colleagues observing the experiment.
Dr Till Popp was honoured with a laudatory speech by Dr Daniela Freyer.
A large buffet offered the participants a wide variety of dishes.
The conference drew to a close with intense networking discussions.
The day drew to a close at the Felix Club on Augustusplatz, high above the city’s rooftops. With a wonderful view of the Leipzig Opera House and the Gewandhaus, a shared dinner and drinks provided the perfect setting for further conversation and making new contacts.
We are already looking forward to the next Geomechanik Kolloquium in Freiberg in November 2026, and especially to the 56th Geomechanics Colloquium in 2027, which will be held in Leipzig once again.