The Geomechanik-Kolloquium is an engineering-focused event series with a long-standing tradition. Organised jointly by the Institute of Geotechnics at TU Bergakademie Freiberg and the Institut für Gebirgsmechanik, it has, for over 60 years, brought together practitioners, engineers, and scientists from salt mining, cavern storage, waste repositories, and rock salt mechanics to exchange insights on current developments, projects, and challenges in rock mechanics. The venue alternates annually between Leipzig and Freiberg.
Prof. Werner Gimm, Deutsche Akademie der Wissenschaften
Prof. Karl-Heinz Höfer, Institut für Grubensicherheit Leipzig
In 1963, an internal working meeting took place in Leipzig between the staff of the Geomechanics Department at the Deutsche Akademie der Wissenschaften Freiberg and the team from the Institut für Grubensicherheit Leipzig, Department of Rock Mechanics. The meeting was initiated by Prof. Werner A. R. Gimm, head of the Geomechanics Department at the Deutsche Akademie der Wissenschaften, and Prof. Karl-Heinz Höfer, director of the Institut für Grubensicherheit. This gathering is considered to mark the very first Geomechanik-Kolloquium.
The following year, this meeting was held again, still on a small scale. These working meetings strengthened collaboration and mutual trust among the staff of both participating institutions. At the request of the industry, the event was opened to the public in 1965 during the third colloquium, allowing representatives from the potash and copper-shale mining sectors to participate for the first time. By 1968, the meeting had already grown into an event of national significance within the GDR, with 125 participants from 33 institutions attending the sixth colloquium in Aue. The scope of the event was also expanded and enriched: from that point on, the focus extended beyond rock mechanics to include a broader range of rock engineering issues. At the 12th colloquium in 1974, Prof. Gimm formally conferred the title “Geomechanik-Kolloquium” on the event.
Starting with the 14th Geomechanics Colloquium in 1976, the event was held every two to three years, alternating between Leipzig and Freiberg. In November 1989, the 20th Geomechanik-Kolloquium took place in Freiberg at the TU Bergakademie, under the moderation of Prof. Tilo Döring. However, the date for the subsequent event remained undecided due to the forthcoming political changes associated with German reunification.
The first colloquium following the fall of the Berlin Wall was organized as early as May 1992. The 21st Geomechanik-Kolloquium took place at the Agra Club in Markkleeberg near Leipzig. The event was hosted by former staff of the Institut für Bergbausicherheit, who had found a new professional home at the newly established Institut für Gebirgsmechanik GmbH, together with the Institute for Geotechnics at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg and colleagues from DMT Bochum. By the following year, at the 22nd Geomechanik-Kolloquium in Freiberg, the number of participants had already doubled, and the colloquium had developed into a nationwide event.
In 2001, the 30th Geomechanik-Kolloquium was held as a jubilee event at the Sondershausen potash mine, reflecting on the achievements of the past 30 meetings. This tradition continues to this day: in 2022, the 50th Geomechanik-Kolloquium took place in the underground concert hall at the GTS Sondershausen mine, welcoming more than 200 participants from Germany and abroad.
Information about the current event can be found here.